Podcasts about labuan bajo

In Episode #112 of Geeks of the Valley, we sit down with Ivan Casadevall, the CEO of ARYADUTA's Hotel Group, a leading Indonesian hospitality group and one of the most trusted brands in the region. Today, our portfolio features 10 upscale hotels and resorts strategically located across Indonesia, alongside 5 leisure units. We are currently expanding aggressively, with an exciting pipeline that includes 2 luxury hotels in Jakarta and 2 resorts in iconic destinations such as Ubud and Labuan Bajo, with additional land banks ready for development over the next 3 to 5 years.Ivan shares lessons from his global journey, from managing resorts in Vietnam and Bali to developing partnerships with global icons like Trump Hotels, Hyatt, and IMG. Whether you're a founder, operator, or curious traveler, this episode is packed with wisdom.

Delivered by the Vocationist Sisters in Labuan Bajo and Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 50: 4-7; Rs psalm 22: 8-9.17-18a.19-20.23-24; Philippians 2: 6-11; Luke 19: 28-40.WELCOME The title for our meditation on this Palm Sunday or thePassion Sunday is Welcome. During the house blessing service, when at the frontdoor or gate, it was heard the following prayer said by the Pastor: "Mayin the power of God and through the benefit of this door, goodness andrighteousness be welcomed into the house while error and evil must be dispelled."That formula of prayer was said and followed by the making of the sign of blessingthen accompanied with the sprinkling of holy water on the door or gate. All thesewere witnessed directly by the family members present. In every place where we are and do activities, wenormally welcome and release something. Our hearts, minds and wills normally welcomeinformation or knowledge, but also release what should go out. Homes and citiesalso do the same, welcoming and letting go. The point is that the naturalsystem and normal understanding explain that the act of welcoming presupposesthe outgoing. In order for someone to enter, one must go out first to provide aspace for the one who enters. Our lives in this period of Lent and about to feel theexcitement of the Holy Week are colored by the act of welcoming God's gracethat flows unceasingly, to make ourselves worthy to walk in companion with theLord Jesus Christ. However, it is also so important for us to leave behind allobstacles that are within us during this time of grace. Our observance ofprayer which is more intensive, of mortification through fast and abstinence,and of doing charity to be more tangible are very effective in facilitating ourpractices of releasing and welcoming.  The gate of Jerusalem and this festive celebration ofPalm Sunday are open to us to welcome Jesus the Messiah, the King of kings, andthe Savior of the world. What must be removed first is the wrong way ofunderstanding the Christ our great King. He cannot be considered as the king orpresident that exists in the world. He is to be welcomed as the King of peace,joy, and salvation. We must also avoid to express the foolish view that says theLord should not suffer and die in the so cruel way. Instead we must welcome Himas God who sacrifices his own life for each and all of us sinners. We must welcome Him as a human being who never resistsand fights back, when His dignity is trampled on by all kinds of hostileslander and physical violence. So we need to abandon the impression that JesusChrist had to flee to avoid danger from His enemies. We should welcome Him as ahumble Lord, but will ultimately be exalted by our Father in heaven. Therefore,we need to get rid of all forms of selfishness and pride that have always beenan obstacle for us to truly follow in the footsteps of Christ.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Jesus the King,strengthen our faith to always acknowledge You as the true King, so that ourlives always aim at doing the Father's will. Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Numbers 21: 4-9; Rs psalm 102: 2-3.16-18.19-20; John 8: 21-30THE TREE OF GLORY Our meditation today has the theme: The Tree of Glory.The wooden pillar of the cross or also called the crucifix, before becoming thecross of Jesus was a sign of great humiliation. The human person condemned onthe cross was a criminal of the lowest dignity. But when it began with JesusChrist being severely punished with the goal of His death on the cross, themeaning of the cross changes. For followers of Christ, the cross is a sign ofglory. Nevertheless, those who do not believe in Christ still regard the crossas a very shameful insult or merely a symbol of ignorance and emptiness.  The cross as a tree of glory for Jesus Christ sifnifiesthe salvation. In the days when Moses and the Israelites wandered in thewilderness, the cross was not yet known to them. The cross only became popularwhen the Roman colonizers used it as a means of punishing big criminals. But asa tree planted in the ground to signify salvation, it was already known toMoses and the chosen people. According to the book of Numbers chapter 21, the copperserpent placed on a stake became the object of sight of those who were bittenby wild snakes, and they were healed. They did not die or perish because ofsnakes, but survived and recovered. Since the cross was placed on the shoulders of Jesusin the story of His passion and especially when He hung on it until His death,the meaning of salvation displayed by the cross was perfected in glory.Salvation is a freedom from the bonds that afflict and bring suffering. Fromsalvation, a person is lifted to a high place where Jesus Christ with theFather and the Holy Spirit dwell. On the cross hung the body of Jesus that diedbut His Spirit rose gloriously, as He Himself said in the Gospel: "When youhave lifted up to the Son of Man, then shall you know that I am he."  We are heading to the memorial of Jesus Christ'spassion from the garden of Gethsemane to the hill of Golgotha. It reminds us ofthe experience of suffering for each of us or others around us. Jesus sufferedso much with the evidence that He was hung on the cross, which reminds us ofthe great and severe suffering we have experienced. Our spirits and souls mustnot be tormented by the bodies that are burdened by the weight of the cross ofsuffering. Our bodies will eventually die and be destroyed, but our spirit andsoul will survive to pass through salvation and reach glory of heaven. FollowingJesus Christ means that we must go through the sufferings of our bodies, for wehave been promised the best result that will follow, which is salvation andglory in heaven. Let us pray. In the name of the Father and of the Sonand of the Holy Spirit... O glorious Jesus, may we always rejoice and praisewith the cross that each of us bears. Hail Mary, full of grace... In the nameof the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Daniel 13: 1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62; Rs psalm 23: 1-3a.3b-4.5.6; John 8: 1-11WHEN STONE AND WOOD RESIST The theme for our meditation today is: When Stone andWood Resist. Jude is a naughty and wayward but smart teenager. Both parentshave been summoned by the principal and class teacher for many time regardingtheir child's behaviours. At home, Jude has been given various kinds ofpunishments, from ordinary reprimands to slaps and other physical punishments.Among all these punishments, the one Jude avoided the most was his father's beatingwith a piece of wood or throwing an object that at that time fit in his hand. Here, Jude's ingenuity serves to save himself from hisfather's punishment. He hid the wood and objects that his father always used tohit him. Jude did that, especially when he wanted to deliberately do somethingnaughty, he first hid the objects. As a result, by the time his father wasdesperate to punish him, the piece of wood was no longer in its place. Stonesand other items that were easy to find were no longer found. The father thenrelented. He felt like he was no longer strong.  He had to think again, that in the end "stone andwood or object refused" to be used in punishing his son. He must findanother way, which is certainly more effective in the science of education,when corrections and improvements are to be made. This is very much a generalallusion to the repressive or violent approach in the way we solve problems inlife. The science of education, and especially that taught by Saint John Bosco,in overcoming the problems of discipline, delinquency, chaos, is preventive. Today we meet Jesus Christ in the midst of a crowd ofpeople who were always at odds with each other, namely the Pharisees and thescribes. They were faced with a problem, namely a woman who was caughtcommitting adultery, and this was considered a very serious sin. The repressiveattitude of Jewish law demanded that this sinner be punished so strongly bystoning her to death. Jesus came with an approach to love, which is awarenessin terms of opening consciousness and self-recognition. The approach of Jesus contains the activation ofrationality, awareness, reflection, opening the eyes and heart as the firststage. Then once our awareness and self-knowledge have been formed, especiallyknowing that we are sinners and in need of renewal, God is pleased to grantforgiveness. That process is experienced by the sinful woman described in theGospel earlier. The power of love brought by the Lord Jesus is able toeliminate the use of "stones, wood or other objects" as instrumentsto create goodness, justice, and peace. We must follow that power of love.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Jesus, may asthe holy week draws closer, we will be stronger in its preparation, that is, torenew ourselves by forgiving our neighbors who have sinned against us. HailMary full of grace... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Jeremiah 11: 18-20; Rs psalm 7: 2-3.9bc-10.11-12; John 7: 40-53RISKS EXPRESSED Our meditation today has the theme: Risks Expressed.The newlywed couple was watching a video of the life-and-death struggle ofmembers of the military forces on the battlefield. The husband, who is amilitary man, and his wife understand very well that the risk must be faced,considering in a couple of days the husband would leave for the battlefield.The risk was shown so that he and his wife were spiritually prepared to bearthe reality behind the risk. As a result, each of them was strong and sincereto support each other, and the wife allowed her husband to leave to fulfillstate duties. The prophet Jeremiah had a special calling from God,as did Jesus Christ; they carried out the mission entrusted by God. Along withthis, the Father in heaven also told them that for the fulfillment of theentrusted mission, they would pass through obstacles, threats of violence, andpersecution. In this aspect, our two figures are shown in the scriptures likeslaughtered sheep that are brought to the slaughterhouse and sacrificed. Godtold them so clearly, that both Jeremiah and Jesus Christ were mentally andspiritually prepared to face it. The result of this notification from God clearlybenefits the persecuted party, because God guarantees His participation and allthe arrangements according to His will. But on the part of the persecutors,there is chaos because of anger, hatred, and evil within them that areconditioned by interests that divide them. The Pharisees and scribes were notin agreement about their evil plans. This simply represents the fact that everyform of evil plan and action will never be colored by a state of comfort or tranquility,but instead a chaotic atmosphere of mind and soul. God is always telling us what will happen in relationto our choices, commitments, faith, and vocations, work or ministry. He tellsus in various ways and through various intermediaries. It is He who chooses andcalls us, then entrusts to each of us or together, the type of responsibilityand work. It also means that He is the one who puts in our consciousness andbelief not only the goals we achieve, but even more so the risks that we willface.  There can be no risks or side effects from any of ourwork or services. But because we are already enlightened by faith about this,we are made to move forward with confidence that God will accompany and guideus. The hope is that our thoughts, words, and actions are always in the lightof God. This is our spiritual preparation.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O God of all wisdom,illuminate our steps in life at all times. Hail Mary full of grace... In thename of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Wisdom 2: 1a.12-22; Rs psalm 34: 17-18.19-20.21-23; John 7: 1-2.10.25-30THE TIME HAS NOT YET COME The theme for our meditation today is: The Time HasNot Yet Come. Soon, about a week from now, we will be celebrating Holy Week.The passion and death of Jesus Christ was the culminating experience of Hissuffering. We will meet in anticipation of this great celebration in the daysleading up to it, including today. The type of anticipation shown in variousdifficulties to be the resistance Jesus had to face. The threat to Him wasreal, immediate, and definite. He was on the verge of persecution. Long before the real experience of Jesus Christ, thebook of Wisdom had described this persecution. It says in this way: Let us testhim with persecution and torment, that we may know his tenderness and patience.We should sentence him to death, for according to him he will surely get help (Wis2:19-20). The Gospel of John that we have just heard rejoins the image of the vergeof persecution, and saying in this way: the Pharisees tried to arrest Jesus,but no one touched him, because his hour had not yet come (Jn 7:30). His time that has not yet come depends entirely onGod's providence. Thursday night and Good Friday have not yet arrived. Allparties from our part are obliged to comply with the provision of this not yetcome condition. All must respect to what important aspects are on the verge ofpersecution of Jesus Christ. Although the waves of anger, envy, hatred, andviolence seem unstoppable, they were obliged to restrain themselves. Eventhough the wave was very strong, God had not allowed the time to come.  How do we interpret "The time for God has not yetcome?" We first interpret it by acknowledging and accepting it. We acceptthis reality and believe it as a form of fulfillment of the Father's will onJesus' part, and as the content of our faith. In the prayer "IBelieve" we express our faith by saying: He who suffered under the powerof Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. Agreeing to this alsomeans that we accept the Lord's teachings and invitation to follow Him in everyverge of persecution we face in our lives.  We also interpret this in a view that we have no fearto maintain the truth and goodness as a sign of our belongingness to God.Usually the temptation for those who are on the verge of suffering andpersecution is to be afraid or surrender and submit to the persecutor. If thepersecutor wants to quickly execute, we must not give in to that will.Authentic followers of Christ do not surrender in such manner. On the verge ofpersecution and death we dare to cry out: this submmission of self is for thesake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... Father in heaven,strengthen us always, especially when we are in the midst of suffering andpersecution, so that we may remain on your side. Our Father who art inheaven... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Exodus 32: 7-14; Rs psalm 106: 19-20.21-22.23; John 5: 31-47WORK EXPLAINS WHO WE ARE Our meditation today has the theme: Work Explains WhoWe Are. Jesus Christ again gave a firm response to the protest and accusationof His opponents, the Pharisees and scribes. Fierce opposition to Jesus seemsto be increasing. This is an anticipation of the peak experience of sufferingduring the false trial and his death penalty on the cross on Good Fridaycelebration.  Today's Gospel presents the opponents' denial that Jesusreally came from God. They vehemently refused to acknowledge and accept thatJesus was sent by the Father in heaven. So He affirms that the proof of God'spower is in Him, in the form of the works He does. Healing the sick, raisingthe dead, feeding the hungry and thirsty, expelling of evil spirits, andconsolation for the broken-hearted. All of these are facts of God's work thatcannot be denied.  