sexta-feira, 23 de dezembro de 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing you all the peace, joy, and love of the season!

The warmth and joy of Christmas From Home to home,and heart to heart,from one place to another.The warmth and joy of Christmas,brings us closer to each other.I hope you have a wonderful christmas. Have a great new year !

May your days be bright, and your heart be light! May this glorious day of our Savior's birth resound with hope and peace on earth!

Christmas is not a time nor a season,but a state of mind.To cherish peace and goodwill,to be plenteous in mercy,is to have the real spirit of Christmas.May Jesus fill your heart with warmth and love.May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you all through the Year. Wishing you a season of blessings from heaven above. A silent night, a star above, a blessed gift of hope and love, May the good times and treasures of the present become the golden memories of tomorrow.

I wish you all God's wonderful gifts of faith, hope, peace, and loveat Christmas-time and always.
As we take a moment from our busy lives to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ I pray that your life are filled with love, and your New Year filled with peace.
May this glorious day of our Savior's birth resound with hope and peace on earth!

A LUZ BRILHOU NAS TREVAS



É NATAL


A Trindade envia o Verbo em Missão.

O Vervo é acolhido na História

Mergulha na vida humana, vai para a gruta, Vai para Jerusalém.

Deus faz-se simples com os simples, Fraco com os fracos.

E ensina que a bondade e a simplecidade geram vida, geram misericordia.

De uma gruta distante, brotou a esperança de um mundo justo.

Neste tempo em que a paz é ameaçada

Façamos a celebração Natal

A renovação do nosso compromisso com a Paz que o Deus-Menino nos trouxe.

Como Maria, colocamos toda a nossa pobreza à disposição do projecto Salvador de Deus!


Desejo a todos


Feliz Natal! Abençoado Ano Novo!

Ir. Ma. Mendes, SSpS

Portugal

terça-feira, 6 de dezembro de 2011

Prayer to the Creator



Blessed are you, Creator of the Universe
who out of darkness brought forth light
and who rule the universe by your word.
Send far away from us
the darkness of error and evil
and direct us to the knowledge of your name's glory.
Blessed are you, Creator of the Universe,
who brought forth from nothing everything
and renew unceasingly days and seasons.
Be merciful with us in your great power
and multiply in us the grace of your kindness.
Blessed are you, Creator of the Universe,
who created human beings with amazing perfection
and who want your image and likeness to shine in them.
Accept us all under your shining gaze
and grant that we may live up to your aim of love.
Blessed are you, Creator of the Universe,
who sustain all beings in time and space and penetrate
everything with your overpowering presence.
Fulfill the innermost desires of your heart
and guide in peace
the destiny of all human beings.
Blessed are you, Creator of the Universe,
who communicate your energy to all created beings
and direct humankind in your path.
Make us your co-workers in the harmony of the world,
and help us to fulfill in history
the mystery of your creation. Amen.

From Prayers of Blessing and Praise for All Occasions, copyright 1987, Hugo Schlesinger and Humberto Porto.

Forum Internasional Katolik-Muslim II



Press Release


Forum Internasional Katolik-Muslim II

Forum Internasional Katolik-Muslim (Catholic-Muslim Forum) yang dibentuk pada tahun 2008 sebagai tanggapan bersama antara Katolik dan Muslim terhadap surat pernyataan sikap ke-137 tokoh Muslim seluruh dunia terhadap Kuliah Sri Paus Benediktus di Regensburg, Jerman, telah melangksungkan Seminar-nya yang ke-2 dari 21 – 23 Nopember 2011 di Rumah Konferensi Baptism Site of Jesus di padang gurun tepi Laut Mati, Yordania, dengan Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought sebagai tuan rumah.

Seminar pertama dilakukan dari 2-4 Nopember 2008 di Vatikan dengan tema “Kasih akan Allah dan Kasih akan Sesama”; sebuah refleksi teologis mencari aplikasi nyata dalam relasi keseharian antara Kristiani dan Muslim. Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute, yang dikepalai oleh Pangeran Ghazi Muhammad bin Talal, adalah sebuah pusat kajian teologis-ilmiah tentang pemikiran-pemikiran Islam, juga bergelut dengan kajian lintas agama untuk memajukan dialog antar umat beragama, terutama antara umat Kristiani dan Muslim.

Seminar ke-2 kali ini yang mengambil tema: Reason, Faith and the Human Person (Akal Budi, Iman dan Pribadi Manusia), dihadiri oleh 24 tokoh Katolik-Roma dan 24 tokoh Muslim di seluruh dunia. Wakil-wakil setiap agama dipilih oleh masing-masing pihak secara bebas atas berbagai pertimbangan. Pihak Muslim menghadirkan pula Prof. Din Syamsuddin, Ketua Umum Muhammidiyah, sebagai satu-satunya wakil dari Indonesia. Penulis sendiri adalah satu dari 24 peserta Katolik, mewaikil Dewan Kepausan untuk Dialog antar umat Beragama (Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue), sekaligus ko-penyelenggara event tersebut.

Para peserta seminar mendapat kehormatan pula untuk diterima oleh Raja Yordania, Abdullah II bin al-Hussein di Istana Basman di kota Amman, di mana beliau mengutarakan beberapa perihal penting guna memajukan perdamaian dan keharmonisan global serta mendorong para peserta untuk tetap berkarya demi perdamaian antar penganut kedua agama besar ini di seluruh dunia.

Di akhir seminar tersebut, para tokoh ke-dua agama merumuskan lima butir kesepakatan sebagai Deklarasi Bersama sbb:
1. Allah telah menganugerahkan akal budi kepada manusia, melaluinya (akal budi) manusia mengenal kebenaran. Pengenalan kebenaran menyinari tanggungjawab kita di hadapan Allah dan di hadapan satu sama lain.

2. Iman adalah anugerah Allah, melaluinya (iman) manusia sadar (discover) bahwa ia diciptakan oleh Allah dan bertumbuh di dalam pengetahuan akan Dia.

3. Hati yang putih-bersih adalah pusat (center) dari seorang yang setia, di mana iman, akal budi dan belarasa (compassion) berpadu di dalam penyembahan kepada Allah dan kasih akan sesama manusia.

4. Derajad manusia yang dianugerahkan Allah harus dihormati oleh semua orang dan harus pula dilindungi di dalam/melalui hukum.

5. Di dalam dialog, kaum beriman harus mengucapkan rasa syukur kepada Allah atas segala rahmatNya di atas di dalam suasana saling menghormati dan dalam belarasa, dan di dalam sebuah bentuk hidup yang harmonis dengan ciptaan Tuhan.
Tokoh-tokoh Katolik-Roma dan Muslim seluruh dunia tetap ingin melanjutkan dialog ini sebagai sebuah jalan untuk memajukan saling pemahaman dan kebaikan bersama seluruh umat manusia, terutama mewujudnyatakan hasratnya terhadap perdamaian, keadilan dan solidaritas.

Yordania/Vatikan, Nopember 2011
P. Markus Solo Kewuta SVD
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,
Desk Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Asia

Go Light Your World - Chris Rice

segunda-feira, 5 de dezembro de 2011

Jesus Palavra: JESUS EXULTOU NO ESPÍRITO SANTO

Jesus Palavra: JESUS EXULTOU NO ESPÍRITO SANTO: Este Evangelho narra o que aconteceu logo após o retorno dos setenta e dois discípulos, de sua primeira viagem missionária. Eles, muito aleg...

quarta-feira, 30 de novembro de 2011

Contemplação é presença

"Deus está vivencialmente presente, e nós temos consciência de que Deus está conosco. Isto é contemplação, não é?, a experiência da proximidade e da intimidade de Deus. Portanto, se amamos, o amor que nos faz amar uns aos outros em comunidade é o amor que nos torna contemplativos."

The Springs of Contemplation: A Retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani, de Thomas Merton

Um pensamento para reflexão: "Porque amamos, Deus está presente. Contemplação é presença."
The Springs of Contemplation, Thomas Merton

terça-feira, 29 de novembro de 2011

Prayer: Thomas Merton

The Advent mystery is the beginning of the end of all in us that is not yet Christ

segunda-feira, 28 de novembro de 2011

ADVENTO: ACORDAR A ESPERANÇA!

