Podcasts about Makassar

Delivered by Yurike Gunawan from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Genesis 2: 7-9; 3: 1-7; Rs psalm 51: 3-4.5-6a.12-13.14.17; Romans 5: 12-19; Matthew 4: 1-11.GOD SEES ANDALLOWS MAN TO BE TEMPTED BY SATAN The tittle for our meditation on the First Sunday ofLent is: God Sees and Allows Man to be Tempted by Satan. We often askourselves: if God is good, why does He allow people to be tempted? Why didn'the stop the devil right away? In the Garden of Eden, God saw when the first humanbeing was tempted. In the wilderness, God also saw when His own Son, JesusChrist, was tempted repeatedly. God is not blind, God is not negligent. Hesees. He knows. And He allows. But God's permission is not a sign that Heapproves evil. God's permission is always in the plan of love and salvation. God allows temptation because He created man withfreedom. Love without freedom is not true love. Loyalty without choice is notloyalty. If humans can never choose the wrong one, then choosing the right oneis no longer meaningful. So in the face of temptation, man is actually standingbefore an opportunity: whether he will believe in God, or believe in anothervoice. That's where faith becomes real, not just words. The story in Eden shows how human can fall. Whenlistening to the voice of the devil, human chooses a path away from God. Buteven in that moment of fall, God does not leave. He seeks out people, callsthem, and opens the way of salvation. So God never allows temptation to destroyman, but rather to lead man to see how much he needs God. Sin hurts, but theconsciousness of sin opens the door to repentance. Then we see Jesus in the wilderness. He was temptednot once, but many times. Satan tried to shake Him through the hunger, power,and glory of the world. But Jesus did not fall. He answered with the Word ofGod, with full trust in the Father. This is where the light of hope lies:temptation does not have to end in sin. In Jesus, we learn that humans canstand firm. He showed that faithfulness is possible, that God's grace is strongenough to help us. Perhaps in our lives today there is also a"wilderness": the temptation to despair, the temptation to be angry,the temptation to look for shortcuts, the temptation to live away from God.Don't immediately think God is leaving us. Quite the opposite. God sees. God iswith us. And He allows that struggle to be purified in our faith, in order forour hearts to learn to rely on Him again. So don't be afraid of temptation. Be afraid when westop returning to God. When you fall, rise through repentance. When you arestrong, be grateful for His grace. Because in every struggle, God is working toshape our hearts. He never leaves man in temptation. Instead, he opens the wayhome. And on that way home, we find that God's love is always greater than anytemptation in this world.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Father inheaven, fill us with Your power so that we may overcome the temptations in ourlives and choose the way back to You. Our Father who art in heaven... In thename of the Father ...

Delivered by Kezia from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Joel 2: 12-18; Rs psalm 51: 3-4.5-6a.12-13.14.17; 2 Corinthians 5: 20 - 6: 2; Matthew 6: 1-6.16-18.STANDARD OF SPIRITUAL LIFE  Our meditation on the Ash Wednesday is entitled:Standard of Spiritual Life. There are a lot of lifestyle changes in ourfamilies due to technological and communication advancements. Stephen andMelania's family, along with their three children, who live in different placesdue to different works, maintain communication among them through the familywhatsapp group. Stephen once shared to his friends, saying that his family'sspiritual life has a true Christian standard, especially the regular time ofprayer together in the family. They use this media to pray together.  Judaism tradition and religion inherit a standard of spirituallife that later Jesus Christ taught us as well. This spirituality standard includesthree basic acts, namely fasting, praying, and doing charity. The Jews obligethis on every one in their religion. If all three were done in an orderly andgood manner, a person is said as a good believer and blessed by God. Jesus alsotaught His disciples to do same. They were obliged to pray, fast and docharity. However, there is a distinctive element that definesthe different character between the spirituality model taught by Jesus and theone practiced by the Jews, especially according to the religious leaders andPharisees. The difference is related to motivation or intention. For Jesus and allof us who follow Him, the motivation for praying, fasting, and doing charity isto make a close and intimate relationship with God. It 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 notoutward affairs such as torn clothes and other external attributes inherent inour bodies and environment. This confirms that the Jewish spiritual life is verycontrary to what Jesus taught. Their spirituality is not for God but to earnthe praise of others that they are holy and good. They have already earnedtheir reward by what they did in front of people, while God has not given them dueblessings. Jesus makes it clear that we should not follow such externalstandard. Our standard is in the heart that has a direct relationship with God.Whenever these three acts of righteousness are done properly, it is when oneexperiences the act of salvation from God, says Saint Paul in today's secondreading. This 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 God, maythis Ash Wednesday celebration grant us new spirit to begin the journey of  our spiritual renewal in this Lent period. OurFather who art in heaven... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Cendani from the Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption Mamajang in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. James 1: 1-11; Rs psalm 119: 67.68.71.72.75.76; Mark 8: 11-13.ENJOYING THETEST The title for our meditation today is: Enjoying theTest. In all aspects of our lives, the test takes place in a process to prove aresult in both quantity and quality. Whatever the form and character of thetest, the basic condition that we knowledge is that the person who takes thetest is being tried or tested for a standard of qualification.  There is a common attitude or reaction seen in the onewho faces the test. This is about the state of the mind and body of the one whofaces the test, namely the negative or positive reaction. People can benervous, palpitating, scared, insecure, and complaining. People can also bebrave, concentrated, focused, confident, exited to face and finally pass thetest. The situation can be seen on their faces, but even more exciting is intheir souls. Both of these situations illustrate how one enjoys the test. People behave negatively when facing tests due tovarious reasons. The most common one is because the person concerned hasinsufficient knowledge or basically unprepared. Mental or emotionalunpreparedness usually causes the human body nervous, shaking, sweaty, andweak. In such circumstances, surrender perhaps becomes impossible when forinstance the person concerned does not refuse to face and proceed to take itwith the risk of an outcome below expectation. This proportionally contradicts with the positive andoptimistic behavior when someone facing tets, namely the person concerned isready in spirit and body. In fact, this readiness is expressed with anexcitement and longing to anticipate the test. This behavior can prove that theperson concerned is confident on the results to be achieved with satisfactionand meeting expectations. Hopefully this behavior also represents a mental characterin those who believe that good or bad results are not their concern, but anopportunity to learning and trainning to maturity. These two positive behaviors are shown by our tworeadings today. Saint James in the first reading advises that the tests in lifemust be faced and passed that we may be able to remain in perseverance in thepath to perfection. Jesus was constantly tested by the Pharisees and thescribes. But usually Jesus silenced them. He is God, so there is no need for atest. But what He considers to be a setback is that those who tested Him hadproved to gain nothing. It means that Jesus is always ready, whereas they werenot prepared to face test. So the basic law is certain: before the actual test,you must first start with many warm-up exams, namely preparations andanticipation in all ways and forms.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord JesusChrist, teach us to put the right and appropriate words and actions in everyopportunity we face the various tests of life. Hail Mary, full of grace... Inthe name of the Father ...