Jesus asked them not to narrow their view andunderstanding. If they rejected Him, they must at least be objective inacknowledging His works. All of these works bore witness of Himself and of theFather who has all power to lead and look after all things. If at least they couldaccept and acknowledge the work or the results of work, it was implicit thatthey accepted and acknowledged who was behind the work and its fruits. It turnedout that neither Jesus nor His works were accepted and acknowledged, so theirsin was indeed great. This analogy may help us to reflect on the theme ofone's self-witnessing work. For example, the lifestyle of some people showsthat they really dislike simple and hardworking people such as farmers,fishermen, or shephers. In fact, every day the haters and their families eatrice, vegetables, fish, and meat which are actually the fruits of the work ofthose they hate. So this means a denial of themselves and of others who helptheir daily needs. Any work and the results really represent who wereally are. Our self-reflection whether we are generous or not, humble or not, faithfulor not, manifested so real through our work and the results of our work. Our worksand their results speak for themselves. Everyone presents all of these thingsfor the people around them to experience and enjoy, but the basic condition isthat we accept and acknowledge each other through our work and the fruits.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... Most MercifulFather, thank you for Your blessing so that we can work according to ourrespective callings and the results for our lives together. Glory to the Fatherand to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 49: 8-15; Rs psalm 145: 8-9.13cd-14.17-18; John 5: 17-30BEING WITH THE FATHER The theme for our meditation today is: Being With theFather. Saint Teresa of Calcutta when she was still alive, carried a dyingadult on the way to her convent. She tended to all the man's wounds, fed himnutritious food, and covered his thin body with proper clothing. The man raisedhis face and asked: "Why is Sister so kind to me"? Mother Teresareplied simply, "Because I am only carrying out orders from my Boss."The man wanted to know: "Who is the Boss of Sister?" Mother replied:"My Boss is Jesus Christ. I live with him all the time." Jesus defended himself against the accusation of hisenemies that he was blaspheming God for making himself the same with God. Heemphatically said: God is His own Father. In the language of Saint Teresa, Godis her Boss.  The Lord God puts His poweron us, and we also rely on His power, so both Jesus and we deserve to invokethis phrase: I am with the Father, or we are with the Father. The reality of living and being with the Father inheaven can be expressed through an affirmation, that is, a way to defendoneself or affirm one's identity. Through that way then we will feel strong.Suppose you are experiencing a state of strong isolation, and in solitude thereis a feeling of being disturbed by evil forces or a feeling of fear thatthreatens the peace in your heart. The affirmation that you live with theFather and rely on His strength is paramount, so that you may be freed fromthat isolated and strange experience. Living and being with the Father can also be expressedas Mother Teresa did. We use the power and participation of the Father in doinggood and serving others. This is the same as that proclaimed by the prophetIsaiah, who says this in the first reading of today: I have formed and givenyou a covenant for mankind to rebuild the earth. We work, serve, do good, buildup this world, with our primary guideline, which is because we are in and withthe Almighty Father. With that gift the kingdom of God is present in theworld. Today we as a Church bear the important responsibility of renewing theface of the earth from time to time with the help of the Holy Spirit. To facethe problems of this world, the good advice would be this: we use our strengthto be with our own Father. What to keep in mind is we should always avoid the actof distancing oneself from the unity with the Lord, or the tendency to rely onlyon human strength. Because God Himself says that being outside of Him and notrelying on His power, we will be nothing. We are in danger of being nothing anddoing nothing.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus Christ,strengthen always our communion with the holy Triune God in order to renewourselves and life on this earth. Hail Mary full of grace... In the nameof the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Ezekiel 47: 1-9.12; Rs psalm 46: 2-3.5-6.8-9; John 5: 1-3a.5-16WATER OF SALVATION Our meditation today has the theme: Water ofSalvation. There are so many benefits of water for us humans and the world. Ofall its benefits, the term "water of salvation" is an abstractexpression. The term "holy water", or "clean water", or"mineral water" is a concrete expression that we immediatelyunderstand. For example, "baptismal water", the form of water is asign used to signify Jesus using water to baptize. So the term "water of salvation" remains inthe form of physical water that is a sign for God to perform acts of salvationfor the people the Lord helps. The scriptures present many events of salvationor deliverance through water, such as the crossing of the Red Sea by theIsraelites when they were made free from Egyptian slavery. Both readings todayalso describe water as a means of salvation. The prophet Isaiah tells of a vision of water flowingin the temple. Wherever it flows, everything that is affected by its flow andthe area of its touch comes to life. This implies that when there is no or hasnot been touched by water, the life that is there suffers hardship or evendeath. In the pool of Bethesda, the water was instrumental in the healing ofthe sick. They rushed closer and were touched by the water when it began toshake, they would be healed. From these two descriptions of events we see thatwater as an instrument is a real physical sign. God's power to heal and saveseems hidden.  But at the pool of Bethesda, the hidden mystery revealsitself. The sick man who had been suffering for thirty-eight years was directlytouched by the God who was actually present and working behind the water. Ithealed instantly. The water of salvation displayed by both readings todayteaches us how important aspects of the physical sign of water and its meaningto us. For our contunual journey in this world, the physical form of water isobviously very important. Without water, we will die like a barren and dryland. The meaning behind this physical reality is that the orderly balance ofnature has been provided by God for the good and salvation of mankind.  Water in the sacrament of baptism and as a sacramentalelement in the Church's practices of faith is seen physically as clean andhealthy water devoted to spiritual ministry in the Church. The meaning behindthis water chosen is that God Himself works through His servants to save, heal,and sanctify His people. The holy water that we use to make the sign of thecross or to bless ourselves and our things, is a sacred means to signify themoment of salvation that we experience. We must use the holy water in the rightdisposition of faith.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, may wealways call upon Your name and use Your power correctly. Glory to the Fatherand to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 65: 17-21; Rs psalm 30: 2.4.5-6.11-12a.13b; John 4: 43-54THE ANSWER Our meditation today has the theme: The Answer. Theresults or achievements we obtain are the answer to the work and processes wedo. For example, agreement is the answer to a discussion to agree to thedifferences in perception. Concept is the answer to the agreement of variousarguments. System is the result of integrating different elements. Method isproduced from experiments and analysis of various variables. There was a 5th grade elementary school boywho wanted to prove to his parents and family that the First Communion he hadreceived about a month ago was an opportunity for him to serve the Church as analtar boy. He said that First Communion was the answer to his longing since hewas a kindergarten boy, how eager he was to receive Jesus Christ. Serving inthe Church as an altar boy was an answer to his longing to be near the Priestand see how the Priest celebrated the Eucharist. After receiving First Communion,he did not delay any longer to register as an altar boy. The baptism we receive opens the door for every personto find definitive answers about his or her journey of faith. One sure answeris to participate in Jesus Christ and in His Church. From this is formed aChristian identity that grows in the process of realizing the calling of everyfollower of Christ. Sons and daughters of God are called to professions such asteachers, civil servants, technicians, businessmen, farmers, or politicians.Sons and daughters of God are also called to the ministry of God's people aspriests, religious men and women, and married couples. The most basic obligation to be a follower of Christis to be a sign of Christ's presence, light and truth in the world. The termthat is often used is to be a living witness of Christ through Christian wordsand deeds that is to be the salt and light to this world. The dignity of thesons and daughters of God with the callings inherent in every person will beeffective if he or she carries out duties responsibly. So faith is the basis for the establishment andfunctioning of a Christian life that lives the love of Christ and hopes for anew heaven and earth, which is the kingdom of heaven, as the prophet Isaiah saysin today's first reading. The palace official got an answer in faith, after themiracle that took place in his family. Faith leads the whole family to God.They ordained themselves to have a participation in Jesus Christ, who have therights and obligations of being followers of Christ. The same thing happens tous, faith is our basic answer to God.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Jesus Christ,thank you for the grace of Your call to us and may we always renew our faith inYou. Hail Mary... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by the Vocationist Sisters in Labuan Bajo and Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Joshua 5: 9a.10-12; Rs psalm 34: 2-3.4-5.6-7; 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21; Luke 15: 1-3.11-32RETURN The theme for our meditation on the 4thSunday of Lent is: Return. We reflect on our "return" here to remindus that the solemnity of Easter is approaching. We are increasingly feeling theexcitement and warmth of the Great Celebration for all of us. So our"return" is not for a setback, a failure, and to a sinful life in thepast. For one reason or another, we as humans have fallenand became far from God. In spiritual understanding, sin, alienation and errorhave made us distant. So the call to return to the right, the way of God, andthe shade of His love becomes very important in our faith. This time is ourchance to be called back. God is the main caller for us to return from our sinand alienation in our lives. He had great compassion for Adam and Eve, David,Peter, Saul, Mary Magdalene and every one of us who are tormented withsuffering by the sins that befall us. He awaits us in the church, through thesacraments and the word proclaimed, in devotions, and through the service oflove, so that we may return to Him. Listening to His call leads us to beaccepted, forgiven, and recognized again as His beloved children.  The people who are in charge of us, also call us. Theyare our parents, guides, educators, leaders, or our fellow brothers and sisters.Joshua was the leader and brother who called his neighbors to come to God'sfulfilled promises. Parents call us to return to serve and accompany them andthe homeland our basic and original treasure. Church and state leaders arecalling for us to rejoin in constructive and transformative church andstate-building activities. And many other calls, wanting us to return to a decentand correct life. The next turn to call is ourselves. The call of ourown conscience is very important. When we realize that we have already beenimmersed in things that are not important, superficial, or mere pleasures, weshould listen to the call of our conscience. He must have said the opposite,which is to call us to the beauty, the goodness and the truth.  The three sources of subject that call us: God, thosewho are responsible for us, and our own conscience are great forces that pullus, so that we cannot avoid it, but obey to return at the right time and place.Today is the right time for us to return.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O heavenly Father,may this Sunday worship strengthen us to return to You with joy. We want to beYour sons and daughters as we always are. Hail Mary... In the name of theFather ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Hosea 6: 1-6; Rs psalm 51: 3-4.18-19.20-21ab; Luke 18: 9-14SINCERE SINNERS Our meditation today has the theme: Sincere Sinners. Thereis only one of all God's created human beings is sinless. She is the blessedMother, Mary, conceived by her mother free of sins. That is why she is calledMary Immaculate. Apart from her, we are all sinners, either great or small,many or few, visible or invisible. There have been two persons who have been friendssince childhood. Their friendship is still maintained until now when each has hisown family. One day the two friends were engaged in a conversation involvingpersonal matters. Mario, one of the two said that he corrupted money from hisoffice. He shared everything such as the amount of money, how many times hecorrupted, where the money was kept, what use of those money. He believed hisbest friend Mateo must keep all those information in secret.  His best friend Mateo enjoyed the story. Sometimes heasked for clarification on the things that were not clear. He nodded to showhis support. He understood everything that was being told. For Mario, beingopen to his best friend, he already felt lighter about the burden he carried.There was a feeling of relief and an open path in front of him for thepossibility in the future of changing from corruption. On Mateo's part, heshowed no signs of speaking about himself. Even though it has become a commonsuspicion that he was in an unlawful relationship with a woman. Mateo seemed tobe tormented and suffering in solitude with the sin that was tourturing him. Hedid not dare to open up to his best friend.  This story at least gives us some enlightenment thatthere are two types of sinners. Those who are called sincere sinners are those peoplewho are open about the sins they have committed. They do this in the confessionalroom, with a life partner, a friend, or with a trusted person. The motivationis that with that sincerity, he can be free from the shackles and torment ofthe gravity of sin. The most important goal is for him to get help in the formof understanding, moral support and forgiveness. On the other hand, those of the veiled or closed sinnersare those who cover up the mistakes or sins that have been committed. There aremany reasons for this introverted attitude: for example, shame, fear, orarrogance. The Pharisee in the Gospel story above is at least haunted by thesethree reasons. God was really displeased with the Pharisees. We should, andespecially in this period of Lent, realize ourselves as sincere sinners. Godalready knows everything, and in this age of communication, whatever form ofsin will be revealed in due course. So let us get rid of our closed attitudeover our sins.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O heavenly Father,increase our courage and openness, so that we may sincerely admit our sins inorder to obtain Your forgiveness. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to theHoly Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Hosea 14: 2-10; Rs psalm 81: 6c-8a.8bc-9.10-11ab.14.17; Markus 12: 28b-34COMPASSION IS GREATER THAN ALL SACRIFICES ANDOFFERINGS The theme for our meditation today is: Compassion IsGreater than All Sacrifices and Offerings. This statement invites us to ponderdeeply the fundamental truths of our faith and our relationship with God. Thisteaching reminds us that religious rituals, prayers, and sacrifices are ouressential devotions, but they will be empty if they are not accompanied by truecompassion and love for others. In today's Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus teachesabout sincere love for God and neighbors. A scribe who accepted this teachingmade it clearer by saying: "To love God with all your heart, with all yourunderstanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbors asyourself is far more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Compassion or mercy is love in action. This ismanifested first of all through God's care for mankind. When we do charity, weimitate Christ, who always served the little, the forgotten, the sinners, andthe brokenhearted. A compassionate heart such as feeding the hungry, comfortingthe sad, forgiving those who have sinned against us, describes a heart that istruly in accordance with God's will. Why is mercy or compassion greater in quality thansacrifices and offerings? In the Old Testament, sacrifices were made to helpbelievers express repentance and devotion to the divine. Likewise, the varioustypes of offerings that were made to explain how believers devoted and worshiped. However, it turns out that all the sacrifices andofferings then become mere routine when they do not correlate with a heart thattruly longs for justice, peace, and love. Compassion, on the other hand, is anactive and transformative response that shows God's presence in the world. Whenwe are compassionate or loving we build relationships, heal wounds, andstrengthen fellowship. Some practical suggestions for practicing compassionsuch as forgiving others, helping those in need, speaking gently, patiently,and understandingly. Pope Francis affirmed that the Church of compassion is theChurch that becomes a "field hospital", that is, a place to heal allwounds and sufferings, before help in other forms comes later. In this seasonof Lent, acts of love will be very important as a path to our repentance.