«Vigiai, pois não sabeis quando virá o dono da casa»


Também neste tempo, carregado de incertezas e desorientações, as pessoas precisam de uma nova prova de amor: que Deus renasça em nós. O Advento é uma oportunidade. É bem, portanto, vigiar, rezar e amar. É isso que Jesus espera de nós. Uma existência cinzenta e chata, sem dificuldades de fé, de arrependimento, e de gestos concretos de amor, priva-nos da presença de Jesus e do Seu dom: Deus que visita o homem do qual se compraz.
Porquê, Senhor, deixas endurecer o nosso coração?
Esperamos com alegria a Tua vinda: “Vem, Senhor, habitar em nós e entre nós”. Esta é a nossa vocação cristã: ser portadores de alegria e esperança para todos.


ORAÇÃO

Senhor, pedes-nos que vigiemos, que estejamos alerta e que demos testemunho de Amor e, no entanto, quantos de nós estamos cegos e surdos, adormecidos e quietos. Que o Advento que agora iniciamos, nos leve a um compromisso que seja pequeno, possível e para fazer aos poucos: Ouvir a Tua Voz! Queremos servir a Tua Voz! Que a nossa família, o nosso grupo, a nossa comunidade…esteja rodeado de Amor para melhor acolhermos o Salvador que nasce!


Um Bom Advento para todos!
Ir. Ma. Mendes, SSpS

terça-feira, 8 de novembro de 2011

Jadikanlah kami abdi-abdiMu yang setia

Semoga kami tetap menjadi abdi-abdiMu yang setia dalam hidup dan pengabdian kami masing-masing.
Kami senantiasa menyadari penyerahan hidup kami demi perkembangan kerajaanMu di dunia yang tidak seimbang ini.
Semoga dengan bimbingan tangan kasihMu kami senantiasa menjadi pewarta cintaMu yang tampa batas dan setia.
Jadikanlah setiap hidup kami tetap indah bagaikan kungtum-2 mawar untuk mengindahkan tamanMu yang suci dan murni, kini dan sepanjang masa amin.
Portugal, 08.11.2011
Ir. Mendes, SSpS

quarta-feira, 26 de outubro de 2011

A verdadeira disciplina

"A verdadeira disciplina é interior e pessoal. É algo mais do que apenas aprender certo tipo de conduta e possuir justificativas religiosas coerentes para essa conduta. Uma coisa é dizer que, com uma profunda reverência, pretendo expressar amor e adoração a Deus; mas outra é realmente crescer nesse amor e adoração."

Contemplation in a World of Action, de Thomas Merton

Reflexão da semana de 24-10-2011

Um pensamento para reflexão: "Enfim, disciplina significa algum tipo de solidão, não no sentido de uma retracção egoísta, mas sim no de um vazio que não preza mais a sensação de conforto advinda dos diversos 'ídolos' sociais. É uma solidão não mais escrava da aprovação de outros."

Contemplação num mundo de acção, Thomas Merton

segunda-feira, 24 de outubro de 2011

Prayer: Thomas a Kempis


Whoever finds Jesus finds a rare treasure,
indeed,
a good above every good.
Whereas one who loses him loses more than the whole world.
The one who lives without Jesus is the poorest of the poor,
whereas no one is so rich as the one who lives in his grace

Amar com amor puro


"O homem que realmente encontrou sua nudez espiritual, que percebeu que está vazio, não é um eu que tenha adquirido o vazio ou se tornado vazio. Está simplesmente 'vazio desde o início', como observou o Dr. Suzuki. Ou, nos termos mais afetivos de Santo Agostinho e São Bernardo, esse homem 'ama com amor puro'. Ou seja, ama com pureza e liberdade que brotam espontânea e diretamente do fato de que recuperou plenamente a semelhança divina e agora é plenamente seu verdadeiro eu porque está perdido em Deus."

Zen and the Birds of Appetite, de Thomas Merton
(New Directions, New York) 1973, p. 129
No Brasil: Zen e as aves de rapina, (Civilização Brasileira, Rio de Janeiro) 1972, p. 119-120

Reflexão da semana de 10-10-2011

Um pensamento para reflexão: " (...) a pureza de coração não é o fim último do empenho do monge no deserto. É apenas um passo nessa direção."
Zen e as aves de rapina, Thomas Merton

terça-feira, 11 de outubro de 2011

Song: From the Womb


This song was composed by Deacon Dan Burns of the Archdiocese of Boston for the diaconate ordination that preceded his own ordination by a year.

From the womb I called you. With my lips I whispered your name.
You heard and you followed, you followed, you came.

Ah Lord God I know not how to speak, I am too young, too young.
"Say not I'm too young, to whomever I send you will go.
Whatever I command you shall speak, have no fear, for I am with you."

Ah Lord God I tried to hide from you, but you found me, you found me.
I say to myself, I will not speak your name to a soul,
but then it comes like fire in my heart, I grow weary trying to hold it inside.

Ah Lord God I give you my life, I am yours now, yours now.
"Go out now and teach all the good news that I have taught you
and know that I am with you each day from now until the end of all time."

quinta-feira, 6 de outubro de 2011

Só poderemos ser santos se formos humanos

(Os missionários do Verbo Divino e as irmãs Missionárias Servas do Espírito Santo-Tiomrenses e Indonesianos que neste momento estão em Lisboa-Portugal)

Vir para o mosteiro foi, para mim, exatamente o tipo certo de retirada. Deu-me uma perspectiva. Ensinou-me a viver. E agora devo a todas as outras pessoas do mundo uma parte dessa vida. Meu primeiro dever é começar, pela primeira vez, a viver como membro da espécie humana, que não é mais (nem menos) ridícula do que eu mesmo. E meu primeiro ato humano é reconhecer o quanto devo a todas as outras pessoas.”

Entering the Silence, Journals volume 2, de Thomas Merton

A Vitória é certa!

[Carta a Czeslaw Milosz, fevereiro de 1959]

Milosz, a vida está do nosso lado. O silêncio e a Cruz são forças que não podem ser derrotadas. No silêncio e no sofrimento, no esforço doloroso em ser honesto e em meio à desonestidade – sobretudo nossa própria desonestidade: em tudo isto há vitória. É Cristo em nós que nos guia pela escuridão em direção a uma luz inconcebível para nós e que só pode ser encontrada passando pelo aparente desespero. Tudo tem de ser testado. Todas as relações têm de ser provadas. Todas as lealdades têm de passar pelo fogo. Muito tem de ser perdido. Muito em nós tem de ser morto, inclusive muito do que em nós é melhor. Mas a Vitória é certa.”

The Courage for Truth: Letters to Writers, de Thomas Merton

quarta-feira, 21 de setembro de 2011

Amor é meu nome

“ Dizer que fui criado à imagem de Deus é dizer que o amor é a razão de minha existência, pois Deus é amor. Amor é a minha verdadeira identidade. Esquecimento de mim mesmo é meu verdadeiro eu. Amor é meu verdadeiro caráter. Amor é meu nome.”

New Seeds of Contemplation, de Thomas Merton
(New Directions, New York), 1962. p.60

Esperança e frustração


"Ter esperança é arriscar-se à frustração. Tome, portanto, a resolução de correr esse risco. Não seja um dos que, para não correr o risco de fracassar, nunca tentam coisa alguma."

New Seeds of Contemplation, de Thomas Merton

terça-feira, 20 de setembro de 2011

Responsáveis missionários querem capitalizar dinâmica dos leigos

(Irmãs timorenses - Foto na participação da Jornada Missionária em Fátima-Portugal)

Voluntariado: Responsáveis missionários querem capitalizar dinâmica dos leigos
Patrícia Fonseca, da Fundação Fé e Cooperação, diz que partir em missão é mais que «uma moda»

Fátima, Santarém, 19 set 2011 (Ecclesia) – Os responsáveis pelo esforço missionário da Igreja Católica em Portugal esperam que a dinâmica de “voluntariado missionário” que cativou “milhares de leigos” nos últimos 20 anos, seja aproveitada para “revitalizar a pastoral” no país.
Em declarações prestadas à ECCLESIA, este domingo, durante o encerramento das Jornadas Missionárias 2011, o diretor do Departamento de Animação Missionária do Patriarcado de Lisboa alertou para o perigo desta “pequena revolução silenciosa” esbarrar em “comunidades sem ouvidos nem olhos”.