Delivered by Dwi Setyo, Svara Nirmala and Stella from the Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption Mamajang in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Sirach 15: 15-20; Rs psalm 119: 1-2.4-5.17-18.33-34; 1 Corinthians 2: 6-10; Matthew 5: 17-37.ACCEPTING THEPOSSIBLE MYSTERY OF GOD Our meditation today is entitled: Accepting theImpossible Mystery of God. A young man and his girlfriend have only been datingfor a month. Indeed, there are many similarities in both of them that make thisrelationship full of joy. But there are also many differences between them thatoften trigger debates, prejudices, negative thoughts and anger of the one to another.They must learn to accept all these as the reality in their dynamic and mutuallove as uniuqe individuals who has just began their journey together. On one occasion, both went to attend a friend'swedding. In the holy Matrimony Mass, the priest who preached in the homily saidthat the faith that Jesus sowed and planted in his followers is something superiorto all forms of human logic. Faith is not like science and technology, thatalways seek to provide evidence to be seen, found, used and changed. All ofthat have their limits and will be out of date in due time. But faith actually teaches us about the impossible.All the goodness and righteousness of God is possible for Him alone. For humansit is impossible. Both couples, the one who was in the joyful celebration ofmarriage and the one who was still in the beginning of love relationship, mustrealize that each person is unique, with different characters, backgrounds andcircumstances to make things become impossible. True love is naturally an impossiblelove. Our human reason, logic and feelings are very clearlyimpossible to have a sufficient understanding and perspectives on the many ofGod's advice, guidance and commandments.  For example, we are asked to forgive withoutlimits, enter the narrow door in order to be saved, become salt to the world,give the left cheek a slap after the right one, love and pray for the enemies,leave everything in this world to follow Christ. All these become part of ourfaith. We understand and accept them in and with the faith that we profess. The main reason God puts the impossibility character inour faith is that our hope does not stop and we are always challenged to seekand find the answer on God's mystery. The spirit of our faith is to attain andbecome like Jesus Christ. Jesus asks us to go further than this world'sstandards until we finally reach His standards. In essence, He is asking thatour faith and religious life go beyond the scribes and Pharisees, who hold thekeys to religious life and the teaching of the faith. Wisdom and mystery of God which is hidden and alwaysbeyond human understanding, however, we still accept and obey because of ourfaith. It is how we answer His call and the path we choose to achieveperfection. We are always advised by the scriptures to choose this path, andnot any other way of this world. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O heavenly Father,may this Sunday celebration help us to be ever faithful to our vocation andbecome true witnesses of Christ in the midst of this world. Our Father who artin heaven... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Jeril from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Kings 12: 26-32; 13: 33-34; Rs psalm 106: 6-7a.19-20.21-22; Mark 8: 1-10.SPIRITUAL MEALTHAT UNITES The title for our meditation today is: Spiritual MealThat Unites. The unity within a family is especially seen when all the membersof the family come together to attend Holy Mass, and then continue with lunchtogether. This is somehow a routine activity. Such a fellowship is in sharpcontrast to the situation of God's people under the kings after Solomon'sdeath. Worst, King Jeroboam magnified his sin by going against the Spirit ofGod because he believed in the gods of Gentiles.  The spiritual meal available to believers, followersof Christ, is the offering of Jesus himself as the main part of His work ofdoing the Father's will. In all of His ministerial work, He manifested His actof love in the presence of the apostles and many around Him. They were allamazed, proud, happy and believe in those loving actions of Jesus. But aboveall is the ultimate act, which is to die to redeem all mankind. He marked this highest act with an act of remembrancein the Church, in the form of a meal, to become the firsthand experience of Hispresence by all His people. This aims to strengthen and preserve communion thatHe has made. We all know this as the Eucharist. Before the institution of theEucharist, Jesus first brought His followers and many people to eat theeuchatistic bread, which is His own body, on the occasion  of the multiplication of bread and fish tofeed thousands of people who were hungry and thirsty, after the whole dayfollowing and listening to Him. The feeding of these thousands was further emphasizedin the moments leading up to His moment of death, when He ate the last supperwith the apostles, and there He distributed bread and wine. His reminded thatthey should continue the event of celebrating this spiritual meal inremembrance of Him, as well as to be the spiritual empowerment for all who takepart in it. In this banquet, Jesus who broke his own body and shared to theapostles to consume, this act signifies the institution of the sacraments of Eucharistand Priesthood.  So the unity that we preserve and strengthenconstantly both through prayer and tangible action depends heavily on these twobasic elements: the Eucharist and the Priesthood. The sacrament of theEucharist is a spiritual meal, while the priesthood is the privilege ofcarrying out and presiding over the memorable event to be celebrated when theLord himself presides and we take part in it.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... Lord Jesus Christ,may our unity in and with You be a very real force in this world to bring aboutthe kingdom of God that can renew the whole face of this earth. Hail Mary, fullof grace... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Cendani from the Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption Mamajang in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Kings 10: 1-10; Rs psalm 37: 5-6.30-31.39-40; Mark 7: 14-23.NEW HEART Our meditation today isentitled: New Heart. A husband and his wife for the past year have been inconflict and there seems no sign of resolving it. Then they both agreed todivorce through several steps of internal dan legal process. One of those stepsis that both went to meet the Parish Priest to ask for his opinion. Each ofthem defended one's own perspective and eventually became reason for divorce.Each considered that this decision was already final. Each had very strongself-interest to make it superior over another. For the Priest this is anexample of two old style of hearts. An old heart shows how one is so stubbornand living only for him or herself. The Pastor now had avery important task to change that old heart into a new heart. After giving hisopinion and advice, the Pastor invited each of them to do Adoration in front ofthe Blessed Sacrament. In the church, one sat far away from another for apersonal adoration and prayer. About one hour passed, they again met the Pastorin his office. Each said about his and her awareness of mistakes and arroganceso strongly exposed in the surface. One intended to forgive another. Then theydecided to resolve their problem and not to divorce their marriage. The couple finallyarrive at the moment of having a new heart. Each one becomes a new person. Thisexperience shows that the creation of a new heart cannot be managed solely byone's own effort. If it is without the intervention of God and others one cannot do anything, he or she can not become a new person. Sacraments andspiritual guidance are the two of many instruments that help a person toexperience a new life. One of the messagesof the word of God that encourages us to create a new heart is as whatproclaimed in today's readings. The Word of God basically contains God's wisdomon how to live properly in the following of Christ. Our choices must find itsplace there, as did King Solomon who made the divine wisdom of God to attractthe attention of the Queen of Sheba and the whole world. If we choose andalways live out the Lord's wisdom, God provides and perfects all in us. A new heart is aclean and healthy heart. Dirt, impurity, slander, hatred, envy, and anger mustbe removed from there. Jesus asks us not to keep all of those vices in ourhearts, to store them so dearly as our wealth. All that defiles or damages usmust be removed through an examination of conscience and the reception of the Sacramentof Reconciliation. This can be done because of the help from others and thecare of the holy Church. This has absolutely no connection with and withoutabstaining food. Food or drink has never been linked to creating a new heart.The new heart is a spiritual aspect in us, while eating and drinking are thematter of the stomach and the body. They are so different from one to another!  Let's pray. O God Almighty, may YourSpirit guide us always in wisdom to be united in Jesus Christ through ourlives, our words and deeds. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of theFather.