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, forgive ussinners  for not strong enough to docharity consistently. Glory to the Father ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Jeremiah 7: 23-28; Rs psalm 95: 1-2.6-7.8-9; Luke 11: 14-23HARDNESS OF HEART AND INSINCERITY The theme for our meditation today is: Hardness ofHeart and Insincerity. There was a five-year-old child crying and throwingstones at his house from about 20 meters away. He was angry with his mother.The reason was that his body was full of mud and was going to be bathed by Mamma,but he didn't want to and ran away. In that anger and crying, the boy was saying: "Mamma'sheart is hard as a stone." He repeated those words while throwing stonesat the house with stones taken around where he was. His mother occasionallycame out to pick him up, but the boy ran away more and more and kept crying. This illustration touches on at least two things,namely hardness of heart and insincerity. The boy called his mother a personwith hardness of heart, at least that is what in the mind of a five-year-oldchild. According to him, bathing to cleanse his body is not a right and not a gooddeed, so he opposed it. The act of offending and hostile to what is right andgood is the act of insincerity. The little boy did not understand what hardness ofheart and insincerity really were. But what he had done to his mother can be avaluable material for us to ponder. Children often say and do things to disturbadults about their attitudes and behaviors. A grown-up and mature person knows that when a man'sheart becomes hard, he loses the ability to feel compassion, to forgive, and toconfess a truth. Hardness of heart and insincerity are closely related becausethese two negative traits have the same intention, namely rejecting the truth,humility and the call to repentance. These two negative qualities are alluded to in our tworeadings today. God revealed the truth to Moses that the Israelites had becomehardness of heart and insincere, so that they no longer obeyed His commands andwill. The Pharisees, scribes, and Jewish elders were not willing to acknowledgethe miracle of the casting out of an evil spirit in a mute person. Instead,they accused Jesus of being a demonic leader who cast out fellow demons. As an act of repentance in this period of penance, weare all called to get rid of our hardness of heart and insincerity. We need toreplace it with humility, sincerity in word and deed, and acts of compassionfor others. Do it right now, and don't delay.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, pour outwithin us a tender and sincere heart. Our Father who art in heaven... In thename of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Deuteronomy 4: 1.5-9; Rs psalm 147: 12-13.15-16.19-20; Matius 5: 17-19OBEDIENCE The theme for our meditation today is Obedience. In anelementary school lesson, Vincent, a 5th grade student, asked his teacheras he said "Why do we need obedience in our lives?" The teacher whohas been an educator for decades replied in this way, "We need to obey therules that are existing because our lives need to be regulated and directed tobe better and we will achieve our goals." The teacher continued, that an obedient person is the onewho is under a higher authority or leader. A president must also be obedient,as he is under the power of Constitution and laws. At this point, Vincent, whowas not satisfied with the explanation, wanted to ask again. Then he said,"Who is really not in need of obedience?" The teacher replied: "The one who does not needobedience is someone already perfect. And we all know that the perfect one isGod Himself. It is God who sets all the laws and regulations, and then Hecommands His people to follow all those rules. All people of all nations andtribes of the world use the laws and regulations that God has established sincethe creation of the first human beings." Vincent and his classmates were delighted with the teacher'sfine explanation. They all understood. They realized that by being obedientduring school period, they would get good learning results and can finallycomplete well their education in elementary school. The conversation betweenthe teacher and the student at the primary school reminds us of two scripturereadings today. These two readings warn us in this Lenten season to always obeyGod's commandments and decrees for our salvation. There are two points of view that explain ourobedience. From the point of view of commandments or warnings, we are commandedto obey. God is powerful and demanding, that His people obey and follow Hiscommands. This is very emphasized in this period of penance. We are obliged tofollow and live by it, especially when we are commanded not to break the rulesand we are obliged to teach them to young people and children. From the point of view of awareness and maturity asbelievers, we choose and commit ourselves to obey to the existing rules. We donot need to be commanded and reminded repeatedly to obey and be faithful. Werealize that obedience and faithfulness to God is a true way of life forbelievers. This is being so emphasized as the discipline to be done during thisperiod of penance. Let each of us interpret which position each one belongs to.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Almighty God, weask that the spirit of our obedience to You will bear good fruit and steadilyin our daily lives. Hail Mary full of grace... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 7: 10-14; 8: 10; Rs psalm 40: 7-8a.8b-9.10.11; Hebrews 10: 4-10; Luke 1: 26-38TODAY'S GOOD NEWS The theme for our meditation today, the Solemnity ofthe Annunciation of the Lord is: Today's Good News. In the current trendysocial media-based short videos, we are always given the answer to thequestion: "What are today's words?" The person being questionedalways gives answers in the form of nice words to hear, expressions offriendship, motivational statements, and inspiring exclamations.  For example, when you watch and hear a motivationalstatement in this manner, "Stedfast in your faith, never give up, becausea day's hardship is enough for a day," and at that very moment you aredepressed and disappointed by a certain problem, you will be comforted andcalm. You will restart your day by being excited and joyful again.  In our time, audio-visual and digital-based socialmedia is running hand in hand with the creativity of the human generation ofmedia users who are increasingly expanding and advanced. The preaching anddissemination of the good news can be done by as many people as possible withtheir own abilities and creativity. In this connection, the event of the Annuncitationof the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of Nazareth who was appointed as theMother of God and Jesus the Savior of the world born through the womb of Mary,should be the main motivation for us to always share the good news, the joyful words,and the wonderful story of salvation among us. Basically, God Himself is the giver and sharer of thejoyful news of the mysteries of His glory to us. This Solemnity of theAnnunciation is one of the God's revelations of His glory. It is this act ofGod that we must continue in our daily lives, when we are the ones who conceivethe good news and bring them to the world or our own presence that becomes goodnews for the people around us. The question would this: what is the content ofgood news can we share? For us the people belong to Jesus Christ who are sentas His witnesses in the world, the content of today's good news that we bringis of course the Lord Jesus Himself. Words, expressions, and statements thatcontain goodness to comfort and strengthen must be acknowledged as inspirationfrom God, and not from Satan or any particular evil spirit. Ghosts do not haveauthority to spread the good news of God. We, as individuals and as a community, should bringthe name of Jesus, His actions and teachings as the glad tidings that weproclaim to others. As the scriptures say, we are indeed salt and light for theworld today. God is the glad tidings, we are the bearers.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Almighty God,enable us to be true bearers of joyful news in today's world. Our Father who artin heaven... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. 2 Kings 5: 1-15a; Rs psalm 42: 2.3; 43: 3.4; Luke 4: 24-30MISSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SALVATION The theme for our meditation today is: MissingOpportunities for Salvation. The opportunity for salvation through acts ofpenance and repentance is always present in our lives. Our basic conviction isthat God chooses to live with us. His presence and involvement in our lives isthe precious opportunity for us to gain salvation. The problem is that we humans are not aware of thepresence of God. We in our daily circumstances and busyness do not takeadvantage of this opportunity. There are two examples of missing opportunitiesfor salvation. The first is as told in the first reading, which is the secondbook of Kings. The Israelites ignored God's commands and will through theprophet Elisha in order to obtain salvation. It was Naaman, a stranger and anunbeliever, who got the opportunity and he was healed. The second example is what proclaimed by the Gospel ofLuke, where the prophet Elijah brought salvation to a widow and her family inZarephath, not to the widows of Israel and all the believers in the land Israel.That opportunity existed when God spoke and acted through His prophet, Elijah,but his countrymen paid no attention and even turned against him. That is whatJesus reaffirmed that a prophet is not accepted in his place of origin orrejected and hated by his countrymen.  We as individuals and together in various situationshave experienced the loss of opportunities for salvation. For example, duringthis Lent, there are people who said that the practice of fasting andabstinence has been abandoned. They no longer obeyed the commitment to fast andabstinence that they had set since Ash Wednesday. In fact, the practice offasting and abstinence is an opportunity to experience renewal of both body andsoul. But that opportunity is gone. They regretted it and was no longer useful. The Church provides all kinds of means and ways for usto use in order to gain salvation. If her people have already lost one or moreopportunities for it, the Church remains faithful to provide. The Churchremains a mother who facilitates. Every year when Lent arrives, thoseopportunities are wide open. It is hoped that all the people of God can use itseriously. One thing to remember very strongly is that everymember of the Church is not stubborn, not hardening the heart, and not arrogantwhen it comes to underestimating every opportunity. He should consider it aspecial moment that should not be missed out or allowed to pass away without anytrace left.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord Jesus,strengthen our faith so that we can make the most of the moments of Yourpresence in our midst. Hail Mary full of grace... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by the Vocationist Sisters in Labuan Bajo and Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Exodus 3: 1-8a.13-15; Rs psalm 103: 1-2.3-4.6-7.8.11; 1 Corinthians 10: 1-6.10-12; Luke 13: 1-9TIME TO RETURN TO GOD The theme for our meditation on this 3rdSunday of Lent is: A Time to Return to God. Time is one of the signs that warnsus about the opportunity to meet God. Sunday, for example, is a special timefor the faithful to gather and worship God. Lent is an opportunity every yearfor all of God's people to intensively and fully establish a relationship withGod through the acts of penance. Our time to encounter God can happen at any time andis very personal. God dwells in each of us and each person just needs toactivate awareness, calmness in heart, focus of mind and intimacy inrelationship to be able to experience moments with Him. We don't need to director lead God to come and meet at a certain place and at a particular time. It isprecisely we who provide time and room to meet Him and experience specialmoments with Him. Is meeting God an opportunity to return to Him? Isthis an opportunity for a person to repent from sins and evil acts? All of us aresinners when we meet God, whether on occasion with other believers orpersonally. But not everyone takes that opportunity as a time to return to God.There are still many of us who have not repented and truly experienced a newlife when they encounter God in prayer and worship. For example, a person was attending Sunday worship atchurch. He did not concentrate on every part of worship from opening toclosing. His mind was in chaos or running around. He did meet God while in thechurch, but he did not experience God's presence through the Word that entered andtouched his heart and consciousness. He was very burdened by the problems thatoccurred in his personal and family life. He did not receive Communion in thecelebration of the Eucharist on that Sunday. Any of us may not have repented and returned to theright path when we met the Lord. He is like a fig tree that does not bearfruit, which is ordered to be cut down. He was like the Israelites who werewarned by Moses to remember the Lord and return to Him. He is like theChristians who were warned by Saint Paul not to fall into sin like the ancientIsraelites when they were always against God's will. So, the time for us to return to God is at the time ofGod's warning or command to us to repent. If at this moment the warning isgiven and reaches our ears and hearts, that is the opportunity to repent.Delaying or rejecting it, then the moment or opportunity to change will be lost.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Almighty God,strengthen our faith in every warning and call to return to the way, the truth,and the life, which is Your Son Jesus Christ and our Lord. Glory to the Fatherand to the Son and to the Holy Spirit... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Micah 7: 14-15.18-20; Rs psalm 103: 1-2.3-4.9-10.11-12; Luke 15: 1-3.11-32MERCY The theme for our meditation today is: Mercy. Aftergiving a homily at Holy Mass that Sunday about God's mercy, the parish priestwas visited by several young people. In the parish rectory they asked FatherBastian to enlighten again about mercy, because for them the explanation ofmercy was still unclear. They found it difficult to understand God's mercy. This is how Father Bastian explained mercy. To theperson who has wronged you, your forgiveness should not be limited to writingin a message or chat. Don't just say it once and then forget about the personand the problem. Don't just say that you're forgiving, then limit yourself tonot communicating as you used to. This is not mercy.  If you want to practice mercy, then you need to meetthe person concerned, greet in warmth even by hugging him. Speak from heart toheart with the intention of erasing all the wounds and bad memories of therelationship that have been fractured. Here there is mutual acceptance in allcircumstances. Mercy requires touch and intimacy, like a father's or mother'shug to you to ensure that their love goes to the innermost of you, to theholiest place that is your own soul. The Father continued, if a friend conveys his personalproblems that are quite serious, you certainly feel concerned. Then you promiseto pray for him. After that you pray for him once or twice. Maybe you evenforgot to pray because of your busyness. It is not mercy. It is an act that istoo big for just promises and words. If you want to practice mercy, in addition to thepromise to pray, you make it a problem in yourself as well. So ask often oreven meet with him and give him as much attention as you can. Do anything thatmakes the friend feel that he is not alone, and that you are the one who isalways with him. You are his angel. You are the answer. The essence of mercy is the act of renewing andrestoring pain, weakness or damage with acts of love. So the first is to removeall obstacles or sins that hinder the recovery of the relationship that is tobe built. According to the prophet Micah's prophecy, the sin was to be thrownaway. Next, a touch of love and forgiveness by welcoming and making thesuffering party our own. The act of restoring suffering and bringing someoneback as part of us, our families and our communities is the true act of mercy. Godhas always done so to each of us.