“Se há 20 anos praticamente só partiam em missão os membros dos institutos religiosos, agora há famílias inteiras que saem e há sobretudo muitos jovens”, sublinha o padre Tony Neves, para quem o grande risco está no esquecimento dessas experiências após o regresso dos leigos”.
De acordo com Patrícia Fonseca, da plataforma do voluntariado missionário da Fundação Fé e Cooperação (FEC), a prioridade deve passar por uma maior sensibilização da sociedade, para que “o voluntariado não seja uma moda mas sim um modo de vida”.

Todos os anos, aquela organização não-governamental criada pela Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa prepara centenas de leigos para colaborarem em projetos solidários nos países lusófonos em vias de desenvolvimento.

“Para criar e educar consciências é preciso fazê-lo no banco das escolas, tanto nas universidades como mais cedo”, realça aquela responsável, propondo a introdução nos currículos de “disciplinas sobre voluntariado e cidadania”.

A educação cívica para a missão foi mesmo um dos principais assuntos em debate nas Jornadas Missionárias deste ano, subordinadas ao tema “Voluntariado e Missão”.

Um evento organizado pelas Obras Missionárias Pontifícias (OMP) que evidenciou ainda a grande importância do contributo voluntário para a ação social da Igreja Católica e de outras instituições, junto dos mais desfavorecidos.

As OMP partem agora para a preparação do Dia Mundial das Missões, marcado para 23 de outubro, com o lema “Todos, tudo e sempre em missão”.

Segundo o padre Durães Barbosa, que concluiu este mês o seu mandato à frente daquele organismo, “o guião de outubro já está a ser espalhado pelas paróquias, convidando todas as pessoas para fazerem dele um instrumento de trabalho e de oração”.
PTE/JCP


Nacional Agência Ecclesia 2011-09-19 17:26:29 2311 Caracteres Voluntariado, Voluntariado missionário

Voluntariado e Missão


Conclusões das Jornadas Missionárias 2011

Voluntariado e Missão” foi o tema desenvolvido pelas Jornadas Missionárias 2011. Realizaram-se em Fátima de 16 a 18 de setembro, no Convívio de S. Agostinho, com a participação de cerca de 400 pessoas.

O tema foi motivado pelo Ano Europeu do Voluntariado e inspirado pela Carta Pastoral da Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa sobre o voluntariado. As linhas de força do voluntariado social, pastoral e missionário foram aprofundadas por meio de conferências, experiências de vida e celebrações litúrgicas.

Constatamos que, ao longo da história da humanidade e da Igreja, a maioria dos serviços, associações e causas têm funcionado e ainda funcionam graças ao serviço dedicado, voluntário e anónimo dum número incontável de pessoas. Nos últimos 20 anos, em Portugal, começaram a surgir organizações cujo único objetivo é promover, formar e enviar voluntários, de curta ou longa duração, para uma Missão específica. Na Igreja, é a Fundação Fé e Cooperação (FEC) que coordena a plataforma do voluntariado missionário.

Sintetizamos a partilha e a reflexão destas Jornadas num decálogo do voluntariado missionário.

SER VOLUNTÁRIO É

1. Encontrar na Fé e identidade com Cristo a verdadeira motivação para fazer voluntariado, perto ou longe, na Igreja ou na sociedade.

2. Continuar a Missão de Jesus, por meio do próprio testemunho e coerência de vida, contribuindo assim para a construção do Reino de Deus no mundo.

3. Exercer a cidadania, baseada na corresponsabilidade pelo bem comum e universal.

4. Fazer a diferença profética, num mundo centrado no bem pessoal, no lucro e na exploração do outro e da natureza.

5. Viver numa atitude de abertura aos desafios do mundo, mais do que procurar ações e experiências pontuais.

6. Ter uma nova consciência social, motivada pelo amor ao próximo e não pela necessidade de resolver os próprios problemas.

7. Viver em formação permanente e específica para melhor poder servir com qualidade e sustentabilidade.

8. Criar relações de vizinhança, fundadas no respeito e na solidariedade entre irmãos, iguais na dignidade, mas diferentes nas necessidades.

9. Aprender a trabalhar em equipa e em rede, criando comunhão e promovendo solidariedade local e global.

10. Acreditar que quem quer partilhar a vida e o seu tempo gratuitamente sempre arranja maneira, pois é dando que se recebe; mas quem vive para si mesmo sempre arranja desculpas.

Os participantes pedem aos nossos governantes que promovam o voluntariado e lhe deem um enquadramento jurídico que proteja o voluntário empresarial da exploração, apoie o voluntariado de longa duração no regresso ao trabalho remunerado e incentive os jovens à prática do voluntariado como raiz de mudança social.

As próximas Jornadas Missionárias serão em Fátima, de 14 a 16 de setembro de 2012.
Fátima, 18 de setembro de 2011


Documentos Agência Ecclesia 2011-09-18 17:44:59 2835 Caracteres Missões

terça-feira, 13 de setembro de 2011

The Stabat Mater


At the cross her station keeping,
Mary stood in sorrow weeping
When her Son was crucified.
While she waited in her anguish,

Seeing Christ in torment languish,
Bitter sorrow pierced her heart.
With what pain and desolation,
With what noble resignation,

Mary watched her dying Son.
Ever-patient in her yearning
Though her tear-filled eyes were burning,
Mary gazed upon her Son.

Who, that sorrow contemplating,
On that passion meditating,
Would not share the Virgin's grief?
Christ she saw, for our salvation,

The Collegeville Hymnal
Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1990.

sexta-feira, 2 de setembro de 2011

Be Still


Do not do
or pretend to be
anything
just be.

Be still.
calm those
anxious, unruly
whirling thoughts
into stillness.

Be still and know
as the flower knows the sun's rays
as the mouth knows bread
as the heart knows love
open yourselves to knowing.

Be still and know that I am
here and now
around you and within you
behind you and before
where you are
I am.

Be still and know that I am God
your Father and Mother
your Companion and Healer
your Life and your all.

Be.
Be still.
Be still and know.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know that I am God.

Readings: I Kings 19:11-13
Posted by John Predmore, S.J. at 12:30 AM



sábado, 27 de agosto de 2011

A quem tem sede eu darei gratuitamente de beber da fonte da água viva."(Ap 21,6-b)


"No centro de nosso ser, existe um ponto como que vazio, intocado pelo pecado e pela ilusão, um ponto de pura verdade, um ponto, uma centelha que pertence inteiramente a Deus... Este pontinho "de nada" e de absoluta pobreza é a pura glória de Deus em nós... É como um diamante puríssimo, a brilhar na luz invisível do céu. Isso existe em todos os homens, e se pudéssemos vê-lo, veríamos esses milhões de pontos de luz a juntar-se na face e no ardor de um sol que faria desaparecer completamente toda a escuridão e toda a crueldade da vida..."

(Thomas Merton, OCSO)

A Oração...

"A Oração"
A oração é algo natural do homem, como falar ou suspirar, ou olhar, ou como latejar do coração enamorado. Na realidade é também uma queixa. Nossa oração não é mais do que estabelecer contacto com Deus. É uma comunicação com Deus e não necessita ser com palavras e nem mesmo com a mente. A gente pode se comunicar com o olhar, com o sorriso ou com os suspiros, ou contemplar o céu, ou beber a água. De fato todos os nossos actos corporais são oração. Nosso corpo formula uma profunda acção de graças em suas entranhas, quando sedento, recebe um copo d’água. Quando, num dia de calor, mergulhamos num rio fresco, toda nossa pele canta o hino de ação de graças ao Criador, ainda que esta seja uma oração irracional, que se faz sem nosso consentimento e às vezes mesmo apesar de nós. O trabalho é uma oração existencial. Deus nos envolve por todas as partes como a atmosfera.
A razão pela qual a gente não costuma experimentar a presença de Deus é porque estamos acostumados a que toda experiência nos venha de fora, e essa experiência é de dentro. Estamos voltados para o exterior, pendentes da sensação de fora e então nos passam inadvertidos os toques e as vozes de dentro. (Thomas Merton)

quarta-feira, 27 de julho de 2011

MEU DEUS

SENHOR, MEU DEUS, não sei para onde vou. Não vejo o caminho diante de mim. Não posso saber com certeza onde terminará. Nem sequer, em realidade, me conheço, e o fato de pensar que estou seguindo a Tua vontade não significa que, em verdade, o esteja fazendo.