Delivered by Jessica Tjiuranda from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Kings 8: 1-7.9-13; Rs psalm 132: 6-7.8-10; Mark 6: 53-56.ROOM FOR GOD The title for ourmeditation today is: Room for God. Room intended here is not a place orlocation. Because in principle, God cannot be conditioned into a place or room.Instead, God is in the space that surrounds and embraces us. That spacesignifies a presence and an existence. God provides the space and He himself ispresent there. King Solomon andGod's people put the ark of the covenant in the dwelling place builtspecifically for the Lord, but the king cried out in prayer that God woulddwell on earth forever with His people. He accompanies, meets, reaches, andassociates with everyone in all places as Jesus Christ does. Space for God isthe entire surface of the earth, where all humans dwell. The room for God ofthe farthest distance is the cities and villages, whatever the distance, whichshow people flocking to meet Jesus for healing and comfort. We can call this anopen public space with distance even tens and hundreds kilometer. Jesus reached a placeand people knew Him and they immediately approached to greet and talk, sayhello or introduce themselves. This we call as Jesus' social space. Surelypeople cheered because they could look closely at Jesus, waved their hands, andtheir voices could be heard by Jesus. Some of them had an extraordinary joy andenlightment because of the encounter. Those who were sickeven reached the personal space and the intimate space of Jesus throughtouching the Lord's hands or they themselves touched Jesus's clothes. HereJesus teaches that the power of touch is very important for strengthening andhealing for their needs and illness. In touching relationship there is nolonger visible distance, but love that expresses itself. It is our body'sspaces that allow contact and share of energy from one person to another. Theenergy of Jesus enters the sick and they get well. This is a very significantlesson, namely body space, personal space and even our social and publicspaces, that are very instrumental for contact with others. The demand for ourcloseness and presence is very important, because we can share the space ofourselves and this is always a sign of reinforcement and renewal of life. Thisis the way we present room for God to work through us. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Lord Jesus, teach us always to use all our bodies and our existence toshare Your love. Hail Mary, full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Kezia and Renaldy from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 58: 7-10; Rs psalm 112: 4-5.6-7.8a.9; 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5; Matthew 5: 13-16.WE ARE MADE THE SALT AND LIGHT OF THE WORLD The title for our meditation on this fifth Sunday inordinary time is: We Are Made the Salt and Light of the World. In the Sermon onthe Mount, Jesus affirmed the identity of the disciples as the salt andlight of the world. This statement is not just a beautiful metaphor, but acall to life. Salt does not live for itself; It is there to give flavor,prevent rot, and maintain life. The light is not hidden; it is there toilluminate, direct, and remove darkness. So, to be salt and light means to be ahelper—a person whose presence brings real goodness to others. Jesus invites the disciples to realize that it isthrough their lives that the world can feel the touch of God. The salt thatloses its salty and light that is hidden are meaningless. Thus, the Christianfaith becomes real when one dares to go out of self-interest, is sensitive tothe needs of others, and engages in the suffering of others. It means that adisciple becomes a sign of God's presence and action: not primarily through words,but through concrete acts of love. The Prophet Isaiah affirms that true light is revealedthrough the love shared with those who are hungry, who are unclothed, and whohave no place to live. Light is not an abstract spiritual shine, but a ray thatwarms the lives of others. When our hands can share, when our steps are closerto the eliminated, that's when God's light shines through us. The same conviction was affirmed by Saint Paul to theCorinthians. In his first letter, Paul emphasized that faith stands, not onhuman wisdom, but on the power of God. That is, being salt and light is not theresult of personal greatness, but the fruit of openness to the work of God thatworks in human weakness. When we rely on God, our simple lives can also be ameans of grace for many people. Let's imagine this: a small candle lit in a dark room.The candlelight was not big, but it was enough to help one find a way and avoiddanger. Candles do not choose who deserves to receive their light; It justfaithfully lit up and consumed itself. So is a true helper: he or she may besimple, often invisible, but his or her presence makes the lives of others morehuman and hopeful. Finally, being the salt and light of the world is adaily call to present God in the midst of the reality of life. Through sharedlove, sincere help, and faith standing on His power, we are called to witnessthat God is really at work in this world—through our lives that we are willingto use for others.  Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Almighty God,preserve and strengthen our faith in You so that we may always be a sign ofYour presence and action to save ourselves, our neighbors and the world aroundus. Our Father who art in heaven... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Ariel from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Kings 2: 1-4.10-12; Rs psalm: 1 Chron 29: 10.11ab.11d-12a.12bcd; Mark 6: 7-13.THE POWER OF ATRUST The title for our meditation today is: The Power of aTrust. In general, we can categorize trust, mandate, responsibility, orcommitment into two. The first is the belief to perform physical acts such asworking for a living, leading an organization, and selling or buying things. Thesecond is belief related to doing spiritual activities such as listening God'sword, worshiping, praying, and fasting. King David entrusted his son Solomon with the trust ofroyal leadership, and this we may regard as example of secular or physicaltrust. Parents or adults give trust to their children to carry out their dutiesand responsibilities according to their expectations. A lot of our physicallives are determined by the trust that is given to us, both within the familyand outside it. Meanwhile, Jesus Christ entrusted and sent Hisdisciples, we can see this as the example of spiritual belief that we find andread in the Gospels. Whenever and wherever our life is, it relates to thespiritual aspects that are all determined by the beliefs or spiritual adviceand guidance given to us. For example, a person attends Mass on Sunday, andfrom there he carries a trust to do the mission commissioned by the priest atthe end of the Eucharistic celebration. The important question is this: what motivates thegiving of trusts, both physical and spiritual has dignity, authority, and powerto produce greater trusts that we are obliged to and not other kind of trustsaround us? Our two readings today provide one main answer, namely obedience andfaithfulness to the God who gives that trust. We are encouraged and obliged tofollow advices, commandments, and rules. All of this is to ensure that thetrust comes from a much greater power and to ensure the legitimacy of theperformance of our duties. Obedience describes how God who entrust is true andHis will is pure. So there is no consideration whatsoever from us to argue oreven correct it. All we do is listen, understand, and practice it. Fidelity isthe close companion of obedience. Faithfulness endures to the end of lifebecause people obey unconditionally. Many times we become like King David or ApostlePeter, who profess faith to be obedient, but sometimes are unfaithful in ourcommitments. The important thing is to regret, then renew oneself to return tofaithfulness.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord JesusChrist, bless us and enable us to fulfill the all the trust You have put in usfrom the beginning of of our faith. Hail Mary, full of grace... In the name ofthe Father ...

