Yoel 2:12-18; Mzm 51; Mat 6:1-6.16-18
“Pulvis et umbra sumus - Kita hanya debu dan bayangan.”
Abu adalah lambang biblis dari sesal dan tobat. Sejak lama, bahkan berabad-abad sebelum Kristus, abu menjadi tanda tobat (Yun 3:6, Est 4:13, Ayb 42:6, Dan 9:3). Gereja Perdana pun mewariskan penggunaan abu untuk alasan yang sama seperti yang dikatakan Eusebius dan secara khusus Tertulianus dalam De Poenitentia: "pendosa yang bertobat harus “hidup tanpa bersenang-senang dengan mengenakan kain kabung dan abu.”
Adapun 3 semangat iman pada hari Rabu Abu, antara lain:
1."Kebersamaan":
Penerimaan abu merupakan suatu tanda pertobatan yang universal dimana semua orang Katolik Sama-sama menerima abu di dahinya sebagai permulaan saat pertobatan dalam semangat ber-“PDA”, Puasa Doa dan Amal.
2."Keterbukaan":
Karena abu diurapkan di dahi, maka amatlah mustahil bahwa kita bisa melihat secara langsung betapa kotornya dahi kita tapi kita bisa dengan amat mudah melihat kotornya dahi orang lain. Disinilah orang lain seakan berdiri dan menjadi cermin tempat kita melihat diri kita masing-masing. Dengan kata lain: Kita diajak untuk terbuka karena sesama adalah gambaran dan cermin diri. Kita melihat diri yang penuh kelemahan melalui keterbukaan terhadap orang lain yang kini berada di depan kita. Tak ada yang bisa banyak kita katakan kecuali bersama-sama terbuka di hadapan Tuhan dan mengakui bahwa kita adalah manusia lemah yang sama-sama membutuhkan rahmatNya.
3."Kerendahan hati":
Abu melambang dan mengingatkan kita akan ketidakabadian. Karenanya, ketika imam dengan ibu jarinya membubuhkan abu di dahi, ia akan berkata, “Bertobatlah dan percaya kepada Injil" atau "Ingatlah, manusia berasal dari debu dan akan kembali menjadi debu". Inilah kalimat seperti yang difirmankan Tuhan kepada Adam (Kej 3:19, Ayb 34:15; Mzm 90:3; Mzm 104:29; Pktbh 3:20). Ini juga sesuai dengan pengakuan Abraham, “Aku debu dan abu” (Kej 18:27). Dengan kata lain: Abu menjadi tanda ketidakabadian kita serta mengingatkan kita untuk selalu rendah hati.
"Cari obat di Sriwedari - Mari bertobat setiap hari."
Salam HIKers,
Tuhan memberkati & Bunda merestui
Fiat Lux - Be the Light -
Jadilah Terang!
(Gen 1:3)
NB:
1."Intentio pura - Maksud yang tulus/murni."
Inilah kualitas iman yang diharapkan Yesus di tengah banyak orang yg mudah ber-intentio "pura-pura" (penuh akal bulus/tidak murni).
Adapun, dalam khotbah di bukit, Yesus bersabda dengan tulus-lurus dan kudus: "Hati-hatilah, jangan sampai melakukan kewajiban agamamu di depan orang supaya dilihat." Yesus mencela sikap hidup orang beriman yang "dangkal/banal" karena penuh kosmetika kepalsuan/kepura-puraan (Jawa: "slintat slintut") sekedar mau pamer/dipuja puji orang. Sikap ini juga kerap kita sebut sebagai mentalitas orang yang munafik ("MUlutnya pedas-NAlurinya iri dan FIKirannya negatif").
Secara sederhana, penghayatan iman orang kristiani yang tulus-lurus dan kudus setidaknya mencakup "4 pilar dasar/tetralogi", yakni "PDAM", antara lain:
A."Puasa":
Relasi dialog dengan diri sendiri, karena seperti kata St. Leo Agung, berpuasa itu tidak hanya berarti mengurangi makan/minum tapi memberantas semua habitus/kebiasaan jahat dalam diri kita supaya lebih reflektif dan instrospektif.
B."Doa":
Relasi dialog dengan Tuhan entah devosi/kontemplasi/meditasi, sehingga kita lebih mengalami "intimitas cum Deo, keakraban dengan yang ilahi" setiap hari.
C."Amal":
Relasi dialog dengan sesama, terlebih yang kecil dan miskin sehingga kita semakin hidup berbelarasa dan menjadi sahabat bagi semua orang.
D."Misa":
Relasi dialog bersama Gereja, karena jelaslah iman kita bersama iman gereja mesti berdimensi ekaristis, siap untuk dipilih diberkati dipecah dan dibagi-bagi bagi hidup sesama dan semesta.
"Makan srikaya di Surakarta - Mari berkarya penuh sukacita."
2."Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum - Aku bekerja segiat-giatnya demi kemuliaan Tuhan semesta alam".
Inilah motto yang saya dapatkan di pintu masuk sebuah sekolah Katolik tertua di Malang, yakni SMA St Albertus Dempo ketika saya memberi retret tahunan untuk para guru dan beberapa bruder/suster Karmelit disana.
Nah, mengacu pada bacaan hari ini, setidaknya ada 3 hal dasar yang bisa kita lakukan untuk kemuliaan Tuhan yakni "PDA - Puasa Doa + Amal" : Dengan puasa, kita diajak untuk lebih bersabar; dengan doa, kita diajak untuk lebih beriman; dengan amal, kita diajak untuk lebih berbagi.
Ke 3 hal ini, “Puasa Doa Amal” yang mengajak kita belajar “bersabar-beriman dan berbagi” tentunya dimaksudkan semata mata demi kemuliaan Tuhan atau dalam bahasa para suster Ursulin, "Soli Deo Gloria," karena kita lakukan dengan hati yang tulus/"munajat".