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O God of mercy,enable us with the spirit of mercy towards our neighbors. Glory to the Fatherand to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Genesis 37: 3-4.12-13a.17b-28; Rs psalm 105: 16-17.18-19.20-21; Matthew 21: 33-43.45-46MESSENGER Our meditation today has the theme: Messenger. Theterm "messenger" is attached to the Lord God who works to create allthings. After creation the first human beings, God sent and placed them in theworld. They were given a number of responsibilities. This sending out continuesto be made to the selected figures including Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Johnthe Baptist, and of course the greatest one certainly the Lord Jesus Christ,who were equipped with tasks that they must do. The messengers are basically askedto be responsible to God. The opponent of this sending out messenger is an evil ornegative agenda to send the chosen ones to carry out the plan of destruction ordeath. If the Lord sends the heavenly angels, the Church sends hermissionaries, the state sends its ambassadors or consuls, the community orcompany sends its managers or representatives; every attempt of evil and crimealso sends its representatives. A narcotics trafficking boss, for example, senthis men to trade drug elements, to be very well organized in the plan andsystem of the trade. He must be a great personality and so much feared by hismembers. Our common knowledge reveals that if God is omnipotentin sending his messengers, the rulers of evil also compete to send their bestpeople. If there is the Archangel Michael who is tasked to fight against Satan,there is also the greatest angel of Satan to keep up with the great armyMichael. This means that every time Satan and his messengers are so eager to finda flaw in God's messengers to deceive them and eventually master them. Ourreadings today describe the perfect state of the messengers, that is, they arethe trusted choice of the leader, ruler, father and God.  Joseph, the beloved son of the father Jacob, was sent tobe among his brothers who were very hostile to him because of their envy. The messengersof the master of vineyard were also sent out to the field. Those sent were hisconfidants, and even his own biological son to be his heir. All of thesemessengers are the best and most trustworthy, but Satan's power and evil act alsoseek to disturb and control them. This situation actually describes also our actuallife situation today. We are all together with our Master Jesus Christ becomemessengers of the heavenly Father, we carry out a mission to bring salvation ofthe world and all mankind. Jesus is the best model of sacrifice of the messengerof the Father. Salvation is the main duty to be realized. Each of us is thechosen and trusted messenger to continue the mission of Christ. We must be readyfor all the risks that come our way and threaten us. Every decision basically hasrisks. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Jesus, strengthenus with Your power so that we can be Your best messengers. Hail Mary full ofgrace ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Jeremiah 17: 5-10; Rs psalm 1: 1-2.3.4.6; Luke 16: 19-31THE CURSE OF COMFORT Our meditation today has the theme: The Curse ofComfort. There was a large group of termites living behind the walls of thehouse. The house looks beautiful, sturdy and the wall color is minimalist. Theframes are given a bright brown color combined with the door leaves and windowsare clear in oil paint. The head of the termite group led the deliberations andcalled for a large movement of termites to penetrate the walls of the house.Some of its members asked about the reason for the movement through the wallsof the house.  The leader replied that the number of members wasincreasing and needed a larger space. Food also needs to be added. And the mostimportant reason would be the house owner is too comfortable, too arrogant andselfish. He had to be reprimanded, at least by making his house eaten bytermites, and he ended up thinking about the fate of his own life and that ofhis family. Time passed day by day and unaware of the house owner,the walls around the house began to be filled with termites. Frames, door andwindow leaves, as well as other furniture such as cabinets and wooden shelvesbegan to be eaten by termites. The host finally realized that he was attackedby termites. The attack was the same as a thief breaking into a house withoutnotifying in advance.  He never thought before that behind a comfortable and luxurylife, it hid a curse of danger that was destructive and damaging. Immediatelyhe saw that his beautiful and magnificent house had turned into a fragile, old,dirty house and was about to collapse. He knew that regret was useless, but healso wanted to improve his household situation while he was still able to do. On this day, the holy readings provide a firm note andwarning so that we are always on the lookout for every form of curse, taste,and a comfortable life. Rich people who live more than enough are eventuallyhit by a curse at the end of their lives. All the comforts of their livesreally close their sensitivity, care, solidarity and concern for thecircumstances around them, including the poor who are always at the door of theirhouses. The reason for all forms of comfort in life is thatpeople rely only on human tastes and desires in this world. They just want tobe tasty and only for themselves. The principle is to share with others,especially those who suffer, it only harms and reduces oneself's comfort.According to the prophet Jeremiah, this lifestyle was clearly very bad and hasto be cursed. On the other hand, if we do rely on God, our life is actually in sharingand serving others, especially those who really need help.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O God, free usfrom all forms of selfishness, so that we may be generous to our neighbors. HailMary full of grace ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. 2 Samuel 7: 4-5a.12-14a.16; Rs psalm 89: 2-3.4-5.27.29; Romans 4: 13.16-18.22; Matthew 1: 16.18-21.24aJOSEPH THE MAN WHO GIVES SOLUTIONS Our meditation today has the theme: Joseph the Man WhoGives Solutions. The historical account of salvation conveyed by the scripturesshows great figures who have had a great influence on us. A man as great asAbraham, as the second reading of the Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romansconveys, was the father of many nations on the basis of his faith. A figure aspowerful as King David, as the first reading of the second book of Samuelconveys, occupies the throne of government that God has prepared for generationsto be passed down from generation to generation in order to realize God's willfor the coming of the Messiah. But in their times, the coming of the Messiah wasstill limited to the promises and prophecies of the prophets. The generalunderstanding of the profile of the Messiah is that of a fighter, warrior,liberator, and ruler of mankind. Period after period and characters change, thediscussion of the figure of the Messiah seems to contradict between God's willwith limited human understanding and belief. This continued until the Lord'stime was right to signify the coming of the true Messiah, which began with theevent of the glad tidings from heaven to a very humble virgin named Mary ofNazareth.  The Messiah must give up all privileges that accordingto the general assumption are entirely supernatural. The most sensitive issuethat could become a public scandal was that the virgin conceived the Son of Godto be a human person, who had to become the Messiah. Who can be the solution,in anticipation of the spread of a great scandal, so that the prodigy child whowas born later to be declared to have biological parents? Without giving roomfor people to polemic or question it, the Lord God already has the answer,namely a man of David's descendance who lived in Nazareth. He was Joseph, thecarpenter, who was made the Virgin Mary's husband. A man of great modesty, sincerity, and purity, Josephwas made by God the solution to the plan of salvation of the coming of theMessiah, Jesus Christ. Thus, the Nazareth family is complete as a solutionwhose characteristic is their modesty, sincerity, humility, willingness, andpurity of heart. The Virgin Mary stands out for being just as simple andsincere as her husband. They are united with the Savior Jesus Christ whodisplays togetherness and fellowship as God's solution to the problems thatafflict our individuals, families, the Church, and our communities. Livingmodestly and sincerely became a solution to the life style of materialism andfalsehood. Communion as a family and community of faith is a solution to thethreat of division and disintegration. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Jesus Christ,make our hearts sincere and holy like Saint Joseph so that we may serve You andour neighbors with good faith. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to theHoly Spirit ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 1: 10.16-20; Rs psalm 50: 8-9.16bc-17.21.23; Matthew 23: 1-12BECREDIBLE Ourmeditation today has the theme: Be Credible. In general, we understand thatcredibility means trustworthiness. This has to do with humans or impersonal thingssuch as institutions, wisdom, decisions, choices and beliefs. Credibility isbasically a virtue that is needed if we are responsible and have convictiontoward others about what we say and do. The expected result would be that we orsomething can be trusted. This means that one or something is credible. Whatare the signs of credible people? Today the Lord Jesus teaches us onefundamental characteristic of the virtue of credibility. He uses the profilesof the Pharisees and the scribes as His example. They are good at talking andseem so convincing with their thoughts and arguments. But their obvious faultis that they don't do what they say. Credibility really demands that thereshould be a proportional connection between what is said or discussed with whatis done. Words and actions are in line. Theory is expressed in practice. Credibilitycan stand straight and be useful if its both feet are in function, namely wordsand deeds. Those who were criticized by Jesus only stood on one foot, whichwere their words. Their deeds were just zero. They were actually crippled. SoJesus' advice is this: just listen and follow what they say, because it hasvaluable advice and wisdom. But never follow their actions. Words and thoughtsor concepts are easier to be made because they do not require much sacrifices.Especially when the aim is to attract, influence, and a way of promotion, wordscan be arranged in an orderly fashion, nice to people's hearing, and as a powerto move feelings and sentiments. But this is still incomplete. It is stilllimping. Deedsand actions that have moral influence, faith principles, and human universalvalues, have their higher quality of credibility compared to ordinary actionssuch as walking, eating or drinking. The prophet Isaiah emphasizes the acts ofjustice and compassion. If people only speak, theorize, promise, and discussabout creating justice and the importance of compassion, then without doingjustice and showing compassion to others, their credibility in faith and moralstandards are questionable. They may feel so confident to talk and explainthings, but they are degrading their quality as human beings because they arenot credible. Ifthis meditation encourages us to be credible, it means that we who haveresponsibilities to take care of others in the fields of teaching, nurturing,guidance and accompaniment, we should make credibility as a means for ourconsecration and service for humanity.Let's pray. In thename of the Father ... O Lord Jesus, teach us to be trustworthy in our wordsand deeds. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In thename of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Daniel 9: 4b-10; Rs psalm 79: 8.9.11.13; Luke 6: 36-38CONFESSION The theme for our meditation today is: Confession.Andrew was an exemplary teacher. For 30 years as an educator in elementaryschool, his life example was very memorable to his students. He has neverreceived public recognition and awards from any institution. The school itselfnever recorded or reported about his personal story and real life. But the recognition and appreciation are recorded inthe hearts of his students. Many alumni remember this teacher for many years.His example of generosity, fidelity to his duties and honesty in all hisconduct is remembered for life by his former students. Each batch thatgraduated from school carried the name "Andrew" to remain engraved intheir hearts and memories. One of his former students was a government officialat where the veteran educator lives, who spent his retirement in modesty withhis wife and extended family. The former student testified that one of theforms of the old teacher's example that he remembered very much was hissincerity in admitting mistakes. It is the teacher's duty to reprimand, correct andeven punish the guilty student. For example, if a student is late for class, hewill definitely be reprimanded. A stubborn and mischievous student, he must bepunished appropriately. And every time the teacher made a certain mistake oromission, he also sincerely admitted it. He often said: "I'm sorry, I'mguilty." Often he also admitted in front of his students: "I'm sorryfor all of you, because I'm late." The teacher's confession made the students finallyrespect him very much. They trusted and loved him more and more. They admittedthat the teacher was smart, fatherly, sincere and humble. And the mostimportant thing is that with that confession, the teacher was forgiven by hisstudents. The sign of forgiveness was manifested by never remembering orbringing up his mistakes. Instead, they remembered and were more grateful forthe kindness and sincerity of their teacher. Today the prophet Daniel in his book counsels us aboutthe importance of confessing our sins sincerely and humbly. As a partner ofconfession, of course, forgiveness. And God has the power to forgive. But thispower is also poured out on us, so Jesus teaches that we must also forgiveothers, so that we too may be forgiven. It is very important that we do this inthis period of Lent.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus,forgive our mistakes and make us forgivers like Yourself. Glory to the Fatherand to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by the Vocationist Sisters in Labuan Bajo and Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Genesis 15: 5-12.17-18; Rs psalm 27: 1.7-8.9abc.13-14; Philippians 3: 17 - 4: 1; Luke 9: 28b-36THE NEW APPARITION The theme for our meditation on this Second Sunday ofLent is: The New Apparition. In the era of communication that places greatemphasis on visualization and people's impression of it, a new apparition is amust. Anyone in this era who is not touched by the new or updated method orproduct, he is automatically left behind. The application programs on yourcellphone and computer, if you don't update yourself to get a new product, theprogram will no longer work and will greatly trouble your work. Personal account profiles on social media really needto be updated. The page also changes its appearance every day to make it moreattractive. Each change defines the existence or activity in media and gainsrecognition from others. In the world of advertising, new appearances tointroduce its legal products are mandatory. In the world of politics, the newapparition of the current generation will affect the face of politics as awhole. In short, the need for a new appearance related toexistence, activities and the mentality of life is a basic need in today'scommunication era. The specific feature of all these new apparitions is thatchange is constantly happening. It is like flowing water and cannot be the samewater. Our needs and desires are indeed unstoppable. Saint Augustine said thatthe desire of our hearts can only stop when it comes to God. The apparition orrevelation in glory of the Lord Jesus in Tabor really gives us confidence thatit is a stop from the journey of all our desires. The apparition representseternal glory, which is the goal of every believer and all that God loves. In line with the new appearance of this world which isour basic need, there is also a great demand for a new appearance in our soulsand faith. Together with the apparition in the Mount Tabor, receiving theteaching of Saint Paul about the transformation of our mortal bodies intoglorious bodies in Jesus Christ, and believing in the eternal covenant of theLord God with us humans, may we seek new apparitions of our spiritual buildingin this Lenten period.  