Mas creio que o desejo de Te agradar Te agrada realmente. E espero ter esse desejo em tudo que faço. Espero que jamais farei algo de contrário a esse desejo. E sei que, se assim fizer, Tu me hás de conduzir pelo caminho certo, embora eu nada saiba a esse respeito.

Portanto, sempre hei de confiar em Ti, ainda que me pareça estar perdido e nas sombras da morte. Não hei de temer, pois estás sempre comigo e nunca me abandonarás, para que eu enfrente sozinho os perigos que me cercam.

Na liberdade da solidão, Thomas Merton

quinta-feira, 7 de julho de 2011

Ajuda-me, Senhor, a amar como Tu me amas

Senhor Jesus, Ajuda-me, Senhor, a amar como Tu me amas
e a compreender como Tu me compreendes.
Ensina-me, Senhor, a aceitar os outros como Tu me aceitas, respeitando-os como Tu me respeitas
e suportando-os com paciência, com Tu me suportas
com paciência infinita.
Ajuda-me, Senhor, a perdoar como Tu me perdoas
e a fazer pelos outros todo o bem que fazes por mim.
Senhor, Tu que me aceitas como eu sou,
ajuda-me a ser o que Tu queres que eu seja,
ser semelhante a Ti no amor.
Transforma o meu coração para que seja bom, justo, manso, paciente, compreensivo, generoso, tolerante e cheio de misericórdia, para que através do meu amor humano, semelhante ao Teu,
eu possa levar ao meu irmão a alegria, a paz, o consolo, a esperança, o perdão e a salvação do Teu amor Divino.


Frei Anselmo Fracasso OFM

segunda-feira, 4 de julho de 2011

Loving Father...

Loving God and Father,
help us to be people of prayer,
committed to the person and message of
Jesus your Son.
Help us to grasp
the integrity and beauty
of the truths of our faith and
the transforming power of your grace.
Nourish and strengthen us
as people of faith,
disciples of Jesus,
committed to the mission of the Church
and eager to share the gospel
without restraint.
Let our hearts burn within us
as we catch glimpses of your
heart in Jesus,
for through him,
we know your loving plan for us.
We ask this through Jesus the Christ
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit
in one loving Trinity.
Amen.

Time “Take my yoke…learn from me.”Gospel: Mt 11:25-30


03.07.2011 C.F.C 14th

Sunday in Ordinary Time “Take my yoke…learn from me.”Gospel: Mt 11:25-30

Today’s Gospel in an answer to a very simple question: who is this Jesus we follow? What is he like? He tells us himself: he is gentle, and humble of heart. There is a simplicity about this Gospel which speaks very clearly to tired hearts. Indeed, it is often the case that we overlook the simplicity of the Gospel message - which is why it is valuable to be as children, constantly wondering and marvelling at the beauty and fascination of Jesus. How much God must love us: the message of salvation is so easy to receive, the promise is so welcome. This is a Sunday to wallow in the wonder of a God who is ‘kind and full of compassion.

This is a beautiful gospel passage, in which Jesus tells us the kind of heart he has, and the kind of hearts we should have, if we are to be open to his message. It is a consoling gospel, because it speaks of humility, gentleness, and rest.

Please notice that part of today’s gospel is not spoken to us at all! It is Jesus speaking to his Father. I often think that, if you really want to get to know someone, it would be easier if you could eavesdrop on their prayers! How they speak, and what they say gives an insight into what’s going on within. The prayer in today’s gospel is like a whispered exclamation of gratitude. Jesus is truly grateful about the nature of his message. It is for the child-hearted, for the ordinary punter, and not for the intellectuals, and the worldly-minded. It makes little sense up in the head, because it goes against the thinking and values of the world, and it confounds those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Today’s gospel contains a beautiful invitation. Jesus invites us to come to him if we want peace, if we want solid teaching, if we want salvation, or freedom from the bondage of our humanity. “Let me teach you,” he says. Come to him, just as you are, and he will lead you to a life beyond your wildest dreams. This life is not about going to heaven, or something that is promised after we die. It is promised and offered now, because the road to heaven is heaven.

Response: Today’s gospel certainly calls for a response. It should evoke a kindling of the heart, and it should offer us a clear way out of our turmoil and struggles. We can all distinguish between being intellectual and worldly-wise, and being childlike. Jesus speaks to the Father, and he speaks about the Father in today’s gospel. If God is Father, then we are called on to become like children. Being like children is to live within the limits of what we have, what we know, and what we can do. It is a time of learning and discovery and, especially, is it a time of dependency. For those of us blessed enough to have had a normal childhood, it is so much easier to understand what that means.

Jesus speaks about knowing the Father, rather than knowing about him. We axe invited into a relationship, an attachment, a sense of belonging. We have to think of God as Father, and to speak to him as Father. Prayer would be so simple and spontaneous if we could speak to the Father as a child speak~ to hisher earthly father. Not all fathers are good at listening, nor are some of them good at giving time and space to their children. This can make it all the more difficult for us to relate to the full meaning of such a relationship. Jesus tells us that he will inform us about the Father, and he will reveal the Father to us. Jesus is always on “stand-by,” as it were, waiting on us to be ready.

We all experience weariness, and heavy burdens from time to time. There is a tendency to file God’s phone number under “Emergencies Only,” and to turn to him when everything else has failed. God would love to be in on the act so much quicker. He is our Father and, having given us life, he wants to be involved in every dimension of our lives. Coming to Jesus is coming to the Father. Jesus tells us that his burden is light. It is not a question of exchanging one burden for another. Responding to his call, or invitation, is a source of great blessing and real joy. Responding to his invitation is to share in his life. The people who do this are the happiest people on earth.

When you get a chance, a quiet moment, today or soon, go down into your heart and see can you find the inner child there. Remember it is only the body that grows old. The person within is always a child, who always likes to be loved, needed, and praised, and who still whistles passing the graveyard. If you can get in touch with that inner child, your heart is ready to be open to God. If you read today’s gospel with that sort of open heart, it would really enter into you, and your heart would burn. The children of God are heart-people, not head-people. Down in my heart I know, even when I completely fail to understand it in my head. For those who don’t understand, no words are possible; and for those who do understand, no words are necessary.
Have you ever asked Jesus to reveal the Father to you? “Jesus, please reveal the Father to me.” To use this as a mantra, to be repeated again and again throughout the day, is bound to bring you into a new experience of God. Jesus, who knows our inner most hearts, will see clearly whether I’m serious or not and, therefore, whether to answer or not. You can easily become one of those to whom Jesus chooses to reveal the Father, as he says in today’s gospel.
It is not possible for a human being to fall on herhis knees, cry Out to God, and not be heard. The next time you feel “down,” go aside somewhere and, remembering Jesus’ invitation in today’s gospel to “Come to me,” call out to him from your heart. He will hear you, and respond to your plea. Then you take up the yoke of service, do something for someone else, and you will soon be distracted from yourself and your burdens. “I will give you rest. You will find rest for your souls.” The only way to know this is to do it. Take him at his word, and be open to him keeping his promises.

St. Matthew tells us that “Jesus exclaimed: ‘I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth…’” Jesus immediately goes to the source of the success of his disciples’ mission—his heavenly Father, to give him thanks and praise. He is free from a self-centeredness that would end up in self-exaltation or pride. Jesus lived in continuous communion with his Father. The success of his returning missionaries led him to break out in spontaneous praise of his Father.
Jesus calls out to us and says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus invites us to come to him. We have free access to him through faith (Rom 5:1-2). We accomplish this through prayer. Jesus was inviting those who “labor and are burdened”. We would all come under that category at some time or other. But at the time, he was speaking to those who were laden with the Pharisees’ many additional requirements to fulfill the Law. The Pharisees weighted them down with an endless series of petty regulations. Yet they brought no peace to their souls. The people found the Law, as it was expounded by the scribes and Pharisees, too difficult to keep.

Jesus goes on to invite these burdened people to, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.” The yoke of the Law was too heavy for anyone to keep. Jesus’ yoke, in contrast, is suited to the people’s needs; and his burden, a faithful relationship with God, is light. For Jesus himself is afflicted and lowly in heart, as the servant of the Lord described in Isaiah. Jesus thus expresses solidarity with the faithful.