Delivered by Fiona from the Parish of Mary Queen of Rosary in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 2 Samuel 24: 2.9-17; Rs psalm 32: 1-2.5.6.7; Mark 6: 1-6.POINT OF VIEW The title for our meditation today is: Point of View.In a lesson for the 4th grade of elementary school, the studentswere asked by their teacher to write about the mutual love between their fatherand mother at home. Student A wrote about his mother preparing neat and orderlyclothes for his father when he was about to go to work or attend a meeting.Student B told the story of his father who always faithfully accompanied hismother to shop at the market, help with the laundry, help with cooking, andtidy up the house. Student C told the story of his mother who faithfully waiteduntil his father came home from work. Each student gave his or her point of view on the lovebetween his father and mother at home. A point of view includes the positionfrom which we see and understand someone or something, and the will to do whatwe have decided.  King David had hispoint of view as a king. He decided to act according to his point of view andwill. But it turned out that David's viewpoint was contrary to God's viewpointand will. Fortunately, David quickly regretted it and asked for forgiveness, thenGod forgave him. Jesus Christ appeared in public as a person ofextraordinary appeal. There were so many impressions from the people around himthat it produced various points of view about him. His fans, disciples, andenemies viewed Him differently. The demons saw that Jesus could be tempted withall bad and dangerous tactics, but Jesus defeated them. The first apostles onceasked: “Where do you live, Master”? They thought that Jesus would immediately gavethem a guarantee of life both physically and spiritually. Today's Gospel reading tells the story of the views ofthe people of the village and their relatives about the person and work ofJesus Christ. It turned out that their view of Jesus was very limited and verysuperficial. Jesus was seen as a part of them. There was nothing special aboutHim. In essence, this is a point of view to belittle and reject Jesus, eventhough they know that He has done a wonderful thing in helping and overcomingthe difficulties of many.  A point of view that we have depends heavily on thestandards of our respective knowledge, wisdom and faith. If we are guided bythe Holy Spirit and faith in Jesus Christ, our viewpoint is certainly based onGod's will. Of course, we always ask for divine light through prayer andreflection in order to get a good and correct point of view. We must be able tofree ourselves from having a negative, narrow or subjective, and destructivepoint of view. This is definitely not from the light of the Holy Spirit. Don'tget used to having this kind of point of view!Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O God, may wealways look at You with joy on this day and may we always see the good andright in our brothers and sisters. Glory to the Father and to the Son and tothe Holy Spirit... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Svara Nirmala dan Stella from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Malachi 3: 1-4; Rs psalm 24: 7.8.9.10; Hebrews 2: 14-18; Luke 2: 22-40.HUMILITY FORVICTORY The title for our meditation today is: Humility forVictory. There is a white and big male dog in the parish rectory. It is theParish Priest's favorite dog. Its barking is loud and often scares people whoare new to the parish area. In the rectory there is also a white rooster. Itcrows so loud and strongly raises its flaps.  Both dog and rooster have something in each to boast. Itis about power to dominate. One can threaten another without mercy. Forexample, when the rooster crows, the dog barks to respond it. It seems like thedog wants to assert that he is more powerful, whereas rooster has no influencein that area. When the dog passes near the aluminum cage where it stays, the roosterjumps up and is angrily to attack. It does not want its territory to bedisturbed. But whenever there are some best food on the table ofparish priest, for example bread from regular bakery, put on one plate andgiven to both, they eat together in a friendly and peaceful manner. They sharethe special food. They wait for each other and give each other a chance. After eatingtogether, the two animals return to their places and follow the usual rhythm todominate each other. For us believers, Jesus Christ is the only specialgift of the Father, who makes us all surrender and willing to follow Him. He isthe prime teacher of humility. Although we can become arrogant and quarrel withone another, we shall give in when Jesus Christ is used as our reference forliving and behaving. We are gifted by God with freedom to choose. We can decideto follow His way or reject Him.  The presentation of Jesus in the temple shows theLord's way of humility, just as when Jesus went down to the Jordan River andasked to be baptized by John the Baptist. The Letter to the Hebrews says thatJesus Christ chose to become equal and part with us humans, the peopleentrusted by the Father to Him, so that through His death, He might free usfrom the power of sin and death. He entered the temple as a way to draw allpeople to faith in the Lord and win their souls. One example of victory for us humans is whatexperienced by Simeon and Hannah, who represent every man and woman in thisworld. Jesus was sent by the Father to win men and women from all the burdensof this world that constantly trouble and torment us. These people of faith seesalvation approaching and they welcome it with joy. Salvation is our victory.Living in humility is the sure path to victory. Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... Oh Lord Jesus, maytoday's feast fill us with Your grace and free us from the burden of ourweaknesses and mistakes. Our Father who art in heaven... In the name of theFather ...