The change in our spiritual apparition should increasemore and more. The goal is that the more time goes by towards the end of thislife, the closer we get to this glorious achievement. On this day, if you praypersonally for 15 minutes, tomorrow the time is added longer and the intentionis added more. Fasting, prayer and charity also need a new appearance. Such isthe multiplication of our spiritual life. Thus new apparitions occur in thelife of our faith. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O God, may YourSpirit move us to make a real spiritual renewal. Hail Mary full of grace... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Deuteronomy 26: 16-19; Rs psalm 119: 1-2.4-5.7-8; Matthew 5: 43-48HOLY PEOPLE The theme for our meditation today is: Holy People. InSunday school, the teacher asked the children in this way: "What is thepurpose of God to help and care for His people?" The children's answerswere varied. Some said that the goal is to save more people. Others said thatpeople should be happy and happier. And others said that God should show thatHis love is great. The teacher who was also the catechist of the localparish ultimately concluded that all the answers were correct. The basis forthis teaching certainly because God wants goodness and truth to be on the humanside. For God's own part, there is no longer a need to make Him better and morerighteous. On the contrary, God wants us mortal humans to become better andmore righteous. According to the Gospel of Matthew today, the Lord Jesus wantsus to be a holy people, or to be perfect like the heavenly Father who is everperfect in eternity. In fact, God helps and cares for us from birth untilwe leave this world at the time of death, the purpose is for us to become holy.He entrusts us to live temporarily in this world. While in this world, each ofus with our own age limit, walks and live together under His holy light. Thisexplanation is manifested in various types. The word of God is a sacred Word. We experience theexpression of God's Word through preaching, spiritual reading, spiritual adviceor guidance, sharing the message of the scriptures, and worship. The servicesof the Church both in sacramental and non-sacramental forms and works of loveare also noble and holy deeds. The Church as the body and Jesus Christ as herHead are holy. The callings such as consecrated life, priesthood and marriageare sacred. The holy names that are attached to each of us are holy. In short,God has provided all the holy ways, means, and works to help us become holyjust as He is. The ordination of believers to be one holy people hasbeen done by the Lord God since the time of Moses, because the elect must beset aside so that His great promise of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ,to be realized. The book of Deuteronomy confirms this, to remind us of our dignityas God's holy people, through our Mother Church. However, God's holy people asan institution does not automatically guarantee that every individual member isholy. For everyone has sin, and the Church always provides an instrument forthe remission of everyone's sins. In this Lenten season, let us make use ofthat instrument.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, may weremain diligent and faithful in living our respective sacred callings. OurFather who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Ezekiel 18: 21-28; Rs psalm 130: 1-2.3-4ab.4c-6.7-8; Matthew 5: 20-26PEACE Our meditation today has the theme: Peace. A man drovehis car along the main road with a feeling of relief and comfort. Leaving thatroad, he entered the toll road with the same feeling. He seemed calm andenjoyed driving his car so comfortably, when the atmosphere of the city of Jakartathat day was very far from the crowd and density of vehicles as usual. Jakartais on vacation related to the holiday of that day. The man revealed that in matters of driving that day,he was very peaceful. There was no congestion, crowds, machine noise andnon-stop horning, bringing a calm and safe atmosphere.  The lack of vehicle smoke also reduces thefeeling of tightness in breathing that created an inner satisfaction. There wasno fatigue and pain on the faces of the drivers, which certainly brought asense of joy to the passengers. All of that brings peace in the heart. A sense of peace in our hearts and within us iscreated thanks to the completeness of its supporting factors. One of thefactors is as mentioned in the description earlier. With no chaotic, noisy,disturbing, crowded or busy atmosphere, we become calm and a sense of peace iscreated. One can find a way to avoid that situation, and in a quiet place toenjoy the state away from all kinds of crowds, he experiences peace. In a stateof calmness and solitude, there is peace. There is another factor that is a way of creatingpeace, namely by creating justice. If everyone is orderly to live in their ownpath, with their rights and obligations properly guaranteed, justice will come.Everyone lives rightly, and participates in creating a harmonious lifetogether, this is where peace is created. In this way, our Gospel today remindsus of the importance of justice that must be made and created in a real way, sothat peace is truly the embodiment of God's own love. With the example of making peace first with anopponent or enemy before coming to God's presence to pray and give thanks,Jesus here emphasizes the importance to be just. It seems that the enemy oropponent is abandoned or ignored, while we remain in talking or praying to God.This is really unfair. This is injustice. So justice demands that the problemwith the opponent be resolved for a solution that is acceptable to all parties,and only after that it becomes a prayer and an expression of gratitude. The prophet Ezekiel asks for sincere repentance, andwe should make the way of creating peace through the creation of justice as anexpression of our repentance in this period of Lent.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, may YourSpirit fill us with the gift of true justice and peace. Glory to the Father andto the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Esther C 4: 10a.10c-12.17-19; Rs psalm 138: 1-2a.2bc-3.7c-8; Matthew 7: 7-12LORD MY HELPER Our meditation today has the theme: Lord my Helper.Children at home and at school are always taught to ask when praying to God.They are told that the scriptures teach people to ask, therefore, God willgive. So Ronald, a very active 5th grade elementary school student,a clever and smart child, prayed to God in the first place then went to ask hisparents to provide.  At one time Ronald prayed like this: "Lord Jesus,tell Mama to add ten thousand (Rupiah) so that I can have snacks with myfriends later." After that Ronald went to tell his mother, that he hadprayed to the Lord Jesus, that his mother would add another ten thousandspocket money. Then he took ten thousands from his mother and left to play withhis friends. Ronald always prays in this way. If we want to be honest, more than half of our prayersare in the form of supplications. We ask and beg because we believe that God isthe provider of our lives and that he is the Lord of mercy. It is impossiblefor us to ask endlessly for those who have nothing, therefore, this is how weview God. There is no doubt, God is actually our helper. Through requests andsupplications in prayers, God listens and provides help according to His will. Humans' needs will not run out while they are still inthe world. In reality, in times when our circumstances are not urgent or not indanger, it seems that our prayers do not contain supplications. It is alsopossible that our daily prayers do not specifically express requests orsupplications, because our lives are flowing and normal. But if we look at itobjectively, our own life is a gift to be lived day and night. Instead, we needGod's guidance and protection. We should express gratitude for that gift, but in factwe implicitly ask that our lives be kept away from all evil influences andthreats of the enemy. We hope that our faith and hope in His providence willremain steadfast. The book of Esther in the Old Testament tells how the dangerof death was threatening her life, the prophet Esther was very convinced thatonly God's help was she could rely on. She felt that no one was accompanyingand helping, but only God was believed to be the main helper.  God indeed has a compassionate heart to let Hischildren ask for help in steadfast faith and strong hope. Especially in thedifficulties and hardships, our only hope is the Almighty God.Let us pray. In the name of the Father … O God, may YourSpirit always be with us in our difficult times and troubles in our lives. HailMary full of grace ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indoensia. Jonah 3: 1-10; Rs psalm 51: 3-4.12-13.18-19; Luke 11: 29-32SIGNS Our meditation today has the theme: Signs. Oursensitivity to signs is part of our character as living beings. Animals havethe instinct to recognize a sign and react to it. Likewise we humans, certainsigns that we find, provide a message for us to respond to. Our reactions canbe positive or negative, good or bad, like or dislike. Life signs are part of our entire communicationprocess. Language as a basic means of communication, in principle, is a signthat expresses the intention of our mind and heart. The world and theenvironment around us, are signs of God expressing His involvement and love tous. In short, our lives desperately need signs so that we can understand allthat exits and that will be coming to our lives.  This world and our lives would be very different, ifGod does not provide all the signs for us. How difficult it is to know andimagine the real God, if He does not use any sign to relate to us. How is itpossible for communication with human beings to occur, if from the beginning oflife there is no language and objects of creation that are signs of God'sconcern for humans? In short, signs are God's way of doing activities inrelating and communicating with us humans. The sign that is the pinnacle ofGod's action and communication to man is the Word of God or His own Son whobecame man. He is Jesus Christ of Nazareth who, according to the biblical description,had lived in the world of Palestine and its surroundings for 30 years of hislife. All of His deeds, ministry, and testimony are signs of God's greatnessand glory, with the ultimate goal being for mankind in the world to turn fromsin, be redeemed, and be saved. The reaction of man to the sign around him is eitherto accept and use it, or reject and destroy the sign. The Lord Jesus haspresented and witnessed Himself as a sign of God Himself, but not all peopleaccepted Him. Some rejected Him, as represented by the Pharisees, the scribesand all their followers. It is possible that there are people around us whobehave like those people in the time of Jesus. In general, we as followers of Christ believe andfollow the message of the signs of God's deeds that are delivered through ourChurch. This Lent is a sign from God through the norms of the Church, so thatwe can persevere in the renewal of ourselves. Prayer, fasting and charity aresigns of spiritual activities that support our conversion.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Jesus our goodTeacher, teach us always in self-renewal in this time of repentance. Hail Maryfull of grace ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 55: 10-11; Rs psalm 34: 4-5.6-7.16-17.18-19THE WORD OF LIFE The theme for our meditation today is: The Word ofLife. We mention the "Living Word" first of all is to put it inopposition to the "Dead Word." There are many dead words or speaking,meaning that they are not used anymore by humans in communication. There is alanguage that is no longer used, then it can be considered dead. A number ofabusive or slandered expressions that we used in the past when we were childrenand teenagers, but now we don't use them anymore. They are dead. A bible that was bought, but never opened, read, andsimply stored on a bookshelf, until its owner forgot that he has a bible athome, can be considered dead. A library that has never been entered, used, andwhose books have never been used, is considered a dead library as well as bookslose their usefulness. The advice, input, and teachings that we receive butimmediately go out and evaporate away, or are simply dismissed and nevercontemplated and then appreciated, are all considered dead.  So there are so many incidents and experiences of oursthat illustrate how words or expressions that should be used to help us liveand work, are left to die. The reasons why the word is made dead can be variousbecause it is seen from various points of view. But we can agree that the mostcompelling reason lies in our inability to develop and make it useful.  God needs us humans in order for His Word to come tolife. He did that starting with Abraham which was continued to Moses and theprophets. His Son Himself also needed a human figure, namely Jesus Christ ofNazareth. It is through the human person that the Word is made alive, developedand fruitful. Therefore, the book of the prophet Isaiah explains that God'sWord carries out God's will, which is like rain and snow irrigating the earth,making it fertile, making plants grow, bearing fruit, and from there bread ismade for man to eat. God's Word is placed in man. Each of us encounters Godthrough the words we read, hear, and share. For example, from the situationwhen we do not know how to pray, parents and adults teach us to pray making thesign of the cross and gestures that show the attitudes of prayer. We are taughtto say the "Our Father" prayer and we continually memorize it, aswell as many other prayer formulations. If we don't say these words of prayer,mind them, and live them out, they are just empty and dead. But every atmosphere of prayer, a peaceful mind andopen mind to God's blessings, and the formulation of prayer that is integratedwith us every moment we are, is a living word, and so on makes us alive.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, may weremain fertile ground for Your Word to grow and bear fruit. Glory to the Fatherand to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Leviticus 19: 1-2.11-18; Rs psalm 19: 8.9.10.15; Matthew 25: 31-46THE COURT The theme for our meditation today is: The Court. Weall know that court institutions are always crowded. Court offices are crowdedwith various cases. Because there are so many cases and the trial requiresprocesses according to the existing legal system, the material files pile upfor a long time. A court hearing is also always flooded with manypeople. Generally, the supporters of the litigants make a crowd with all kindsof activities. They do that, both inside the courtroom and outside, with theirown motivations. In principle, there are only two parties who make or giveexpressions of support. The two parties are those who are litigants. Thejustice enforcer is the referee. The ultimate goal of the court is to achieve the truthlegally. The facts revealed are accompanied by evidence to support the truth.As long as we are in this world and are part of a country, we are of courseasked to obey the legal system in doing things. Those who are involved in it,whether as winners or losers, the truth of the law is binding and final.  But the truth of this law has weaknesses as long as weare in this world. One of them is that the binding and final judge'sdetermination can still be canceled at another time, if there is other evidenceto support it, or there is a referee with higher authority to cancel it. Inshort, if the courts in the world have weaknesses, then we believers want thereto be a perfect court, and this court is not in this world. The perfect judgment is the one done by God. The titleof the case is only once, which is called the last court. Those who go throughthings are souls who crave safety. The decision set to each party is permanentand irrevocable. We go to that final court only to get the verdict read: I willbe put into the group at the right hand of God, or vice versa at his left. Being on the right means destined to survive and behappy. To be on the left means to be condemned to enter into eternal suffering.Actually, there are a lot of cases happening in the world. Every reprimand,criticism, input, and punishment we get in the world is the form of the case weface. All of that determines whether or not we are worthy to enter the finalcourt table after our death.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, be ourdefenders when we face every court in the world. Hail Mary full of grace ... Inthe name of the Father...