The yoke and the burden of Jesus are submission to the reign of God. This imposes no further burden on those who accept it; rather it makes it easier for them to bear the burdens they already have. The revelation in the kingdom and the knowledge of the Father relieve burdens and weariness and make it easier to live under God’s will. For example, the understanding of the purifying value of the cross makes the carrying of it lighter. We see the great good that comes from it: the salvation of the world.

Jesus invites people of good will to place themselves in his school, to become his disciples: what is appealing about being in his school is that he is “meek and humble of heart”; he has nothing of the harshness and pride of the Pharisees.
Jesus makes the burdens of life lighter. He frees us from the heavy burden of sin. Isaiah tells us, “Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured… But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed…the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all” (Is 53:4-6).

Thus, Jesus frees us from the heaviest burden of all—the weight of our sins that was crushing us. Having become light-hearted, then, we can bear normal burdens of life with joy. Moreover, we understand their meaning; there is a purpose for them. We can then bear them with love—love for Jesus who accompanies us in carrying the cross, and who gives us the grace to make it easier to carry it, and to see its transforming power.

Jesus couples his “Take my yoke upon you” with “and learn from me”. The yoke of obedience to Jesus and his new law, the Gospel, dispose us to “learn from” Jesus. This humble attitude unites us to Jesus and allows us to live in his company, to be in communion with him and the Father. And in this union, Jesus communicates to us his own virtues and dispositions. He gives us an experiential knowledge of himself. Such infused knowledge inclines us to want to become more and more like Jesus. This humble disposition of acceptance of God’s will and self-effacement purify the sinful self that rebels against God in its prideful arrogance and disobedience.

Becoming one with him, we both “learn from” him, and come to know him personally. In this union with Jesus, we find sublime rest in him—in his heart. Our deepest yearnings and desires, at last, attain perfect satisfaction and are put to rest. We need look no further, for we have found the one we were created for who gives us infinite contentment. Our search for happiness can now cease, for we have found the one who brings us to completion. We have found nothing less than total satisfaction in the love and knowledge of the divine for which we were created. Our limited human nature is brought to completion by the infinite and the divine.

(Lisboa, 03.07.2011)

segunda-feira, 27 de junho de 2011

Segue Me


EVANGELHO Mt 8, 18-22
«Segue-Me»

Os caminhos de Deus não se podem descobrir pela nossa imaginação ou pelos nossos caprichos, mais ou menos bem intencionados. Eles revelam-se nos caminhos da própria vida, trilhados com rectidão. É por aí que o Senhor nos conduz e nos estimula a avançarmos. E, no fim de tudo, um só é o ideal do discípulo de Cristo: segui-l’O pois que Ele disse de Si mesmo: «Eu sou o Caminho».

Evangelho de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo segundo São Mateus

Naquele tempo, vendo Jesus à sua volta uma grande multidão, mandou passar para a outra margem do lago. Aproximou-se então um escriba, que Lhe disse: «Mestre, seguir-Te-ei para onde fores». Jesus respondeu-Lhe: «As raposas têm as suas tocas e as aves os seus ninhos, mas o Filho do homem não tem onde reclinar a cabeça». Disse-Lhe outro discípulo: «Senhor, deixa-me ir primeiro sepultar meu pai». Mas Jesus respondeu-Lhe: «Segue-Me e deixa que os mortos sepultem os seus mortos».

Palavra da salvação.

sexta-feira, 17 de junho de 2011

«Onde estiver o teu tesouro, aí estará o teu coração»


EVANGELHO Mt 6, 19-23
«Onde estiver o teu tesouro, aí estará o teu coração»

Os caminhos do Evangelho passam todos pelo coração do homem. As “coisas” têm o valor que o homem lhes der, e, para o cristão, têm o valor que a fé lhe ensinar a atribuir-lhes. Por isso, os tesouros terrenos não podem dominar o coração humano. O verdadeiro tesouro está mais longe e mais alto do que os cofres que podem ser assaltados. Para saber dar o verdadeiro valor ás coisas que o envolvem, o homem precisa de purificar o seu interior, donde nasce a verdadeira luz, que dá o sentido autêntico a tudo o que o rodeia.

Evangelho de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo segundo São Mateus

Naquele tempo, disse Jesus aos seus discípulos: «Não acumuleis tesouros na terra, onde a traça e a ferrugem os destroem e os ladrões os assaltam e roubam. Acumulai tesouros no Céu, onde a traça e a ferrugem não os destroem e os ladrões não os assaltam nem roubam. Porque onde estiver o teu tesouro, aí estará o teu coração. A lâmpada do teu corpo são os olhos. Se o teu olhar for límpido, todo o teu corpo ficará iluminado. Mas se o teu olhar for mau, todo o teu corpo andará nas trevas. E se a luz que há em ti são trevas, como serão grandes essas trevas!».

Palavra da salvação.

terça-feira, 7 de junho de 2011

JESUS IS WITH US


Ascension Sunday: Matthew 28:16-20
(June, 05.2011)

The Gospel lectionary reading for today, the 7th Sunday of Easter and the celebration of the ascension of the Lord, offers us the opportunity to break open a most familiar text within the church.

As you know, this text is called the great commission, which in general is the given authority to perform a task or certain duties, and specifically is the calling given by Jesus to his disciples to take the message of the King and the Kingdom to the rest of the nations.
There are three questions I want us to think through from the text today:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GO?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE DISCIPLES?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT JESUS IS WITH US?



WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GO?

It seems clear from the text that the original disciples were commissioned to take the words and the works of Jesus and to offer these to all other nations, and by extension it also seems just as clear that this commission has come down to us. Like those first Jesus-followers, we too have been called to go make disciples, but in our context and in our moment, what does that mean? What does it mean to go, now? This question is important because going does not mean for us what it meant to the generation just past. In fact, this difference may mean we are closer to those first hearers than ever before. During the heyday of Christendom, when our attitude was one of triumph and our cultural position was one of respect, we could go from a position of power. But now, with the church's cultural position in tatters, with all the mistakes we've made on our own, and especially with the stark divisions within the church as a whole, we no longer command respect and prestige. It's as if the culture has examined our goods and moved on to other, more exotic wares. We've been weighed in the balances and found wanting.
It is interesting that Jesus used this same word for go twenty-eight times in St. Matthew's Gospel, two of which are especially germane to the question we now ask:“What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” (Matthew 18:12) and, “Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” (Matthew 22:9)
The first text reminds us that no matter how many we have in the sheep pen, the one in danger is our responsibility too, and the second text tells us that the command to go is really an opportunity to share an invitation to a party. Both envision us taking this calling with all seriousness and moving beyond the walls. I wonder what those early disciples thought when, as Hebrews, they were told to take the words and works of their Master to everyone, even non-Hebrews? This approach is a reminder to us that the Gospel is for everyone in the sense that people like us and people not like us are called to be part of the party that is the Kingdom of GOD. And, it is a reminder to us that to follow Jesus' words and "to go," is always difficult no matter when the moment.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE DISCIPLES?

These thoughts obviously lead to the second question. Within this current context, which has become decidedly cold for gospel-sharers, what does it mean to make disciples for Jesus? In general, to be a disciple is to follow the precepts and instructions of the master-teacher. Here the learner attaches herself to the master's school and learns the craft by observing and doing.
Following Jesus is different.
First, learners do not flock to this Master, they are recruited, initially by the Master himself ("he chose the 12 to be with him"), and then by those the Master trains.

Second, the craft we are learning and teaching is not some philosophy of life to be mulled and thought, but a new life and a new way to live. Supremely, and we must never forget this, the Jesus-way is something to be done. This is a difficult path to introduce to the uninterested, especially in such a data rich environment like we have.
Let me attempt to say this bluntly: Our culture is much too distracted to re-read the gospel story. Their preoccupation with the new and the novel allows Jesus to only be seen through the lens of their past church experience (which could be no more that some TV preacher's rant). To most Jesus is hackneyed and derivative, and they do not care for the what they perceive as its life-denying odor.
What are we to do?
To make disciples, to teach the observation (read: practice) of all that Jesus did and said, first we must actually and consistently practice discipleship ourselves. Then, and only then do we attempt to make disciples.
Second, to make disciples today we must toss out our Christian vocabulary; we must go in the position of weakness not triumph (a theology of the cross, not a theology of resurrection), and we must, by all ways and means necessary, shut up.
That is, we never bring Jesus to the conversation; and we especially never bring church. We answer questions obliquely. Instead, we live out the gospel mandate of love, acceptance and forgiveness and we learn the story of the person in front of us. We listen. After this, when perhaps out of their own boredom or curiosity they ask us our story, then we can tell them, not about church, but about that existential moment we met the living, risen Christ.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT JESUS IS WITH US?