Di lain matra, Yesus hari ini juga mengatakan tentang sikap yang dibenciNya karena jelas tidak memuliakan nama Tuhan semesta alam adalah sikap yang penuh akal bulus/"munafik".
Dalam buku saya, "TANDA" (RJK, Kanisius), ada 3 indikasi dasar orang munafik, al: "MUlutnya pedas-NAlurinya iri + FIKirannya negatif. Nah, bersama teladan iman yang saya dapat dari motto sekolah Dempo Malang ini, marilah kita juga semakin giat ber"PDA", berpuasa berdoa dan beramal secara tulus, dan semakin giat juga menanggalkan sikap-sikap munafik yang penuh akal bulus, sehingga dengan perbuatan baik dan ketulusan hati, namaNya semakin dimuliakan dan hidup kita semakin diselamatkan.
"Belajar Kalkulus bersama Romo Sixtus –
Jadilah orang yang berhati tulus seperti Kristus."
3."When you pray, fast, and give alms"
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Old Testament Reading: Joel 2:12-18
"Yet even now," says the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, `Where is their God?'" Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.
Meditation
Are you hungry for God and do you thirst for his holiness? God wants to set our hearts ablaze with the fire of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his holiness and radiate the joy of the gospel to those around us. St. Augustine of Hippo tells us that there are two kinds of people and two kinds of love: "One is holy, the other is selfish. One is subject to God; the other endeavors to equal Him." We are what we love. God wants to free our hearts from all that would keep us captive to selfishness and sin. "Rend your hearts and not your garments" says the prophet Joel (Joel 2:12). The Holy Spirit is ever ready to transform our hearts and to lead us further in God's way of truth and holiness.
Why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for his disciples? The Jews considered these three as the cardinal works of the religious life. These were seen as the key signs of a pious person, the three great pillars on which the good life was based. Jesus pointed to the heart of the matter. Why do you pray, fast, and give alms? To draw attention to yourself so that others may notice and think highly of you? Or to give glory to God? The Lord warns his disciples of self-seeking glory - the preoccupation with looking good and seeking praise from others. True piety is something more than feeling good or looking holy. True piety is loving devotion to God. It is an attitude of awe, reverence, worship and obedience. It is a gift and working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to devote our lives to God with a holy desire to please him in all things (Isaiah 11:1-2).
What is the sure reward which Jesus points out to his disciples? It is communion with God our Father. In him alone we find the fulness of life, happiness, and truth. May the prayer of Augustine of Hippo, recorded in his Confessions, be our prayer this Lent: When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete. The Lord wants to renew us each day and give us new hearts of love and compassion. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Seek him expectantly in prayer, with fasting, and in generous giving to those in need.
The forty days of Lent is the annual retreat of the people of God in imitation of Jesus' forty days in the wilderness. Forty is a significant number in the scriptures. Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting. The people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for their entry into the promised land. Elijah fasted for forty days as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. We are called to journey with the Lord in a special season of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and penitence as we prepare to celebrate the feast of Easter, the Christian Passover. The Lord gives us spiritual food and supernatural strength to seek his face and to prepare ourselves for spiritual combat and testing. We, too, must follow in the way of the cross in order to share in the victory of Christ's death and resurrection. As we begin this holy season of testing and preparation, let's ask the Lord for a fresh outpouring of his Holy Spirit that we may grow in faith, hope, and love and embrace his will more fully in our lives.
"Lord Jesus, give me a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, and a great love of you. Take from me all lukewarmness in the meditation of your word, and dullness in prayer. Give me fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace, and fill me with compassion for others, especially those in need, that I may respond with generosity."
Psalm 51:3-6,12-14,17
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever
before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done
that which is evil in your sight, so that you are
justified in your sentence and blameless in
your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin
did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and
uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and
sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God
of my salvation, and my tongue will sing
aloud of your deliverance.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will
not despise.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers
"Christians must always live in this way, without any wish to come down from their cross - otherwise they will sink beneath the world's mire. But if we have to do so all our lives, we must make an even greater effort during the days of Lent. It is not a simple matter of living through forty days. Lent is the epitome of our whole life." (Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D., excerpt from Sermon 205, 1)
4.KITAB Yoel terkenal dengan seruan kenabian yang akan selalu relevan bagi manusia sepanjang segala zaman, yaitu: “Koyakkanlah hatimu, bukan pakaianmu.” Kalau diikuti, pertobatan yang ditawarkan Yoel sungguh akan berdampak luar biasa bagi hidup umat, seperti yang bisa kita baca dalam nubuat-nubuat lain dalam Kitab Yoel. Suara kenabian Yoel ini akan selalu kita dengar ketika Gereja Universal memulai retret agung nya selama 40 hari pada masa Prapaskah.
Yoel menegaskan bahwa keputusan manusia untuk kembali kepada Tuhan bukan setengah-setengah, hanya kalau ingat, melainkan dengan sepenuh hati dan tidak pura-pura. Yoel mengajak seluruh pendengarnya untuk berpuasa, meratap, dan menangis. Tetapi bukan dalam kepura-puraan karena Tuhan mampu mengetahui isi hati manusia. Manusia bisa tertipu tetapi Tuhan tidak.
Keistimewaan Kitab Yoel dan juga beberapa nubuat nabi-nabi lain dalam Perjanjian Lama terletak pada bagaimana para nabi menjadikan belas kasih Tuhan sebagai dasar manusia untuk bertobat. Gagasannya jelas, bahwa manusia diajak bertobat pertama-tama bukan karena kemampuan diri sendiri, melainkan Allah yang pengasih, panjang sabar, dan berlimpah kasih setia.
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