Delivered by Jovanna Dominique Mantara, Falencia Ade from Roh Kudus Church in Labuan Bajo and Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Deuteronomy 26: 4-10; Rs psalm 91: 1-2.10-11.12-13.14-15; Romans 10: 8-13; Luke 4: 1-13CONFESSION OF FAITH The theme for our meditation on this first Sunday ofLent is: Confession of Faith. What does it mean that we celebrate the FirstSunday of Lent by giving attention to the confession of faith in our meditation?Isn't the confession of faith revealed in the prayer "I believe"always said in our prayers? We are actually directed to return to the situationof being challenged, trapped, tempted, threatened, and accused as sinners. What exactly is the situation like? The challenge and temptationwe face are showing that we are the chosen and consecrated ones. Perhaps thisis just a mere theory or a dead concept that is not embodied in reality. So weshould face the challenge of showing that we are indeed elected. Traps, nomatter what form they take, must take the form of circumstances or experiencesof certain difficulties that make a person doubt his faith. The same is true for a person who is in danger andaccused as a sinner. For example, he is a devout Catholic. He and his familywere forced to renounce their faith. The choice was to leave the Catholic faithin order to be let free. But to keep their faith, they must be excecuted. It ispossible that he and his family chose to be freed from the threat, at the riskto abandon the Catholic faith. A situation like this or any other of that kind isa real experience everywhere in this world. There are so many incidents in this world that put usin the choice of whether to follow God's will in righteousness and goodness, orto follow Satan's temptations and traps just for the comfort and enjoyment ofthis world. This is where God's message from the word of God really demands ourcontinuous and increasingly firm confession of faith. In particular, to anyonewho currently finds himself in this situation, or who has the opportunity toface all kinds of difficult situations, the good advice should be to use theconfession of faith as a reliable weapon. We are taught today that the profession of faith iswhat Moses and the Israel as a nation did, which is to strengthen theiridentity as a chosen people and their confession of faith in God as the savior.Saint Paul affirmed his Christian identity because of his confession of faithin Jesus Christ, the only way of salvation. Every type of life direction,culture, background, ideology and knowledge, recognizes only one Lord JesusChrist. Even the person of Jesus Christ himself faced Satan who tempted him sopowerfully and attractively, Jesus' stand never wavered. He remains the Son ofGod, forever with the Father in heaven.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus, helpus to remain strong and complete in our faith in God. Our father... In thename of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 58: 9b-14; Rs psalm 86: 1-2.3-4.5-6; Luke 5: 27-32GOD CALLS SINNERS The theme for our meditation today is: God CallsSinners. There is a local Station chairman in a remote parish told about hisexperience facing his people. When he met someone who in his opinion had noproblems between them, or who had no particular conflict, the chairman of theStation felt very comfortable with the meeting and the talking engaged. He feltcalm and enjoyable in speaking. He freely used all his communication skills sothat his interlocutor felt at home and comfortable. It is very different when he had to deal with peoplewho were being bullied, sick, conflicted, desperate, tension of a husband and hiswife, and those who were struggling with sin. Often he lost direction and focuson where angle to start or what kind of solution to give. That father of threechildren was always haunted by a lack of confidence about his advice and viewsto be a good solution for people who are in trouble. So he often chose to avoidfacing things that were complicated and those of serious problems. Hedeliberately let it go or just postponed it. The problem of discomfort, fear, doubt or difficultyfacing problems in ourselves or others  arecommon to many people. We all have this weakness, which is a sense ofinadequacy, lack of preparation, helplessness, or lack of experience. This isvery different from God's power. God is omnipotent and perfect. He intervenesand solves all problems, difficulties and pains in humans and the world as awhole. One of His actions is as described in the Gospel reading we have justheard.  He is not the God who has problems, but the God whofaces the problems of humans and the world and He solves them. God does notretreat or be afraid even for sinners both the light and heavy ones. To Levi thetax collector and every other sinner, God's real act is to call him.Furthermore, after they heard and surrendered themselves to Him, God willinglyentered into the sinner's home, interacted him and lived with him. God has thepower to transform His people to become new again. He even chooses and raisesus to be His beloved sons and daughters. He made us disciples of His Son JesusChrist. In this period of Lent, one of our individual andcommon duties is to recognize and repent of our sins. The prophet Isaiah in hisbook asks us to always be aware of our deeds. If we are guilty, we must admitit. If we are right and good, we must admit it as well. When God calls or meetsus, we can no longer compromise or argue. We can only accept that call, followit, and accept what it wants from us.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O God of allmercies, we are sinners, so accept our confession and repentance. Renew usalways. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... Inthe name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Isaiah 58: 1-9a; Rs psalm 51: 3-4.5-6a.18-19; Matthew 9: 14-15THE RIGHT TIME TO FAST Our meditation today has the theme: The Right Time toFast. There was an exciting conversation between a husband and his wife aboutthe implementation of their fast. The husband said that he regretted forforgetting his fasting promise. He should have fasted to eat certain foods thatwere his favorite, but he had violated them for some times. He shared this  to his wife about his mistake. The wife actually admitted that she also violated herfast. Actually, she has decided to fast certain foods and quit the habit ofgossip. But she has violated it several times. They both finally understood,that they were not consistent with the time to fast. They realized that theirfasting was irregular, and they have to find another time to make up for thenegligence of fast each of them made.  Violating the regularity of the time of fasting is acommon problem that many Catholics do. Actually, it is not only about regularfasting, but also about attendance at daily or weekly Mass, novena prayers,confession often become irregular. The common sin of man is that he is notconsistent with the routine or regular in his expression of faith in God. Thisalways happens in fasting and other acts of mortification, especially during theperiod of Lent. The inconsistency of the time to fast is also aproblem in Jesus' time. The Jews, who followed the mindset and spiritual pathof the scribes and Pharisees, strictly observed the rules of fasting. One ofthem is the fasting time that must be observed. The main time is the Sabbath.If that husband and his wife felt very guilty and ended up being devastatedbecause of their irregular fasting, this is the problem expressed by theprophet Isaiah about God and people who are required to see and appreciatesomeone's fasting. The same question was raised by John's disciples toJesus, about Jesus' disciples who did not fast. Jesus gave the answer, that theright and good time to fast is when we are in emptiness and sin. It means thatin these moments, God is felt to be far away or even not with us. We feelabandoned or perhaps condemned for our sins. When we make this a true fast, wetry our best to abstain from tormenting sins. So we must act to go beyond theregular habit of not eating or abstaining from doing something.Let us pray. O God, may we be able to renew ourselvescorrectly and appropriately through our fasting and abstinence. HailMary... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Deuteronomy 30: 15-20; Rs psalm 1: 1-2.3.4.6; Luke 9: 22-25LOSS OF LIFE The theme for our meditation today is: Loss of Life.In a number of catacombs within the city of Rome and a number in other cities,thousands and even millions of ancient tombs have been found. There were buriedChristians who were killed by the power of the Roman empire that was pagan.Those killed, only a small number are known by name and are designated saintsand martyrs. Most of them are unknown. They all experienced what the scripturessay, which is to lose of life for the sake of the gospel and because of theirfaith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can mention some of them, namely Saints Perpetua,Felisitas, Agatha, Calistus, Alexander and Vitalis, they were martyrs in thecity of Rome, around the 1st and 2nd centuries of theChristianity. Such a loss of life is about self-sacrifice for following in thefootsteps of Christ. This certainly has nothing to do with the loss of life inmany other forms that are not based on reason following the path of JesusChrist. Losing of life to Jesus Christ is a way to achieve perfection byentering into the requirements set by Jesus Christ for each of His followers. In a strict sense, a person experiences the death ofhis body, because he defends his faith in Christ and the truth that guards hisentire life. Jesus is an example of this type of death, because He Himself wascondemned to death and died on the cross. This way was followed by a largenumber of followers of Christ to this day. Recently there was a news of amissionary priest in West Africa, who was fighting to defend the Church and thepeople in his parish from the rebel attacks. He was willing to die for theChurch, and he deserved to be called a martyr. Models of loss of life like thisare found all over the world. In a broader and spiritual sense, the loss of life isa true surrender to God through piety, death, service, and communion ofconsecrated life. Jesus said this not only to the disciples who followed Him,but to all of us. Marriage between a man and a woman demands that each loses oneself,and must be united with his or her partner. In religious and priestly life, onemust renounce all one's own pleasures, in order to be one with the spirit of religiouslife and as a priest. This is the basic way of life in answering God's call toeach of us. In any case, a sincere and responsible answer to thatcall is the same as choosing grace and life, not choosing curses, as the bookof Deuteronomy emphasizes in today's first reading. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord our God, maywe be willing and happy in all our sacrifices, for our salvation. Our Fatherwho art in heaven ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Joel 2: 12-18; Rs psalm 51: 3-4.5-6a.12-13.14.17; 2 Corinthians 5: 20 - 6: 2; Matthew 6: 1-6.16-18STANDARD OF PIETY Our meditation on this Ash Wednesday has the theme:Standard of Piety. There is a couple who always comes to the cathedral andvisit the Blessed Virgin Mary's shrine at 8 pm. Many parishioners admire them,because they look so pious in their prayer disposition. Many say that thehusband and wife have been in this devotion for 20 years. They always cometogether and pray together. When the parish priest spoke to the couple,specifically about the 20-year good practice of praying in front of Our Lady at8 p.m., they only replied briefly, that it is their standard of piety. Theywant to ask for something they so strongly believe God will grant them. Jewish tradition and religion pass on the standard ofpiety that Jesus later teaches us as well. The standard of piety includes threebasic acts that are obligatory, namely fasting, prayer, and charity. The Jewsoblige this to each of their people, that if these three righteous deeds areperformed, a person is seen as a good religious person and is pleasing to God.Jesus also considers these three virtues to be the standard for making peopleworthy to be His followers. But there is a striking difference between thestandard of piety taught by Jesus and that practiced by the Jews, especially inthe guidance of the religious leaders and the Pharisees. The difference isrelated to motivation or intention. For Jesus and what He always emphasizes tous, the motivation for praying, fasting or abstinence, and doing charity is tohave a relationship with God the Father in heaven. This is truly a spiritualaffair, a matter of the heart, and an activity of faith in God. The book of theprophet Joel in the first reading emphasizes a renewal of the heart, and notexternal affairs such as very poor wearing clothes and various other externalattributes. This confirms that the standard of Jewish piety is atodds with what Jesus teaches. Their piety is not for God but to gain the praiseof others, that they were holy and good. They have earned their reward for thatappearance, while God has given them nothing as a gift. Therefore, Jesus warnedsternly against conforming to such an outside standard. Our standard is in theheart that has a direct and personal relationship with the heavenly Father.Every time one does these three pious deeds correctly, it is when oneexperiences a sign of salvation from God, says Saint Paul in today's secondreading. It is the spirit of Ash Wednesday that we allcelebrate on this day to begin our Lenten season.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord our God, maythis Ash Wednesday be filled with a new spirit to start the process ofself-renewal in this period of Lent. Glory to the Father... In the name of theFather...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 35: 1-12; Rs psalm 50: 5-6.7-8.14.23; Mark 10: 28-31GOD ACCEPTS OUR EMPTINESS  Our meditation today has the theme: God Accepts OurEmptiness. The Lent bell has begun to ring, a sign that Lent is coming soon.Tomorrow we will start with Ash Wednesday. This celebration is not like other feaststhat move people to prepare it with all the interests of the party. People makefeast and it is full with all the equipment, decoration, food, live music, events,and guests. The celebration that we will celebrate tomorrow isanother thing. In essence, Ash Wednesday is a celebration in the emptiness.There was one family that was preparing to enter the period of Lent. Thechildren asked their parents to shop for accessories just like they do in the preparationfor Christmas, but their parents made them realize that Lent is different.Household shopping, especially food was made simple. When children asked aboutwhy to make things simple, they were told that Lent is  so different from other experiences in thelife of the Church. The children were told that before going to school,they went first to attend the morning Holy Mass at the church with theirparents. The people would receive ashes on their heads. This only happens oncea year, during which children are included in the morning Mass. Although it isnot easy to convince them, they finally understood and wanted to participate inthe Ash Wednesday morning Mass. Of all the preparations at home, the mind and heartare directed to Ash Wednesday, especially that children can be taught aboutself-sacrifice. That is how that family practices its faith as a Catholicfamily. In other words, the family and all the other peoplewill offer the emptiness of themselves. The essence of self-emptying is that weare aware of our sins, regret them, and intend to renew ourselves. According tothe book of Sirach, we should not come to God empty, but should bring somethingmeaningful from each one of us, and that is pleasing to God. The teachings ofJesus Christ and the norms of the Church ask that we let go of all things fromthe riches of this world, that we may not be bound by them, as we come to God. So we empty ourselves by giving up all worldly thingsand all their influences, but we actually bring to Jesus what we keep, which isour faith, love and hope. We are committed to being with God throughout thislife, the love we share with others, and the hope of salvation for us in thehereafter, all of these are gifts we should offer to God. In short, we areempty for material and bodily matters, but we are full of spirituality andcommunion with God. That is our main offering.