Which, in the end, opens to us the final question, what does Jesus mean by saying he will be with us always? It is important that we know the answer to this because one thing is sure, we cannot go discipling to the other nations across the street without divine help, both in guidance and strength.

First, we know that Jesus is with us through the daily experience of the Holy Spirit, who comes to us as power (Acts 1:8). This is power for living out the practices of the Christ -- all that Jesus said and did, and this is power for living out the calling to make disciples -- today's go and make disciples.

This means we know that we are too weak to live our lives following the Christ without being empowered by the Spirit, and we know that we are too culturally captive, unless empowered by the Spirit, to make anything but disciples of our own brand of Christendom’s churchianity. Without these honest confessions, that by ourselves we will never be able to follow Christ and make disciples, we will never even be on the disciple’s road.

Second, we also know that the lived-out practice of following the Jesus-way that I have proposed today only works if our lives are also displayed and empowered through the Spirit in such a way that others see more than is there! That is, the other must come to see the life of the Christ somehow oozing through these broken vessels that is our life. Only the Spirit can do this.

And, finally, we know that the continuing presence of the Christ, who is with us through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, will enable us to see our discipleship task through all the way to the end. It is the Spirit-of-the-risen-Christ who strengthens us when discouragement clouds our way, when hardship marks the narrow path, and when we become weary in well doing.

segunda-feira, 6 de junho de 2011

AYAHKU PENSIUNAN PEGAWAI NEGERI

(Pe. Prisco Virgo, SVD)


Merayap dari awal sebagai pegawai kecil bagian tata-usaha di salah satu instansi pemerintah, ayahku akhirnya pensiun di puncak karirnya sebagai seorang kepala dinas. Sebuah prestasi luar biasa yang tidak bisa dinikmati oleh kebanyakan rekan pegawainya. Oleh sebab itu ayahku sangat bangga dengan prestasi yang diraihnya itu sebagai seorang mantan abdi negara. Apa lagi beliau hanyalah seorang tamatan sekolah lanjutan tingkat atas tempoe doeloe. Tetapi berkat kerajinan, ketekunan, kejujuran, disiplin kerja, pengabdian tanpa pamrih, pengalaman kerja dan loyalitas yang luar biasa pada atasan, ayahku berakhir gemilang. Pensiun dengan golongan gaji paling besar di kantornya. Ditambah tunjangan ini dan itu. Dan kalau harus saya sebutkan satu hal lagi di sini, sampai hari ini ayahku masih disebut-sebut sebagai salah satu pegawai teladan yang pernah menerima penghargaan dari pemerintah daerah. Karena itu ayahku selalu berkata ketika saya dan adik-adikku masih kecil: “Anak-anakku, bersekolahlah. Dapatkan ijasahmu dan berbaktilah pada negerimu. Kamu pasti meraih apa yang kamu cita-citakan. Kamu akan menerima gaji besar. Kamu juga bisa mendapatkan jabatan dan kedudukan yang bagus. Lalu jaminan pensiun di hari tua dan asuransi kesehatan bagi keluargamu.” Sebelum saya memahami apa artinya kerja dan untuk apa manusia bekerja, kata-kata ayahku ini ibarat nyanyian malaikat yang tidak dapat digantikan oleh nasehat mana pun. Kata-kata ayahku betul menjadi inspirasi hidup selama tahun-tahun sekolahku. Saya percaya betul waktu itu bahwa buah biasanya jatuh tidak jauh dari pohon. Jadi saya pun mulai berpikir-pikir untuk mengikuti jejak ayahku jadi pegawai. Kalau bukan pegawai negeri, pegawai swasta pun tidak apa-apa. Lalu saya mulai bermimpi dapat kedudukan, pangkat dan gaji besar. Bahkan kalau perlu, lebih hebat dari ayahku. Maka ketika ayahku tahu bahwa saya berniat menjadi pegawai, kelak setelah besar, saya terus menjadi anak kebanggaan ayah. Saya lalu dikirim untuk menuntut ilmu, jauh di pulau lain. Kuliah di sebuah perguruan tinggi yang mutunya melebihi sekolah-sekolah yang ada di daerah. Tetapi ternyata cita-cita ayahku menjadikan saya seperti dirinya, kandas di tengah jalan. Bahkan ketika saya masih sangat muda. Dua puluh tahun umurku waktu itu.

Ceritranya sangat sepele. Suatu saat saya kesulitan uang saku karena wesel dari ayahku terlambat tiba. Tanpa konsultasi dengan ayahku terlebih dahulu, saya memutuskan untuk kuliah sambil bekerja. Saya tahu kemudian bahwa ayahku sangat kecewa dengan keputusanku itu. Namun diam-diam saya jalani terus. Waktu luang pada jam kuliah dan sore hari, tidak saya sia-siakan. Saya bekerja sebagai pesuruh di sebuah biro iklan sabun cuci. Rupanya karena sebagian sifat dasar ayahku, terutama jujur dan disiplin menurun padaku, maka setelah satu tahun menjadi pesuruh, saya dipercaya menangani bagian administrasi penjualan dalam kota dan diberi sebuah sepeda motor baru. Sepeda motor lama pemberian ayahku saya jual dan uang hasil penjualan motor itu saya amankan di rekening saya. Itulah modalku yang pertama. Jumlah simpanan itu saya tambahi terus dengan gaji bulananku, sementara saya mencoba bertahan hidup dengan wesel kiriman ayahku yang selalu terlambat satu atau dua minggu. Setelah tiga tahun bekerja sambil kuliah, saya merasa, saya tidak perlu lagi menunggu wesel dari ayahku setiap awal bulan. Saya memutuskan menulis surat kepada ayahku dan meminta beliau mengalihkan jata weselku itu untuk keperluan lain. Ternyata ayahku tidak menyetujui usulanku itu. Pada suatu kunjungan kerja ke luar pulau, beliau sempat singgah ke kota tempatku kuliah dan kami terpaksa berdebat cukup lama tentang soal itu. Beliau berkata: “Saya tidak mungkin membuang tanggungjawab sebagai seorang ayah selama anak saya masih di bangku kuliah. Ingat, gaji ayahmu ini masih cukup untuk membiayai sekolahmu sampai tingkat doktorat!” Saya mengalah dan ayah tetap mengirimkan wesel setiap bulan sampai akhirnya beliau menghentikan kiriman itu. Ayah terpaksa melakukan hal itu karena beliau mendengar sendiri dari teman-temanku yang selesai kuliah dan kembali ke daerah, bahwa saya telah memutuskan berhenti kuliah. Walaupun demikian, ayahku sangat mencemaskan hasil keputusanku berhenti dari sekolah formal. Beliau menelpon berkali-kali dan mencoba mengingatkan saya akan kebaikan dan keuntungan menjadi pegawai negeri. Untuk tidak menyinggung perasaannya, saya selalu menjawab bahwa masih ada kesempatan. Saya masih terlalu muda. Keputusanku berhenti kuliah hanya sebuah intermezo. Sebuah selingan atau cuti antar waktu untuk mencoba sesuatu yang lain yang tidak diajarkan di bangku sekolah. Yang saya maksudkan adalah bagaimana mencari uang sendiri dan bukan hanya mengharapkan gaji orang tua. Cari pengalaman kerja, kataku. Ayahku lalu mengatakan bahwa justru usia muda adalah saat paling bagus untuk menuntut ilmu dan mencari uang adalah urusan kedua setelah kuliah. Apa lagi kalau jadi pegawai negeri, uang tidak perlu dicari. Tiap bulan ada jaminan gaji. Aman soal uang kalau anda pegawai pemerintah. Sebelum beliau memutuskan hubungan telepon, saya berkata pelan: “Akan saya ingat selalu nasehat ayah.”