Delivered by Maria Delie, Clairine, Bryan Darwie and Jesi Patricia from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Zephaniah 2: 3; 3: 12-13; Rs psalm 146: 1.7.8-9a.9b-10; 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31; Matthew 5: 1-12a.HAPPY ARE THE WEAK The title for our meditation on this 4thSunday in Ordinary Time is: Happy Are the Weak. In this world dominated bymarkets, position, money and influence, a human being, whether a man or awoman, is physically weak or spiritually weak is prevented from being happy.Living in this world requires enough intelligence, strength, power, hard workand money to create a happy life. People who don't have these qualities willdefinitely have an unhappy life. In general, our minds, hearts and will are shaped bythe standards of this world. People in this world aspire to become materiallywealthy, have adequate knowledge and technology, control or dominate others,and become winners in various competitions. Hardly anyone wants to be the weak,the sick, the forgotten, the unjustly treated, and the victim of humiliation orviolence. If, for example, there was ever an orientation of lifethat led the people of this world to choose and embrace all the weak orhelpless states, it is only found in the believers. In particular, theChristian faith that is rooted in Jesus Christ really contradicts with thestandards or measures used by the world. This faith enlightens and strengthensthe believers so that they do not avoid weakness, sickness, suffering,persecution and death. In this way, they truly follow the Lord Jesus Christ whohad experienced humiliation, suffering, suffering, and death himself. This faith further encourages believers to endure thisweak and suffering condition. They are convinced that this weakness andsuffering have their time and place in the world. While a human person is inthe world, he or she cannot escape weakness, sickness and suffering. Only afterleaving this world through one's own death, a believer will begin a new journeyto finally reach the unity with the Holy Triune God. All the readings of this Sunday intend to strengthenour faith as believers on how we should persevere and continue to accept andembrace our weak, sick and suffering circumstances or experiences. We should behappy when we experience all pain and deprivation in this world. Our ability toaccept all those situations in calmness, peacefulness, and joyfulness is actuallya sign of Christian happiness. Departing from this ability, we do believe that ourhope for perfect happiness is something real and undeniable. The Lord JesusHimself and saints in heaven will welcome all of us there. Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Almighty God,bless us that we may always be strong in faith and hope, even though we arealso experiencing various kinds of suffering. Our Father who art in heaven...In the name of the Father ...

Presiden ke-7 RI Joko Widodo menegaskan pentingnya penguatan struktur dan jaringan PSI hingga tingkat RT/RW dalam Rakernas PSI 2026 di Makassar, Sabtu (31/1/2026). Jokowi juga menyoroti militansi kader, soliditas partai, serta peran PSI dalam menghadirkan politik kebaikan bagi Indonesia.

Delivered by Andrew, Shendy and Alfred Jost from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Titus 1: 1-5; Rs psalm 96: 1-2a.2b-3.7-8a.10; Luke 10: 1-9.TRUST BETWEEN TEACHER AND STUDENT Our meditation today is entitled: Trust BetweenTeacher and Student. The trust between teacher and student is the foundationthat makes a vocation grow, a mission strong, and the proclamation fruitful. Wesee this clearly in St. Paul's relationship with his two disciples, Timothy andTitus. Paul not only "taught," but entrusted them with assignments, gavethem hope, and shaped their spiritual character.  So did Jesus when he sent the seventy disciples out inpairs: He not only gave commands, but gave them trust that they were capable ofbringing peace, healing, and proclaiming the Kingdom of God. In faith, trust orconfidence is not just a feeling of security, but a decision to walk togetherin truth and mission. The greatest advantage of trust is the birth of theinner strength to be responsible. A trusted student will feel that his life ismeaningful: he is brave to take a step, does not give up easily, and is willingto learn from mistakes. Trust also creates room for growth—the student is notafraid to fail because he knows he is being guided, not judged. In addition,trust reinforces the unity of vision: teachers and students serve not for theirown name, but for God's mission. Thus, when Paul sent Timothy and Titus intothe ministry of the early Church, he was affirming that faith can animatecourage, faithfulness, and perseverance in duty. However, trust is something fragile and must bemaintained. In order for trust not to be lost, the most important thing ishonesty, consistency and humility. Trust collapses not just because of bigmistakes, but often because of small habits: not keeping promises, not beingtransparent, covering up the truth, or starting to work with double motivation.Trust must also be nurtured through clear communication—just as Paul continuedto write, confirm, remind, and direct Timothy and Titus. If the teacher-disciplerelationship is not maintained, distance will grow, misunderstandings are easy,and the mission slowly loses its spiritual power. Here are some simple examples. A teacher gives somepractical tasks to students, then accompanies them with healthy evaluations. Acoach asks the student to lead a prayer or make a small service, and then whenfinished, the teacher does not immediately criticize, but appreciates first,then gives corrections with love: clear, concrete, and constructive. Studentsalso learn that they are trusted, but still directed to grow. This is thespirit of Jesus who sent the disciples two by two: there is responsibility,there is support, and there is togetherness. True faith is not to let peoplewalk alone, but to make people dare to walk because they know they are notwalking alone.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O merciful Lord,strengthen our faith in every form of Your trust to us, so that our faith inYou may grow healthy and strong. Hail Mary, full of grace... In the name of theFather ...