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, acceptevery offering of thanksgiving and our surrender every day. Hail Mary full ofgrace ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 17: 24-29; Rs psalm 32: 1-2.5.6.7; Mark 10: 17-27LENTEN BELL The theme for our meditation today is: Lenten Bell.Having passed the 8th Sunday in ordinary time yesterday, in thisweek, which is Wednesday, our Church celebrates Ash Wednesday. From here, webegin to enter the period of Lent. In the liturgical year, we end the 8 weeksin the ordinary time after Christmas, and we will focus our faith journey onthe mysteries of the Passover of Jesus Christ. The Lenten period brings us to the core event which isthe Holy Week. We make Lent a time of preparation, marked by kinds of Christiandiscipline in the form of fast and abstinence, as well as acts of repentance.In connection with this discipline and action, on Ash Wednesday, part of thisliturgy is the reception of ashes for each follower of Christ. The minister whomarks the ashes on our heads mention out these words: Repent and believe in thegospel. The call to repentance comes first of all from theLord Jesus Christ. He reveals the command of God that has been conveyed sinceancient times during the time of the prophets, namely man must repent of his orher sins in order to be saved. On this day, the word of God proclaimed inaccordance with the Church's liturgical norms expresses this call. If it isanalogous to the bell of a church, chapel, or monastery that is useful forconveying our attention to an activity that is about to take place, we can seeGod's word today as a time when the Lent bell rings. The book of Sirahh focuses our attention on the calland commandment: Repent to the Lord and abandon your sins. The bell ringsshould be seen as a command, so each of us is reminded that Ash Wednesday is infront of our eyes and we will soon enter to the season of Lent. A thief who waswell known in his neighborhood, may also heard the sound of this bell. What washis real reaction? He heard that, it could be as a person who wanted to repent,or a person who felt hard to repent because stealing was his favorite thing inlife. Usually, we humans are not so easy to quicklychange.  If the thief, despite his faithand great hopes for change, needs a sort of transition which might be difficult.Big and problematic bad habits and inclinations must be stopped, it definitelyrequires a very serious self-denial. It is the same as the difficulty of aperson who was asked by Jesus to sell all his possessions, then followed JesusChrist with nothing for his survival. In essence, we are indeed required tochange ourselves as sinners, even though it is hard to do.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, forgive oursins and deliver us from all evils in this life that threaten our salvation.Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 27: 4-7; Rs psalm 92: 2-3.13-14.15-16; 1 Korintus 15: 54-58; Lukas 6: 39-45THEGIFT OF SPEAKING Thetheme for our meditation on this 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time is: TheGift of Speaking. The ability to speak is in the essence of God. His act ofcreation is through speaking. Then in communication with humans, God speaks. Inshort, He reveals Himself to humans through His word and in order to be heardand understood, He speaks. Inthe image and likeness of God, we are given the ability to speak. This is oneof the basic gifts that characterizes humans who are in principle differentfrom other living creatures. Humans speak using the language they know and usein their social life. Today'ssacred readings invite us to reflect on our ability to speak as desired by God.God wants us to speak like Him in creating, loving, conveying the truth, andgiving thanks. These are acts of speaking that we can categorize in a peace andcalm atmosphere. Inaddition, our ability to speak in times of crisis, conflict, and illness mustalso be the same as God's. He loves, forgives, heals, and saves. We should practiceforgiveness, admit mistakes, comfort the suffering, invite dialogue, correct properly,provide solutions, and be silent. As we do not speak but express gestures andsymbols, this are also very important. Becauseit is so important for us to speak, namely conveying God's will and commandsboth in times of peace and crisis, we need to pay attention to the parametersconveyed in today's readings. The Book of Sirach reminds us to avoid sin thatcomes out of the mouth when we speak, because it comes directly from the heartand mind. It is better to first confirm the contents of the heart and mindbefore speaking. When that factor is ignored, the result is always bad.Regretting it later will be useless. Ourcommunication with others begins from the heart and mind. Communication is thefruit that reveals who we really are. This is the message of the Gospel of Luketo us, the essence of which is so that we do not become hypocrites: between theheart or mind and words are not in line. What would be dangerous is sweet andattractive talk shown to people around, but within the mind and heart is anger.This will explode in due time. So, the word of God through Saint Paul wants tomake us aware not to be enslaved by this culture of death. We must be steadfastin the work of God to proclaim what is true and good.Let us pray. In thename of the Father... O Lord Jesus, help us to always speak about the joy ofthe Gospel, which is truth and goodness. May we always speak in Your holy name.Glory to the Father ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 17: 1-15; Rs psalm 103: 13-14.15-16.17-18a; Mark 10: 13-16PRAYER AND SUPPORT FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATION Our meditation today has the theme: Prayer and Supportfor the Young Generation. Here we refer to the young generation with theintention of covering all young groups, namely from infants, children,adolescents, and youth. Everywhere, this generation is seen as an element ofsociety and the Church that is not only to be proud of but also underestimated.A simple example, a child who is born is a gift fromGod to be proud of from the parents. But for the sake of work and livelihood,children are often abandoned. Youth in a local parish is often praised for thespirit of their involvement, but often their voices are not heard, and there isa lack of financial support by the Church for their activities. However, the segment of the younger generation cannotbe underestimated. Their energy is very strong. Even if this is viewed from apolitical perspective, their segment of the society is indispensable to supportthe electoral elections of both parliament and the president and regional leaders.The Lord Jesus asks our attention to the energy of the younger generation, ormore specifically children and young people to be esteemed and are useful tosupport life in general. Jesus accepted and blessed them. Jesus also set them amodel for the achievement and possession of God's kingdom. The Lord describesthe kingdom of God to little children. Why? They are generally underestimated,unconsidered, and who do not have access to many opportunities. But God choosesto be small, to be lowest, even to be persecuted. He identifies Himself to belittle children. He always says that the smallest is the biggest. This is part of the way of self-denial exemplified byJesus Christ. All of us who follow Him, are required to live out the type ofself-denial, so that we may be safe and obtain a place in the kingdom of God. Tobe a concrete action, we must always give a special place to the youngergeneration. The special place is that they are always a priority to be prayedfor and supported.  God puts Himself intheir side that means to draw our attention to them. The fragile, labil, sick and poor young generationattracts our attention. Likewise, the young generation who are talented,healthy, eager to learn, and have achievements, certainly do not escape ourattention. They must of course be supported and prayed for, so that their verystrong energy will ultimately be useful for the betterment of living together,rather than as a potential that is used to the detriment of themselves andothers.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O God, may theyoung generation at every level of life always follow the path of Jesus Christ,our Master and Saviour. Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of theFather...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 6: 5-17; Rs psalm 119: 12.16.18.27.34.35; Mark 10: 1-12THE MEASURE OF FIDELITY The theme for our meditation today is: The Measure of Fidelity.There is a couple who seem to love each other and often seen in public, but itseems that many people do not know if they have personal problem that is quitedisturbing. In front of the children they look peaceful, yet they hide their shortcomings.In the midst of the people around, they look harmonious, but there is aconflict between them that they don't want to show. At the heart of the problem between the two is theirmisunderstanding of expressing a sense of belonging between them. The wifequestions that the husband only says and promises about fidelity, but inpractice it is empty. For example, the wife was often promised to go shoppingor go on a recreational trip with the children, but the husband never kept it.In recent years, she has not been accompanied by her husband when she celebratedher birthdays. Her husband was very busy with official works. The reason given by the husband is that he alwaysexpresses his concern and fidelity through the fulfillment of all materialneeds for his wife, children and the family as a whole. This clearlyillustrates that the views and understandings of fidelity are very differentbetween the two. The wife wants the measure of loyalty from her husband to bereal in the form of his presence and togetherness. Meanwhile, the husbandthinks that fidelity is realized through the fulfillment of all material needsfor the household. The important thing is to eat, drink, wear, shop, and workguaranteed. What does the measure of fidelity actually look like?In principle, fidelity is often felt to be useful when it is measuredqualitatively. For example, the use of adjectives such as very good, goodenough, quite good, quite encouraging; or less and not good. The satisfactionof the experience of faithfulness is easy for us to accept, as said in thefollowings phrases: "faithfulness is very good", or"faithfulness is very unpleasant". In short, with this qualitativestatement of fidelity, we are helped to judge that a person's fidelity at aparticular moment is good or bad. Apart from that, we can also look at and judge fidelityquantitatively, which is a measure to reveal that fidelity lasts for a moment,some time, or forever. God created a bond of love between a man and a woman,and then decreed that their marriage was supported by fidelity with a quantitativemeasure, that is, for all eternity. With this quantitative measure, good or badfidelity will greatly influence shaping whether a person's fidelity lasts ordoes not last. Our sacred readings today truly teach us about faithfulness thatendures forever.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord our God,strengthen our faithfulness, especially our faithfulness to You and to ourneighbors. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 5: 1-8; Rs psalm 1: 1-2.3.4.6; Mark 9: 41-50DO NOT DELAY REPENTANCE The theme for our meditation today is: Do Not DelayRepentance. There was a student began to learn to smoke cigarettes sinceentering junior high school. First of all, he learned from his father at homewho was very fond of smoking. At school, he also followed the habit of teacherswho smoked. Among their peers, they shared a sense of joy and pride in smoking. His mother advised him to stop smoking. He promisedthat after finishing the final exam, he would stop. But he did not keep hispromise, and he even liked to smoke more and more. He told his mother to stoplater after the second grade. It turned out that his promise was not provenafter he was in the second grade, and then in the third grade, until hegraduated from junior high school. In senior high school, his love of smokingwas unstoppable. He smoked as freely as he could. Many people reprimanded, advised and proposed ways forhim to stop smoking. But he always said that he would quit smoking later. Hepostponed once, then postponed, and then postponed again. By the time hefinished college and started working, he was already an addict. He always smokedand the only time he didn't smoke was when he's sleeping. In the end, came theconsequence. He began to complain of headaches. When diagnosed by the medical doctor,the bad news came was like a hard slap in the face, which was he had lungcancer. The doctor got all his life stories and the conclusionshould be revealed to him was, he always underestimated all the advices andwarnings to quit smoking. As a consequence, he always delayed his promise toquit smoking. Eventually, that long delay sent him to a bitter situation withthe doctor's verdict that the lung cancer that attacked him would soondetermine his fate of life or death. The advice and warning not to delay repentance is notjust for that man. Long before the coming of Jesus into the world, the book ofSirach had warned every human being not to delay repentance. Each of uscertainly does not have the perfect power to resist and drive out sin. Big orsmall, few or many, we have fallen into sin. Nevertheless, God has provided theway of repentance as a way to obtain freedom and salvation. So repentance isabsolutely necessary to be done now and in this place, so that we can be safeand happy. Regret then will be very useless. Repentance makes us safe eventhough we are already wounded by sin, rather than a complete condition but weare not saved.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus,strengthen our faith in the spirit of repentance for our salvation. Glory tothe Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of theFather...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indoensia. Sirach 4: 11-19; Rs psalm 119: 165.168.171.172.174.175; Mark 9: 38-40FIGHT ENVY AND JEALOUSY Our meditation today has the theme: Fight Envy andJealousy. People often regard these two human weaknesses are similar or even complementary.But actually the two are clearly different. An envious person can be seen whenhe is hurt and angry because his fellow colleages are much smarter and havemany relationships, while he is not smart and always gets bad impressions bythe people around him. So envy is a human weakness that arises because there isa deficiency in oneself. Persons who are dominated by envy are always insecure,disturbed or hurt by the kindness, success or excellence of others.  Meanwhile, a jealous person experiences a different situationof human weakness. For example, Leah, a smart, polite and kind teenage girl.Everything positive about her makes her confident. Her parents are soaffectionate and supportive of her. She gets all the attention from herparents. But at the same time she also feels uncomfortable and worries, lestthe attention and affection of her parents be divided also to her cousin wholives with them in the family. Therefore Leah is jealous of her cousin.  So the difference between envy and jealousy is this:we are jealous of what is in others, whereas we are envious of what is in us.Both of them, if not properly managed or controlled, will turn into anger,hatred and dislike. They are all sinful. So the Lord Jesus says that we shouldnot be jealous because all goodness and mercy come from the Father. Everyone isblessed with everything enough for him or her to live, grow, develop and obtainsalvation. The important thing is that each of us remains grateful to theFather and strives to realize God's will that is in us. Today's Gospel provides a concrete example of howJesus dealt with the weaknessess of the apostles because of their envy andjealousy. They saw others who were not part of their group doing good andserving others. Jesus defended and supported the other parties, obviously causingthem jealous. They realized that the other persons turned out to be similar withthem or even better, therefore, their envy arose so strongly. They were evendesperate to prevent those people. How do we fight envy and jealousy, the book of Sirachteaches us to be wise. According to it, living wisely will have all the love ofGod. Living a grateful life is wisdom. Living according to each other's giftsis wisdom. Living righteously is wisdom.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, fill uswith gratitude and commitment to Your truth, so that we may resist the envy andjealousy within us. Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 2: 1-11; Rs psalm 37: 3-4.18-19.27-28.39-40; Mark 9: 30-37TRIALS ALONG THE WAY TO GOD The theme for our meditation today is: Trials Alongthe Way to God. There are so many words and wise advice that strengthen ourfaith to make us feel at home, happy and wanting to stay in God. There are manyprayers and songs that express how important to be in the house of God. Forexample, the song "How Wonderful Your House, O God" or the familyprayer that regularly says this expression: "We always want to live withYou, Lord." The purpose of our faith is to dwell in the Lord and weall have this noble intention. God's call for each person is to bring him tothis destination. Each type of vocation is good, noble, and expresses God'swill for the person concerned. A person's self-esteem and uniqueness dependheavily on the calling he has. The very important thing for us to ponder is thejourney to the destination. What matters here is how each of us makes thejourney. This is a process, and all of us who go through it are aware of God'smercy and love that accompanies us. God is always faithful to His promise toprotect us. He also does not let our hearts over burdened and let us get lost andeven disappear from the grasp of His love. On the basis of this understanding, we can understandhow the book of Sirach describes the challenges and obstacles that accompanyour journey of faith, and which we certainly cannot avoid. All kinds ofchallenges and obstacles are part of our daily realities. Our own weaknessess,influences from the environment or the world around us, and the power of Satanremain looming over us and ready to disturb us.  