REFLEKSI REKTOR (07HB APRIL 2024) (BM/EN)

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Yesus Kristus sememangnya telah bangkit daripada kematian! Alleluia! Dalam Injil hari ini, Dia menampakkan diri secara ajaib kepada murid-murid-Nya; tidak lagi dibatasi oleh masa dan tempat, Yesus datang dan berdiri di antara mereka. Murid-murid-Nya yang sangat ketakutan pasti terkejut melihat Tuhan yang tiba-tiba muncul melalui dinding, sesuatu yang benar-benar luar biasa dan tidak dijangka!

Tuhan yang bangkit dengan penuh kasih menyapa mereka dua kali untuk menenangkan mereka dan mengutus mereka menjadi Rasul belas kasih. Dia berkata, “Damai sejahtera bagi kamu”, dan kemudian menunjukkan tangan dan lambung-Nya kepada mereka. Dalam reaksi sukacita mereka, Yesus berkata, “Damai sejahtera bagi kamu. Sama seperti Bapa mengutus Aku, demikian juga sekarang Aku mengutus kamu.” Selepas berkata demikian, Yesus menghembusi mereka dan berkata, “Terimalah Roh Kudus. Jikalau kamu mengampuni dosa orang, dosanya diampuni, dan jikalau kamu menyatakan dosa orang tetap ada, dosanya tetap ada.” Tradisi Katolik kita melihat kepada institusi Sakramen Taubat dalam tindakan ini.

Tomas pada mulanya, tidak percaya kecuali dia melihat dan mencucukkan sendiri jarinya ke dalam bekas luka-luka Yesus. Tuhan yang bangkit menampakkan diri kepadanya dan meyakinkan dia, dan berkata, “Kerana telah melihat Aku, maka engkau percaya. Berbahagialah mereka yang tidak melihat, namun percaya.” Ini bermakna bahawa iman mereka yang belum pernah melihat Tuhan yang bangkit secara fizikal dengan mata kasar tetapi percaya kepada-Nya berdasarkan kesaksian yang boleh dipercayai tentang belas kasihan Allah adalah iman yang luar biasa.

Dalam bacaan pertama, kumpulan orang yang telah percaya yang mengalami kasih dan belas kasihan Tuhan, bersatu dan memiliki kesamaan dalam segala hal. Mereka menjual tanah dan rumah mereka, dan menyerahkan wang itu kepada para rasul untuk dibagikan kepada mereka yang memerlukan. Para rasul memberi kesaksian tentang kebangkitan Yesus dengan kuasa yang besar, dan di antara mereka, tidak ada seorang pun yang berkekurangan. Sesungguhnya, kasih dan belas kasihan Tuhan menyatukan kita untuk kebaikan bersama.

Percaya bahawa Yesus adalah Kristus bermakna percaya Dia lahir dari Allah dan mengasihi Dia. Mengasihi Allah bermakna melakukan perintah-perintah-Nya, yang tidak menjadi masalah bagi mereka yang mahu. Ya, mereka yang percaya kepada Yesus sebagai Anak Allah telah pun mengalahkan dunia. Kemenangan ini adalah melalui iman kepada Yesus Kristus yang telah datang dengan air dan darah, dengan Roh sebagai saksi yang lain.

Saudara dan saudari dalam Tuhan yang bangkit, Paus Yohanes Paulus II mendeklarasikan hari Minggu setelah Paskah sebagai Minggu Kerahiman Ilahi pada tahun 2000. Pada hari ini, umat beriman menerima berkat imej Kerahiman Ilahi yang melambangkan kasih dan pengampunan, yang juga dikenali sebagai “Mata Air Kerahiman”. Paus Yohanes Paulus II meninggal pada vigil Minggu Kerahiman Ilahi pada tahun 2005, dibeatifikasi pada Minggu Kerahiman Ilahi pada tahun 2011, dan dikanonisasi pada hari ini pada tahun 2014 bersama dengan Paus Yohanes XXIII. Dia berkata, “Sejak permulaan pelayanan saya di St. Peter’s See di Rom, saya menganggap mesej ini [Kerahiman Ilahi] tugas istimewa saya. Providence telah memberikannya kepada saya dalam situasi manusia, Gereja dan dunia sekarang. Boleh dikatakan bahawa situasi ini memberikan mesej itu kepada saya sebagai tugas saya di hadapan Tuhan” (22 November 1981, di Shrine of Merciful Love di Collevalenza, Itali).

Saudara dan saudari dalam Kristus yang bangkit, sememangnya kehidupan tidak selalunya indah. Tetapi kita mempunyai iman kepada Yesus yang mengalahkan dosa dan kesakitan melalui Kebangkitan-Nya. Seperti yang dikatakan oleh Paus Yohanes Paulus, kita adalah umat Paskah, dan kita mencari sukacita yang datang dari iman dan berkembang melalui kematangan pemberian diri. Kita memahami bahawa sukacita Injil itu mendesak, tetapi kita menerimanya dan hidup sebagai umat Paskah.

Dengan rasa syukur di dalam hati, kita melayani Tuhan.

Fr. Thomas Madanan

NABRE

John 20

1On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” 3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. 4They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. 8Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Jesus Christ has indeed risen from the dead! Alleluia! In today’s Gospel, He appeared miraculously to his disciples; no longer constrained by time and location, Jesus came and stood among them. His deathly afraid disciples must have been shocked to see the Lord suddenly pass through the wall, something truly extraordinary and unexpected!

The risen Lord profoundly greeted them twice to calm them down and commission them to be Apostles of mercy. He said ‘Peace be with you,’ and then showed them His sacred wounds that were on His hands and His side. In their joyful reactions, Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you. ‘As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.’ After saying this, he breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.’ Our Catholic tradition has rightly seen the institution of the Sacrament of Penance in this act.

Thomas at first refused to believe unless he saw and felt Jesus’ wounds. The risen Lord appeared to him and convinced him, saying, “You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.” This is to say, far more remarkable is the faith of all those who have not seen the risen Lord physically with naked eyes and yet believe in Him on reliable testimony of God’s mercy.

The believers in the first reading, who experienced God’s love and mercy, were united and held everything in common. They sold their land and houses and presented the money to the apostles to distribute among those in need. The apostles testified to the resurrection of Jesus with great power, and their members were never in want. Indeed, God’s love and mercy bind us together for the common good.

Believing in Jesus as the Christ means being begotten by God and loving Him. Loving God means keeping His commandments, which are not problematic for those willing. Yes, those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God have already overcome the world. This victory is through faith in Jesus Christ, who came by water and blood, with the Spirit as another witness.

Brothers and sisters in the risen Lord, Pope John Paul II declared the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in 2000. On this day, the faithful receive blessings of Divine Mercy images symbolizing love and forgiveness, also known as the “Fountain of Mercy”. Pope John Paul II died on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005, was beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2011, and canonized on this day in 2014 together with Pope John XXIII.

He said, “Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter’s See in Rome, I consider this message [of Divine Mercy] my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church, and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God” (November 22, 1981, at the Shrine of Merciful Love in Collevalenza, Italy).

Brothers and sisters in the risen Christ, certainly life is not always beautiful. But we have faith in Jesus who conquered sin and pain through His Resurrection. As Pope John Paul said, we are Easter people, and we seek a joy that comes from faith and grows through maturity of self-giving. We understand that the joy of the Gospel is demanding, but we embrace it and live as Easter people.

With Thanksgiving in our hearts, we will serve the Lord.

Fr. Thomas Madanan