Keputusan meninggalkan bangku kuliah adalah keputusan sangat beresiko bagi orang yang bercita-cita menjadi pegawai negeri. Tetapi saya tidak merasa terbebani melakukan hal itu. Saya justru merasa lebih bebas setelah berhenti kuliah. Ilmu yang kudapatkan selama empat tahun, sudah lebih dari cukup untuk mengejar cita-citaku yang lain: Jadi pengusaha. Bukan pegawai! Bukankah Bill Gates, si raja microsoft, justru meninggalkan bangku kuliah setelah tahu bahwa komputer lebih menjanjikan masa depan yang gemilang dibanding jadi pegawai pemerintah? Dan bukankah uang tabunganku sudah lebih dari cukup untuk memulai usahaku sendiri? Saya lalu membeli sebuah rumah sederhana berkamar empat, memperbaikinya dan menyewakan tiga kamar kepada teman-teman mahasiswa. Satu kamar yang sisa saya gunakan untuk memulai kantor biro iklanku sendiri. Mantan bosku sangat mendukung usahaku dan selama banyak tahun setelah itu, kami menjadi kerabat bisnis yang sangat menguntungkan satu sama lain. Dua tahun setelah itu, rumah empat kamar itu saya perbesar jadi delapan kamar dan seluruhnya saya sewakan kepada mahasiswa. Kantor saya berpindah ke areal baru di pusat kota. Saya merekrut dan mempekerjakan empat pegawai di kantor itu, satu sopir dan dua pesuruh. Menjelang pensiun, ayahku datang mengunjungiku. Beliau hanya bisa geleng-geleng kepala ketika tahu bahwa selama enam tahun saya bertahan di bangunan kecil yang berfungsi ganda sebagai kantor sekaligus rumah tinggal itu. Sementara di luar sana saya memiliki dua belas rumah yang dikontrak orang untuk berbagi kepentingan. Dengan nada seloroh saya berkata kepada ayahku: “Kini saya boleh pensiun dini, ayah. Meski umurku baru tiga puluh dua tahun. Sepeda motor yang ayah berikan di awal tahun kuliahku adalah modal untuk usaha ini. Kini saya tidak perlu bekerja keras lagi. Saya tinggal mengontrol usahaku. Uang hasil penjualan sepeda motor itulah yang kini bekerja untuk saya!” Ayahku hanya diam menanggapi selorohku. Sebelum menginggalkan ruang tunggu menuju pesawat, beliau menepuk bahuku dan berkata: “Teruskan usahamu. Maaf, ayah salah menilaimu ketika engkau memutuskan untuk tidak meneruskan kuliah.”

Lima tahun setelah pensiun, uang simpanan ayahku habis. Dan karena usia, beliau mulai sering sakit-sakitan. Pemasukan lain tidak ada. Harapan satu-satunya adalah gaji pensiun pegawai negeri. Jumlahnya tidak seberapa. Hanya setengah dari jumlah seluruh gaji ketika beliau masih aktif sebagai pegawai. Karena itu beliau hidup sangat berkekurangan. Untuk biaya pengobatan, beliau meminjam sana-sini dan akhirnya terlilit utang yang tidak bisa dibayar lagi. Hatinya mulai tertekan karena utang itu dan beliau dihinggapi rasa kesepian yang sangat dalam. Rasa rindu akan anak-anak membuatnya tambah tertekan. Sebab di masa pensiun baru beliau merasa punya waktu untuk keluarga. Tetapi semua anak sudah besar, sudah berkeluarga dan tidak tinggal lagi di rumah orang tua. Ketika masih aktif sebagai pegawai, karena tugas-tugas kantor, beliau jarang ada di rumah. Berangkat kerja sebelum anak-anak bangun dari tempat tidur dan kembali ke rumah ketika anak-anak sudah nyenyak. Jika ada kunjungan kerja ke luar pulau, dua sampai tiga bulan ayah tidak kembali ke rumah. Saudariku pernah berceritra bahwa ketika ayahku sakit parah, mereka melarikannya ke rumah sakit milik pemerintah. Tetapi pelayanan di sana sangat buruk setelah orang rumah sakit tahu bahwa ayahku mantan pegawai negeri dan akan melunasi pembayaran melalui lembaga asuransi kesehatan. “Orang rumah sakit butuh pembayaran dengan uang kontan, bukan melalui asuransi dengan urusan administrasi yang berbelit”, kata saudariku. Ayahku terpaksa dibawa kembali ke rumah dan sembuh karena ramuan yang diberi dukun dari kampung. Saya sangat menyesali kejadian itu, tetapi saya tidak pernah mempersalahkan kefanatikan ayahku mempertahankan keyakinannya bahwa menjadi pegawai adalah pilihan terbaik dalam hidup. Karena memang ayahku dibesarkan oleh generasi peralihan dari tradisi agraris ke tradisi industri. Pada waktu itu masih sangat kuat orang berpegang pada semboyan: “Lahan harus diolah dengan sungguh-sungguh agar menghasilkan panen yang berlimpah. Karena itu siapa tidak bekerja tidak boleh makan!” Semboyan ini tetap hidup di jaman industri di mana banyak orang menggadaikan tenaga dan ilmu yang didapat selama pendidikan ke genggaman para majikan pemilik perusahaan. Entah itu perusahaan pemerintah maupun perusahaan swasta. Maka pilihan menjadi pegawai pada saat itu, minus malum, jauh lebih baik dari pada menjadi petani. Karena terlalu sibuk di dalam kantor, ayahku tidak punya banyak waktu untuk mengikuti perubahan yang terjadi di luar kantor. Pada hal sejak radio, televisi dan internet menjadikan bumi ini satu dusun besar (global village), paradigma kehidupan era industri dicaplok begitu saja oleh paradigma kehidupan era informasi. Kemajuan teknologi informasi yang merambat begitu cepat, ikut mengubah cara berpikir dan cara bertindak manusia. Apa lagi pasar dan arus uang. Orang tidak lagi berbicara tentang berapa banyak uang yang bisa dihasilkan (active income) dengan bekerja keras, tetapi bagaimana uang yang dihasilkan itu dikelola untuk menghasilkan pemasukan tetap (passive income) dengan bekerja lebih sedikit. “Itulah yang dinamakan uang bekerja untuk manusia dan bukan manusia bekerja untuk uang,” kata mantan bosku, direktur biro iklan sabun cuci. Manusia lalu bisa memiliki kebebasan untuk memutuskan pensiun sebelum waktunya untuk pensiun. Manusia lalu bisa meraih dan menggunakan waktu luang untuk diri sendiri, keluarga dan kegiatan-kegiatan relax lainnya. Ayahku sungguh tidak bisa melihat dan membedakan hal-hal seperti ini. Seluruh waktunya habis untuk mengejar karir, promosi jabatan dan perjuangan meraih pangkat. Ayahku sudah merasa aman karena slip gaji tiap bulan dan tunjangan-tunjangan lainnya. Ayahku sudah merasa puas karena simpanan di rekening pribadi. Beliau merasa tidak perlu lagi berpikir tentang bagaimana tetap berpenghasilan kalau sudah tua, pensiun dan tidak punya tenaga lagi untuk bekerja. Beliau tidak pernah membayangkan bagaimana kalau ternyata umurnya sendiri lebih panjang dibanding umur uang simpanannya di bank. Dan akhirnya terbukti, ternyata ayahku bekerja keras selama tiga puluh tahun sebagai pegawai hanya untuk menuai penderitaan di hari tua: Gaji pensiun kecil, simpanan terkuras habis, sakit-sakitan dan terlilit utang.