Delivered by Stella, Michella, and Dwi Setyo from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 8: 23b - 9: 3; Rs psalm 27: 1.4.13-14; 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13.17; Matthew 4: 12-17.UNITY BUILT FROMCAPERNAUM The title for our meditation on this 3rdSunday in Ordinary Time is: Unity Built From Capernaum. In his days of publicministry, Jesus Christ made Capernaum His city. All the teaching activities,miracles, selection of the disciples began and developed there. This place wassafe for Jesus to work to the fullness. After John the Baptist was arrested, Hemoved from Nazareth to this town, and that meant he left the place that was fullof pressure and threats. Usually it came from civil and religious authority.  Capernaum was a city to be longed for. According tothe book of Isaiah in the first reading and the Gospel of Matthew today, thecity was located across the Jordan River. Everything that was obtained and madeacross the Jordan was special, and this had been th story since ancient timeswhen the Israelites had already crossed the Jordan. To across the Jordan is asign of a new life. In that new life, Jesus Christ did His duty to build unityand bridge relationship.  The power to unite people to be with Him and in theKingdom of God comes from the heavenly Father who sent Him. Jesus' words andactions aimed to build the true fellowship of those whom he called and chose tobe part of the Kingdom of God. He began to plant the seed of unity from thecalling of the first disciples. In due time they were made the twelve apostleswho became the pillars of the Church. Together with Our Lady at the Pentecostday, they embodied the foundation of the Church as a sign of true communion oftrue faith in the world.  Love is the central teaching of Jesus Christ and themost important law of God. Love unites and not seeks differences or evendivides. Although these differences are the basic nature of life in this world,love always works to make existing differences find a way to build unity. Itwas from Capernaum that the Lord Jesus initiated that unity to bring together allhis apostles with each one's personal differences. In fact, they found in theirtheir Lord and Master a unifying power and love. In today's second reading, Saint Paul reflects on thespirit of unity comes from Jesus Christ. The community of God's people built byPaul and his companions was expected to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, who putlove above all differences. To them Paul counseled them to live in harmony, andthat there should be no division among them. This reflection was particularlypoignant, referring Paul's own experience with Peter and the other apostlesduring the first apostolic works of the early Church. We all have differences,but in one Lord Jesus, we are united. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, may thisSunday worship strengthen the unity among us and make us Your witnesses inbuilding and maintaining this unity among us Your beloved people. Glory to theFather and to the Son and to the the Holy Spirit... In the name of the Father...

Memasuki hari ketujuh operasi pencarian dan evakuasi kecelakaan pesawat ATR 42-500 tim SAR gabungan telah menemukan 11 kantong jenazah dan body part korban.Sementara itu tim DVI Polda Sulawesi Selatan masih melakukan pemeriksaan post mortem terhadap jenazah di Makassar.Operasi SAR yang dikoordinasikan Basarnas terus dilanjutkan untuk menuntaskan pencarian seluruh korban.

Bentrovate e bentrovati a una nuova puntata del podcast di “Memoria polaroid – un blog alla radio”, la trasmissione in onda ogni settimana da Bologna, sulle frequenze di NEU Radio. Nonostante il raffreddore, dal Texas alla Svezia, da Amsterdam a Makassar, facendo tappa anche a casa nostra, e con il prezioso supporto di Benty e […]

Keterangan Pers Pangdam XIV/Hasanuddin Mayjen TNI Bangun Nawoko dan Kasi Ops Basarnas Makassar, Andi Sultan, terkait udpate pencarian dan evakuasi korban Pesawat ATR 42-500, dimana kotak hitam Pesawat ATR 42-500 telah ditemukan.