The author of the book reminds us to always beprepared for all these difficulties. He says that everyone who serves God andis heading towards the communion with Him, must face difficulties. This is likegold to be proven for its authenticity must indeed be put into fire. So trials,challenges, and difficulties are opportunities for us to be tested that eventuallywe become pure and be united with God. The symbolism that Jesus uses to express ourfaithfulness in the face of trials, challenges and difficulties is how tobecome like children. This is a type of self-denial. All the difficulties andtrials seem to make us small and helpless, but God has actually provided aspecial place for anyone who is able to practice the way of emptying him or herselflike the Lord Jesus had shown emptying Himself.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, strengthenand enable us when we become weak. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the nameof the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Sirach 1: 1-10; Rs psalm 93: 1ab.1ac-2.5; Mark 9: 14-29EXORCISM The theme for our meditation today is: Exorcism. Therewas a person who came from the village or local station to see the parishpriest. The distance of the station to the central parish is about 20kilometers. The man walked for three hours. He was finally able to meet theparish priest and had the opportunity to speak to him about his spiritual lifeand that of his family.  In the talk, he had a revelation that the means usedby Christians to cast out demons is prayer. When he asked about what prayershould be used to cast out demons, the answer he got was the Prayer of the LordJesus. The scriptures explain that "Our Father" is the prayer ofJesus Himself that He has taught us.  In addition, the scriptures also illustrate that theLord Jesus' prayer can be seen from His prayerful attitude, namely looking up,saying the name "Father", saying blessings, giving thanks and prayingfor those whom His Father in heaven had entrusted to serve. In today's Gospelreading, Jesus' action to cast out demons is by reprimanding, commanding, andcasting out evil spirits. This kind of action is also a prayer that isexpressed in a firm attitude, demanding and resisting strongly. So the prayer to cast out evil spirits is actually theprayer and action of Jesus Himself. It could be that the apostles who wereunable to cast out the evil spirit that caused a person to be blind and deaf,did not use Jesus' prayer and firm attitude toward evil spirits. They may givein or give up because it seems that the deeds of evil spirits were much morepowerful and terrifying. Or they could choose to use their own power which inthe end they were unable to exorcise the evil spirit. The assumption of the apostles' incompetence maydescribe our general situation when there was person among us who was possessedby the evil spirit, for example in one of our brothers or sisters. Manyinstances of that kind show that family members and friends who were around thepossessed person had difficulty and were not able to face a demonic behavior.They then asked the priest to perform an exorcism. It is true, a priest has the authority to cast outdemons. But if on the occasion a priest is unable to attend and makes anexorcism to the possessed person, one or more Christians can do so. The mainrequirement is that they must pray and act in the name of the Lord JesusChrist. They are required to use decisive measures like Jesus Christ didagainst evil spirits.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus,enable us with Your power that we can cast out evil spirits that threaten ourlives. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. 1 Samuel 26: 2.7-9.12-13.22-23; Rs psalm 103: 1-2.3-4.8.10.12-13; 1 Corinthians 15: 45-49; Luke 6: 27-38LOVE REPLACESHATRED The theme forour meditation on this 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time is: Love ReplacesHatred. We are used to knowing or often told, based on scripture, about the lawof "an eye for an eye." This law is similar to karma or what is alsocalled sowing and reap. The law of the jungle can also be categorized in thisunderstanding, because here it relies heavily on the strong defeats the weak.So the effort to show power, force, lust and kill the other party, presents theface of hatred as a representation of destructive human nature. Hatred isexpressed in a general tendency to destroy, paralyze and kill the opponent orenemy. Hostile parties are unlikely to foster love, respect, and support fortheir opponents. There is only a blending of hatred, anger, and contempt forits opponents. The goal of the hateful person is to eliminate the enemy,because it is considered an obstacle and a competitor for the achievement ofhis or her goal and desire. Then destroying the opponent is an important task. The tendency ofdislike and offend the other party is part of human nature. What this natureis, if not managed and put in the virtue of self-control, it will develop intoa hateful nature. Every person, thing or situation that is different andopposite to a person of such nature, must be considered an enemy that must bekilled and defeated. The scriptures give us many examples of hatred of others,and efforts to destroy them. One of them isthe story of King Saul who hated David and wanted to destroy him. We can findstories like this throughout this life, including the present moment of ourlives. Saint Paul advises us, that our flesh should be dominated byspirituality. Do not always allow the lust of the flesh and the world toprevail, which results in treating others or our own brothers and sisters onlyas objects and enemies. If the Holy Spirit rules us, then our neighbors andbrothers will be truly appreciated.  Our golden rulemust be based on the formula of love instead of hatred. If the formula is hatredfor love or hatred for hatred, then our goal to arrive in God of love will notbe achieved. We cannot be perfect like our heavenly Father who is prefect. Thenwe only find destruction and misery. So the Lord Jesus through the Gospel of todayteaches us the commandment of His love, which is to love and pray for ourenemies or those who oppose us. The first book of Samuel also gives us anexample of how David was kind to Saul.  Letus pray. In the name of the Father ... Almighty God, fill us with Your love sothat we may be able to forgive as You who always forgive. Glory to the Father...In the name of the Father …

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. 1 Peter 5: 1-4; Rs psalm 23: 1-3a.3b-4.5.6; Matthew 16: 13-19ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE Our meditation today has the theme: One For All, AllFor One. On a sunny Sunday noon, the temperature at St. Peter's Square in theVatican was around 26 degrees. For most people, the weather was hot. Everyonewas sweating. However, they still enthusiastically crowded the field to prayAngelus with Pope Francis and listen to his sermon which lasted only 5-10minutes. As soon as the Holy Father appeared far above thebalcony window of the Vatican apartment, and displayed on an electronic screenon the side of the square, everyone applauded. From the crowd were heard anumber of shouts such as "Viva Papa", or "Long liveFrancis". There is one quite unique voice that sounds quite loud is:"One for All, All for One." Understandably, the fact that there was abig crowd with Pope Francis, people certainly felt it was fitting to have sucha unique statement. In a simple understanding, we can say that PopeFrancis is one person for all members of the Catholic Church worldwide.Likewise, everyone in the Catholic Church unites itself under one head, namely PopeFrancis. In deeper reflection, we need to place our conviction of unity andtogetherness in the light of Scripture. It is said that the Lord Jesus wants usto be one as He and the Father are one. All that is gathered in the name ofJesus Christ is one Spirit, so that everyone and all is baptized into one body. So as part of the penacle of our faith is that weaccept and become part of communion with God and with fellow believers. Godprovides practical instruments to make us one, and in this world He makes thePope the central sign of our communion. Jesus first established that symbol ofunity and communion by making Peter, His first apostle, as the rock, andentrusted with the task of caring for and maintaining communion. What the Popethinks and does, is at the command of God. On this day, the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, wepray for the Holy Father and for the unity of our Church as Catholic, that meansthe universality of all fallowers of Christ. In prayers and especially in theEucharist, at the time of receiving the Holy Communion, we should strengthenthe spirit of communion in faith and love. We make a real communion throughrespect, love and obedience to the Holy Father. Together and united among usand with the Pope, we are united to Christ as our head. We are all children ofthe Father.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, fill in theperson of our Holy Father Pope Francis with all wisdom, and strengthen our unitywith him. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Genesis 11: 1-9; Rs psalm 33: 10-11.12-13.14-15; Mark 8: 34 - 9: 1LOSINGOF ONESELF Ourmeditation today has the theme: Losing of Oneself. A teenage girl has justcelebrated her 17th birthday. She was very happy with the support ofher family and friends, because for her, the 17th birthday is thehighlight of her life as a teenager. There were many hopes and advicesexpressed to her, which certainly supported and strengthened her. Shehad the opportunity to give a speech on her special day. In her remark, as aprinciple for a good future, she quoted the words of St. James in the New Testamentthat says: faith without works is dead. She herself actually did not reallyunderstand this scriptural phrase. Afew days before her birthday celebration, she accompanied her mother shoppingat the market. This is the second time she accompanied her mother shopping,after the first one when she was still in elementary school. She just realizedat that time, when the mother was not in normal shape and movement whilepicking up and carrying the things bought. Herright hand was already somewhat paralyzed by a motorcycle accident in the pastwhile walking to the market. The teenager was very sorry for her mother who hasbeen working for the whole family, but only with her normal left hand.Departing from that moment which awakened her awareness, she no longer let hermother lift or carry heavy things, which could cause her more sufferings. Shemust always help her mother, to ease the workload of the mother. Thegirl understands that her mother already experienced losing of herself. Themother makes a great self-sacrifice for the sake of goodness and comfort in thefamily. She also increasingly understands that acts of love such as servingothers, sacrifice oneself for the good of others, willingness to lose oneself,workings for the greater glory of God are really true testimony of faith. So,she really made sense and had good reason to have that phrase from thescripture. Losingoneself or losing one's life is the main action of the Lord Jesus Christ, frombirth to His death on the cross. The point is that self-sacrifice is not forone's own benefit, but for the good of others and the greater interests ofpeople. It is precisely true that this act of love is the main condition forbeing a true follower of Christ and for achieving salvation. Anexperience of losing oneself or losing one's life must be manifested in realaction, and cannot be just in words or ideas. Therefore, conversations,teachings or sermons about losing of life cannot save us because it has notbecome a reality of doing an act love. Let's pray. In thename of the Father ... O Lord Jesus, may we always put into practice ourself-sacrifice following your example. Our Father who art in heaven .... In thename of the Father ...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Genesis 9: 1-13; Rs psalm 102: 16-18.19-21.29.22-23; Mark 8: 27-33THE GLORIOUS COVENANT  Our meditation today has the theme: The GloriousCovenant. Whenever there was an opportunity or experience that caused confusionand doubts in his mind about his calling, Brother Joseph was always reminded ofthe noble covenant, namely his religious vows. Sister Josephine also, when aclash or conflict with her fellow nuns in the convent made her feeluncomfortable with her calling, she was strengthened again when she thought ofthe sacred vows she had pronounced with a solemn disposition. As good as the religious vows is the marriage promiseof a husband and his wife. They have certainly experienced shocks and crises inlife, and it had made them seem like it's hard to maintain. But they were alsoreminded to think about the glorious marriage promise they had once exchangedto one another. A glorious covenant has the power to bind so strongly, as doesthe heavens and the earth. In addition to the vows of religious life andmarriage, there are also promises of baptism and priesthood, as well as variousvows that have the legal force in this world and in the hereafter, all of whichhave a dimension of majesty and glory. Strong ties and great responsibilities indeedmake the covenant carry great risks, especially when there is negligence orfailure in realizing it. A person who makes a promise or who carries it out,puts his or her fate in the realization of that promise.  Our relationship with God is in principle marked bypromises. The principle is that the Lord God sets promises to be realized inour lives and works. We also make promises to signify our love and obedience toGod. This is like a promise that brings heavens and earth together. From aboveGod sets the promise, and from below we believe in that promise and want tokeep it always. All the promises that pertain to our lives as followers ofChrist, are expressions of covenants from above and from below: God ordains andwe follow and fulfill them. When God promised through Noah that mankind "befruitful, multiply, and fill the earth," its manifestation should be aboutus. When the Lord Jesus and the disciples found a covenant agreement on theidentity of Jesus as the "Messiah," the embodiment of Jesus'confession as the Messiah of God, as the content of the Gospel to be preachedto all corners of the earth, it should be coming to our side. Until now, thisdemand for preaching remains the content of our pastoral, catechization,evangelism and ministry activities.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Jesus, help usalways to keep and fulfill our sacred promises. Glory to the Father and to theSon and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Genesis 8: 6-13.20-22; Rs psalm 116: 12-13.14-15.18-19; Mark 8: 22-26SEEING THE NEW WORLD The theme for our meditation today is: Seeing the NewWorld. God's cleansing of the earth from sin and evil gives an immediate resultof seeing a new world. Cleaning a dirty yard or house, will show you what looksnew, which is clean and beautiful. A person who has just finished receiving thesacrament of penance, has been made new, his life renewed, his heart cleansed,and his mind refreshed. After two siblings quarreling and not speaking to eachother for three years, they agreed to end the war and start a new life. Thefirst time they met, one looked at the other with a new look. Each consideredhis brother to have been reborn. Each of them didn't want to be stuck goingback to their past problems. Each wanted to see and treat his brother likethere had never been a problem between them. A new life had begun between them. Our need to see and enjoy the new world is the mandateof God's word for His beloved mankind. The main reason for this need is thatthe old world is time to pass. The old world is in principle marked by sinwhich is the real fruit of man's fall into sin. Whether through a radicalprocess such as revolution and physical struggle, or through a process ofspiritual and mental renewal, the new world is truly desired by God and mankindas well. A life is saved. The story in the book of Genesis about Noah and hisrelatives experiencing a new world after the flood passed, is a form of thatsalvation. Along with the passing of the flood, so did all forms of evil andsin that had already filled the earth. In the context of living faith and lifeof the Church today, the flood reminds us of all forms of the renewal processthat we undergo in principle and regularly as followers of Christ. In otherwords, the old world, which is marked by evil and sin, must be abandoned througha process of struggle and determination. In the new world, our baptism is a time of theprinciple of renewal. We also undergo regular renewal such as spiritualpractice, examination of conscience, the sacrament of penance and mortification.Our Church uses these ways to make us new. For when we are in an atmosphere ofsin, we are the same as a blind or semi-blind person. We cannot see withcertainty the goodness and the truth. But once the obstacles are removed, wewill see everything very clearly.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Jesus, make ourlives new again, so that we are also renewed in Your joy and become theFather's beloved people in heaven. Hail Mary full of grace... In the nameof the Father...