Ayahku mantan pegawai negeri dengan jabatan kepala dinas dan mantan bosku, pemilik kantor biro iklan sabun cuci tempat saya bekerja semasa kuliah, adalah dua pribadi yang sangat berbeda dari cara mereka memandang kerja dan uang. Ayahku tamatan sekolah lanjutan atas, pejabat negara, tetapi tidak bisa membaca angka-angka yang berhubungan dengan uang. Mantan bosku hanya tamatan sekolah dasar tetapi sangat lihai melihat angka-angka uang yang mengalir. Ayahku mementingkan slip gaji, tunjangan, memiliki uang banyak waktu masih aktif sebagai pegawai, tetapi takut mengambil resiko kalau berhadapan dengan uang. Mantan bosku menekankan kemahiran mengelola uang dan siap menanggung resiko keuangan yang ditanam dalam usaha. Ayahku pensiun sebagai pegawai pengabdi tugas dan pejabat negara pada umur lima puluh lima tahun tanpa memiliki apa-apa. Mantan bosku memutuskan pensiun pada umur tiga puluh tahun sebagai orang merdeka, memiliki waktu luang untuk keluarga selama sisa hidupnya dan pundi-pundinya terus dialiri uang masuk. Saya akui, saya berutang budi kepada kedua orang ini. Yang satu membesarkan saya, menyekolahkan dan mengajari saya untuk bercita-cita. Yang satu mengajari saya bekerja dan memberi saya kesempatan untuk memilih yang terbaik bagi kehidupan saya. Dan bagi anda yang membaca tulisanku ini: “Sukses dalam hidup bukan karena anda adalah siapa, tetapi bagaimana anda menjadi siapa.


”(01-11-2008)*** *)

Pe. Prisco Virgo,SVD penulis lepas, pemerhati masalah ke-bahasa-an dan ke-kebudaya-an.
Tinggal di Kuluhun, Dili, Timor Leste.
(Terbit di Time Timor, Januari 2009, hal. 12, 14-15)

quinta-feira, 2 de junho de 2011

FORMA DAN ESENSI


FORMA DAN ESENSI

Peduduk asli benua Eropa berkulit putih, peduduk asli benua Afrika berkulit hitam, peduduk asli benua Asia berkulit kuning dan peduduk asli benua Amerika berkulti merah. Hal ini pernah diajarkan oleh guru ‘ilmu bumi’(geografi) ketika saya masih kelas V Sekolah Dasar. Ternyata warna kulit manusia merupakan salah satu ciri formal, aspek luar, yang menjadi pembeda manusia yang hidup tersebar di empat penjuru dunia ini. Selain warna kulit, masih ada begitu banyak forma eksternal lain yang mengkotak-kotakkan manusia. Ada budaya, bahasa, agama, pengetahuan, pendidikan, sejarah, kehidupan ekonomi, tempat tinggal, iklim, sampai dengan ilmu perang dan tahyul. Budayawan dan Satrawan Mangunwijaya, semasa hidupnya, pernah mengatakan bahwa hal-hal ini sebenarnya hanyalah ‘baju’ luar yang menyembunyikan ‘isi’ sesungguhnya dari manusia. Tetapi apa mau dikata, forma atau ‘baju’ ini sering begitu mendominasi pikiran dan perilaku manusia sampai-sampai ‘isi’ yang begitu penting sering dinomor-duakan. Bahkan dilupakan sama sekali. Perbedaan-perbedaan forma(diversity in form) ini, kerap menjadikan suatu bangsa misalnya, merasa unik, pintar, hebat, berkuasa sendiri, lalu ‘sombong’ dan cenderung menganggap rendah bangsa lain. Oleh sebab itu, entah kolonialisme jaman dulu, maupun neo-kolonialisme jaman kini, semuanya berpangkal dari penekanan miring akan perbedaan forma ini. Coba lihatlah, Amerika selalu merasa besar di mana-mana dan mengira dirinya berhak untuk mencampuri urusan negara mana pun di dunia. Forma yang sama ini pula, akan menjadi lebih pelik lagi ketika diformulasikan sebagai sikap dasar dan titik tolak pemikiran masing-masing kita yang ekstrim individualistis. “Saudara kandung sendiri pun dianggap beda, apa lagi orang lain dari suku atau bangsa lain”. Kalau begitu benar sudah bahwa tiap manusia yang pernah hidup di dunia ini, adalah ‘korban’ perbedaan forma.

‘Bila’ bola Bumi manusia adalah kepingan atau pecahan yang terlempar dari Matahari miliyaran tahun silam, lalu berputar sendiri dan berjalan mengelilingi Matahari bersama planet-planet lain, berarti semua kandungan mineral dan zat dari bumi yang membentuk dan menghidupkan manusia, berasal dari Matahari. Makanya kehidupan di Bumi tidak bisa berlangsung tanpa pengaruh luar biasa dari sang induk, sang inang pengasuh yang pernah memiliki Bumi sebagai bagian dari dirinya sendiri. Itu berarti pula segala makluk yang tumbuh dari Bumi, tidak terkecuali manusia, dalam tubuh mereka terkadung satu zat asali yang sama. Santu Fransiskus dari Asisi pernah menulis: “Matahari saudariku, Bulan saudaraku dan Planet-planet adik- kakakku”. Kita bisa saja merasa aneh dengan sapaan ini, tetapi rahib besar asal Italia itu sebenarnya telah mengatakan kepada kita bahwa forma semesta ini boleh berbeda dari tampang luarnya, tetapi kodrat semesta terbentuk dari satu kandungan yang sama, satu esensi(unity in essence). Artinya, kita semua yang hidup di Bumi ini lahir dari satu induk yang sama. Berasal dari satu zat yang sama. Dalam tubuh kita mengalir mineral yang sama. Bila seorang pria Eropa memutuskan untuk menikahi seorang perempuan Timor, awalnya keluarga akan berkhasak-khusuk karena perbedaan-perbedaan forma atau ‘baju’ luar. Tetapi di kemudian hari pasangan itu justru langgeng sampai ke anak-cucu. Kelanggengan ini bukan saja disebabkan karena pasangan itu telah berhasil mengatasi perbedaan-perbedaan forma yang ada di antara mereka, tetapi terlebih karena mereka memiliki esensi yang sama. “Sejak di matahari, mereka adalah satu zat, saudara dan saudari sebunda!” Istrimu adalah ‘saudari’-mu, suamimu adalah ‘saudara’-mu, kata sang bijak bestari. Tidak pandang, entah dari suku atau bangsa mana pun dia berasal. Kitab Kejadian malah menyebut seorang istri sebagai ‘tulang rusuk’ suaminya.

Ketika masih belajar ilmu komunikasi audio-visual di Irlandia tahun 1999, berkali-kali saya dikejutkan oleh perjumpaan dengan orang-orang yang memiliki kemiripan bagaikan kembaran dari beberapa saudara atau kenalan di pulau Timor dan Flores. Forma saja yang berbeda. Yang di Eropa berkulit putih, berambut perak dan berbicara bahasa Inggris. Yang di Timor atau Flores, berkulit sawo matang, berambut keriting lebat dan berbicara bahasa Indonesia. Tetapi gaya berjalan, duduk dan mimik bicara mereka bagaikan pinang dibelah dua. Bahkan sampai warna suara juga sangat mirip. Mengapa bisa begitu? Esensi mereka satu! Begitu pula arti ungkapan dan phrasa yang saya temukan dalam gejalah bahasa. Guru saya dalam kelas bahasa Inggris pernah menerangkan arti phrasa ‘gate crasher’(penghancur gerbang) yang diibaratkan kepada tamu-tamu tidak diundang ketika ada pesta. Saya lalu teringat phrasa dengan arti dan nuasa yang sama dalam bahasa ibu saya, ‘tapen masu’(kita melihat asap). Forma kedua phara ini sangat berbeda, tetapi merujuk satu pengertian yang sama bagi sikap dan tingkah laku manusia yang ada di Eropa atau pun di Timor. “Diversity in form, unity in essence”, beda dalam forma tetapi sama dalam esensi. Bukankah setelah manusia mati, fisik yang dibanggakan ini sebagai forma pembeda dari makhluk lain, akan kembali menjadi zat dan mineral yang sama, lalu kembali bersatu dengan bumi, yang adalah bagian dari Matahari? Mari kita belajar menghargai persamaan esensi manusia dan semesta, dari pada ‘berkelahi’ mempertajam forma sekunder yang cuma melekat sementara saja tanpa bisa mengubah esensi diri kita yang satu dan sama sampai kekal. Syukur kepada ‘bunda’ Matahari dan sujud sembah yang dalam kepada Sang Pencipta Matahari!

By Padre Prisco, SVD

(Kuluhun, Dili, Timor Leste, 03 Juli 2010) (Terbit di Time Timor, November 2010)