Delivered by Kezia from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Samuel 17: 32-33.37.40-51; Rs psalm 144: 1.2.9-10; Mark 3: 1-6.EVIL AGAINST GOOD The title for our meditation today is: Evil Against Good. Inhuman history, we have seen many times a great clash between evil versus good.The story of David versus Goliath in the Old Testament is a very powerfulpicture: a small young man, without armor and without "proper"weapons of war, standing before a well-armed giant. Humanly speaking, it waslike an impossible fight. But David did not advance in his own strength; headvanced with faith, with the courage born of the conviction that this life isin the hands of God. Here we see that evil often appears intimidating, great,violent, and threatening, but good has a deeper power: the truth that comesfrom God. In the New Testament, the clash appears to be darker. ThePharisees, Herodians, and religious leaders united against Jesus not becauseJesus did evil, but because He brought a light that exposed falsehood. Evil isoften afraid of the truth, because the truth unmasks it. So Jesus wasconfronted in various ways: slander, traps, manipulation of the masses, and thedeath penalty. Outwardly, goodness seems to be defeated—the Son of God wascrucified. But kindness is not according to the size of the world. Goodnesstriumphs because Jesus does not repay hatred with hatred; He conquers violencewith love, and death with resurrection. Why does in this "war" good always win? First,because good is rooted in the eternal God, while evil is a fragile aberration.Second, because good unites, while evil ultimately destroys itself: it growsthrough lies, but lies always require new lies, until they finally collapse bycontradictions. Third, good has a creative vitality—it builds, restores, andgives hope—whereas evil is only capable of destroying and emptying. So whengoodness seems to be losing temporarily, it is actually planting the seed of greaterand purer victory. Why does evil lose, but never give up? Because evil has notrue "life"; It lives by sticking to the good and twisting it. Itcannot create, it can only falsify. Therefore it continues to fight againstGod, man, and even the order of the universe, because it is in that resistancethat it tries to survive. Evil also grows because of pride: it wants to be thecenter, it wants to dominate, it wants to be recognized. So it did not stop,because to stop means to admit that it was not God. This is where the tragedylies: evil continues to fight, but each struggle shows that it has no finalvictory. But we must also be honest: evil is not only "outthere", in a great enemy or an evil system, but also lurking in the humanheart: envy, resentment, manipulation, selfishness, petty injustices that areconsidered ordinary. Evil often loses on a large scale because God is faithful,but it persists on a small scale because man can be caught off guard.Therefore, the triumph of good is not just the heroic story of David or Jesus;It became a daily spiritual calling: choosing to be honest when it is easy tolie, choosing to forgive when the heart wants to retaliate, choosing to carewhen the world is used to destroying. Letus pray. In the name of the Father ... O God of truth and goodness, in You wetake refuge and in You we rely to always be blessed with Your gifts of goodnessand truth. Our Father who art in heaven... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Evelyn from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Samuel 16: 1-13; Rs psalm 89: 20.21-22.27-28; Mark 2: 23-28.THE LEGACY OF OBEDIENCE The title for our meditation today is: The Legacy ofObedience. When the prophet Samuel was sent by God to anoint a king for Israel,the Lord's choice fell on David—not because of his appearance, strength, orsocial status, but because of a willing heart that was ready to obey. David wasseen worthy not because he was perfect without blemish, but because he had aninner willingness to listen to and put God's will above his own.  This kind of obedience is not forced obedience, but obedienceborn of faith and trust that God knows best. In David, God saw a legacy: man'sobedience to His voice, an attitude that should live on from generation togeneration. David gave an example that obedience is a manifestation of a humanvirtue namely fear of God. The inheritance of obedience is the noble calling that Godentrusts to His people: that man should not live according to his own desires,but walk in the light of God's will. However, this inheritance is oftenthreatened by sin. Sin always seeks to undermine obedience by replacing it withpride, self-justification, or a life that simply "appears right" onthe outside. However, God has never taken that inheritance of obedience awayfrom the world. He continues to nurture it and send the elect—those who are willingto be heirs and guardians of his faithfulness. In Jesus' debate with the Pharisees and scribes, the figureof David was again raised as a model of true obedience. Jesus reveals thatGod's will cannot be done by outward rules alone, much less by motivation mixedwith spiritual ambition. The obedience that God requires is pure obedience:free from self-interest, not seeking praise, and not using religion as aninstrument of power. Thus, David was not just a king of history but an icon ofthe mind—a picture of a man who carries out God's will with an open, honest,and freedom of heart. God did not call His people to be a generation that broke thechain of faithfulness, but to be a generation that continues and purifies it.God's chosen people are those who deserve to inherit obedience: willing to hearGod's correction, willing to repent when they fall, and remain faithful evenwhen no one is looking. It is at this point that obedience becomes a sign ofspiritual identity: that this life belongs to God who leads with love. Let's look at a torch that is inherited in a relaycompetition. The torch is not just an object, but a symbol of direction,purpose, and responsibility. If one runner drops it, the entire team could losea chance, not because the torch is missing, but because they neglect to guard it.But the coach doesn't stop training, he doesn't stop picking the bestrunners—he makes sure the torch stays all the way to the finish line. Such isobedience: a sacred heritage that must be preserved, not extinguished by sin andnegligence. A legacy of obedience is not just a story of the past, but a call oftoday—that the world may continue to have faithful, pure, and free witnesses tolive the will of God.Letus pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord God, strengthen our commitment offaith to You so that we will always inherit obedience to Your will to theyounger generation around us. Hail Mary, full of grace... In the name of theFather ...

Usai jatuhnya pesawat ATR rute Yogyakarta–Makassar, ruang publik dipenuhi berbagai informasi dan spekulasi. Di tengah duka dan keprihatinan, transparansi menjadi kunci agar publik mendapatkan informasi yang akurat dan tidak menyesatkan. Lalu, langkah apa yang perlu dilakukan otoritas penerbangan dan maskapai untuk mencegah simpang siur informasi? Evaluasi apa saja yang harus dilakukan, mulai dari aspek teknis pesawat, prosedur operasional, hingga pengawasan keselamatan, demi memastikan penerbangan di Indonesia semakin aman ke depan?Talk: - Pemerhati Penerbangan, Andrianus Darmawan- Pengamat Keamanan dan Keselamatan Penerbangan, Marsma TNI (Purn) Agung Sasongkojati

