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"Janganlah kamu takut terhadap mereka, karena tidak ada sesuatu pun yang tertutup yang tidak akan dibuka dan tidak ada sesuatu pun yang tersembunyi yang tidak akan diketahui. Apa yang Kukatakan kepadamu dalam gelap, katakanlah itu dalam terang; dan apa yang dibisikkan ke telingamu, beritakanlah itu dari atas atap rumah."
(Mat 10:26-27)
   
   
   
   
 
  DIVINE MERCY 2018:
Caritas Christi Urget Nos: the love of Christ impels us		  
 

THE GENERAL CHAPTER of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in 2018 is due to happen in June-July 2018, at Centro Ad-Gentes, Nemi, Italy. However, its theme, "Caritas Christi Urget Nos" has been widely learned and discussed by all Divine Word missionaries around the world, including our community in Batam, Biara Ratu Rosari, Sukajadi. Taken from the second letter of St. Paul to Corinthians (5:14), this quotation highlights our new missionary awareness, that without the love of Christ, our missionary works are totally meaningless. Therefore, the theme urges us to be rooted in His Word and committed to His Mission.

Considering its spiritual richness within that particular community movement, the Divine Word community of Sukajadi, Batam, offers some thoughts inspired by that spiritual and mission movement. Using the same frame, the leader of the community, Fr. Aurelius Pati Soge, SVD, initiates three meetings, prior to the Divine Mercy Day, happens on Sunday, April 8, 2018. Apart of our newly established tradition in Bible Centre, three sub-themes are to be explored. Fr. Pati Soge, than offers that three sub-themes, one for each month: January, February and March 2018. A small group of International Pastoral Community's members faithfully participate in the three meetings, which take place on January 21, February 18 and March 18, after Sunday Masses. Fr. Pati Soge suggests that it is also his way of sharing his spiritual experiences on Divine Mercy devotion.

 

Faithful group of Divine Mercy devosan after the first talk: we are invited by his mercy...
 
 

Three Talks: spiritual animation and missionary awareness

THE FIRST TALK. Sunday, January 21, 2018: The world deprives us from our roots The highlight of the talk is on the essence of human being that has been deprived of his roots by the secular values that constantly invade the life of many faithful Christians. Everyone is basically good in the eye of God, as all human being are created according to His likeness. However, that privilege has been constantly attacked by the devil, using all secular values that are being lived by many people aroung the world. The world offers global village, global market, global morality, that have nothing to do with God or any religious belief. This secular values are seeking to destroy Christian values (and other religious values, too), as it causes uneasiness in the secular world. Unfortunately, very often many Christians willingly adjust their spiritual life to meet the secular values that invade their life. The question is whether in this secularised world we are still able to see the Mercy of God. If they still exist, what are their formulas? This is a question to be answered by all Christian.

  
 
THE SECOND TALK. Sunday, February 18, 2018: Christian communities in turmoil. The second talk on Mercy of the year focuses on the frightening phenomenon, when many Christians do not realise, that there is a constant battle between the good and the evil. This is a spiritual warfare that put Christian families as the front-line fighters. No doubt that the Christian families play a vital role in sustaining the Church. Good families mean good Christian communities. Logically, it is easy to destroy the church when one is able to take away the Christian values from the Christian families. In this often unnoticed spiritual warfare, Christian families are targeted by many secular values. Therefore, they should defend themselves with all available spiritual weapons, such as prayer, meditation and other spiritual exercises.

THE THIRD TALK. Sunday, March 18, 2018: Rediscovering our strength and destiny. The spiritual warfare should not make us afraid, instead challenge us to do things that help us to overcome and win the war. First thing to do is to believe that God would never abandon his faithful people. Christian are not always faithful to God and do not always follow the Word of God in the Scripture as the guideline of life. Therefore God continue to reveal his will through many different ways. One among them is the Divine Mercy revelation to St. Faustina. It is a prophetic revelation to the modern world that becomes more egoistic than ever. Learning from the spiritual richness of St. Faustina, four things are highlighted as key pillars of spiritual development.
  

Ms. Akesa Dretivoni, a Fijian, gives testimony during the second talk: it is because of his endless mercy...
 
 
  • Firstly, following the light. Do not ignore the divine light, even when it is a very small glow. The three maggies from the East followed the star and found Jesus. They then returned to their countries through other ways as suggested by God. Those who find Jesus never resume the old path of life.
  • Secondly, searching for the truth, even when you have developed well your tallent. Nicodemus, a scribe and a Pharisee, came to see Jesus. It was an intensive dialog between a scholar who claimed to know God by brain, and Jesus, a mystic, who knew God by heart. Because of Nicodemus' humility, God granted him his reason of sending Jesus into this world. "God so loved the world that He sent his only Son, so whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life" (Jn 3:16). And Nicodemus grew to be the sole defender of Jesus (Jn 7:50-51). And when failed, without hesitation he came to the burial after the crucifixion (Jn 19:39). After knowing Jesus, Nicodemus became a totally different person, moving from his old stagnant religiosity to the new one, the religion of love and solidarity.
  • Thirdly, clinging to the cross. Without cross and resurrection, our Christian faith is totally meaningless. St. Pauls initially crucified Jesus in his persecution to the early Christians. Jesus called him at the gate of Damascus. Since then Paul became a zealous preacher of Jesus, the Messiah. Many came to oppose and persecute him. Paul stayed faithful to his decision, clinging to the cross he had chosen to follow. He succeeded and we enjoy our spiritual fruits today. Could you imagine the face of the Church today, without Paul's amazing contribution?
  • Fourthly, dreaming of eternal life. The reason we stay faithful to Jesus is because of his promise to bring us into his eternal kingdom. “After I have gone to prepare a place for you, I shall come again and take you to me, so that where I am, you also may be” (Jn 14:3). It is envisioned by John in the Book of Revelation (7:9-10), “After this I saw a great crowd, impossible to count, from every nation, race, people and tongue, standing before the throne and the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands, and they cried out with a loud voice, ‘Who saves but our God who sits on the throne and the Lamb?” We are unified by Jesus, amid our differences, just for one reason: we are looking for the same life and we all love peace.

All participants end three talks with prayer together, reciting the Chaplet of Mercy. The Devotion of Divine Mercy has become a key element in the spiritual movement at the Bible Centre, Sukajadi, since the Year of Mercy 2014. To some extent, the Divine Word community of Batam atributes her existence and on-going mission in this island to the generousity of Jesus, the Divine Mercy.

"Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Imortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

 
         
 
All stories by TIRTA WACANA Team except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved. | design: (c) aurelius pati soge