Delivered by Zelda and Svara Nirmala from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Samuel 1: 9-20; Rs psalm: 1 Sam 2: 1.4-5.6-7.8abcd; Mark 1: 21b-28.OUR AUTHORITY IS FROMGOD Our meditation today isentitled: Our Authority is from God. We can understand easily the words of thepriest Eli in the temple to Hannah, the married woman wihtout a child, as thewords full of power, that when Hannah and her husband returned from theirworship, she conceived and gave birth to her only son Samuel. This is the storyin the first reading of today's liturgy. There is somethingmore amazing. The words spoken by Jesus when he said or taught, are thepowerful words that frightened demons and evil spirits. His powerful words anddeeds defeat even the most powerful prince of evil spirits. They surrender andacknowledge the power of God. In Jesus' time, the power of the Almighty God wasthe only thing people of faith relied upon. Jewish rabbis who had very stronginfluence in society could not do anything when encounter the power of Jesus,and they resolved to condemn Jesus to death. They were consideredteachers with sound teaching and power to influence. These rabbis seemed tohave great power to speak, but they only quoted the sayings  from other sources. They are the same as manyteachers of our time who like to quote other sources, thus, lack oforiginality. They are teachers who learn from the other wise or learnedteachers. This does not happen to Jesus. He is the source of that power. He isthe teacher who does not learn from anyone else, because the words that comeout of him and the actions he does are from God himself. Jesus is the Lord.  The most importantthing here is that Jesus Christ wants to share His power that others can alsouse the same power. This becomes the source of the authority that exists in usas believers. The authority of a follower of Christ is basically the trust andpower of God that lives and works in everyone of us as believers. So there is areciprocal relationship that operates, that is, believers who believe and Jesuswho gives His power to them. Such relationship didnot happen to the rabbis. Pharisees, scribes, rulers, arrogant, and learnedpeople who did not believe in Jesus, could not have such relationship andexperience the love and mercy of God. Jesus certainly did not share His powerto them. He commits to give His own words and power to His believers, startingwith Mary and Joseph, then John the Baptist, the apostles, and so on untilevery one baptized in His name who practices this faith. For our Christianauthority to be used effectively and to produce the desired results such asmiracles, abundant fruits, overcoming evils, and other great deeds, we need afaith in Jesus that is strong and true. Often we can not produce the results asdesired, it could be true enough because of our own weakness, namely our faiththat is not yet true and strong. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus Christ, teach us to always say and do what is true asYourself. Hail Mary, full of grace... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered Josephine Mercy Ho from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Samuel 1: 1-8; Rs psalm 116: 12-13.14.17.18-19; Mark 1: 14-20.REPENTANCE ANDAPOSTOLIC MISSION Our meditation today isentitled: Repentance and Apostolic Mission. There was a teenager who met theparish priest outside  the church afterattending morning mass. He still remembered the homily of the Pastor aboutrepentance, then he asked the priest he so admired. "How many times theLord Jesus talks about repentance?" He then got the answer that in Histeachings and talks the Lord Jesus speaks a lot about repentance. The teenager thenconcluded himself on what he believes, "So repentance must be done withearnest effort and with all the strength that one has, not only from oneselfbut also others who can help someone to be able to repent." The Priest sawthat the teenager was right in his conviction, so he said: "Go and make ithappen and you will get a new life." It is true on whatthe teenager believes. Repentance is part of the main mission of Jesus Christ.As a great task, the appeal or command to repent was already demanded longbefore Jesus was born into the world, the era of old testament. The last voicethat was very loud calling for repentance before Jesus Christ was John theBaptist. Jesus himself is the Word of Life that speaks about the importance ofhaving a new life. He is the One who forgives sins and gives the grace of repentanceto help people transform their lives. The Lord Jesuspraclaims His word to us today that this great mission of repentance would becompleted during His public ministry on earth. The proof of this accomplishmentof mission is His own suffering and death to save the world and all mankind.This radical act of the Lord Jesus was explained openly, first of all to thechosen apostles. The twelve apostles and the disciples were the first toreceive the great doctrine of repentance. On their shoulders lies an apostolicmission with a great task of repentance for everyone and all nations. The holy Church inthe recent years, through her Popes, encourages all members to do an ecologicalrepentance and transformation. Our mother earth is sufering a lot because of thedestructive way of human life that causes destruction of human life and itsenvironment. The apostolic mission of the Church with message of repentance inthis way applies to all places and people in the world today. The CatholicChurch is always present as the prophet who speaks and calls for repentance,and the Church's voice always reaches out to all humanity and places. There is aninseparable link between repentance and apostolic mission. Repentance is a wayof working and content carried by the Church's Mission. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, bless us and enable us to repent from destroying the earth andhuman life in all aspects. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of theFather ...

Delivered by Dwi Setyo, Celine, Michelle and Stella from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 42: 1-4.6-7; Rs psalm 29: 1a.2.3ac-4.3b.9b-10; Acts of the Apostles 10: 34-38; Matthew 3: 13-17.CHRISTMAS HAS PASSEDAND A NEW LIFE HAS BEGUN The title for ourmeditation on this Sunday, the Baptism of the Lord is: Christmas has Passed anda New Life has Begun. We should say one more time "Merry Christmas"to each other with a joyful celebration in our faces and hearts. We wish togive a special sign for the last day of this Christmas season. The first sign isobviously the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which we celebrate every year toconclude a happy and joyful Christmas season. The baptism of Jesusby John the Baptist as proclaimed in the Gospel of Matthew, marks the nextstage in Jesus' life on earth, namely entering public life. He himself askedJohn that He had to be baptized in order to fulfill what God willed of Him.Jesus Christ was soon to come and unite himself with the world and the lives ofall people, as he salts and saves all. Jesus' experience ofbaptism is the starting point for the baptism of all His followers. Thedifference between John the Baptist's baptism of the Jews and of Jesus Christis very clear. The Jews, as sinners and have not yet received the Messiah, mustbe converted through the baptism of John, so that they could receive the LordJesus Christ. Whereas in Jesus Christ is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. At themoment of baptism in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus Christ. We take part in thebaptism of Jesus Christ, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Everyfollower of Christ receives the Holy Spirit who sanctifies and fills him or herwhen he or she receives baptism. From the time of baptism he or she begins anew life. He or she is born the second time, namely the birth in faith and inthe Holy Spirit. While baptism for repentance by John the Baptist still servesus in the strengthening our faith, namely through the ministry ofreconciliation and repentance in the Church that we frequently do. Just like everyChristian baptism that opens the way for a new life as followers of Christ, wewho end the Christmas season and celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, will begin arenewed life outside the Christmas season or ordinary moments of life. Whatkind of a renewed life after Christmas and the feast of the baptism of theLord? According to the prophet Isaiah in the first reading, we need to reaffirmour commitment as a sign of God's covenant for the salvation of the world. Wemust be witnesses of Christ's resurrection and salvation for others. We need to be morecredible ourselves as witnesses of Christ by going around doing good whereverand whenever we are. This is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself that wemust continue. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Almighty God, we pray that this Sunday celebration may renew us in the waywe live out our Christian faith. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name ofthe Father ...

Delivered by Lukitananda and Svara Nirmala from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indoenesia. 1 John 4: 11-18; Rs psalm 72: 1-2.10-11.12-13; Mark 6: 45-52.SEEING THE LORD The title for ourmeditation today is: Seeing the Lord. For people who live in the same time orage as Jesus Christ, seeing God is a very visible reality. Whereas the timeafter Jesus rose and ascended to heaven, it is no longer a vision of Godthrough physical eyes, but with spiritual eyes and faith. For such a strikingdifference, Jesus left us His teachings to strengthen our eyes of faith andspirit, so that when believers experience an encounter and able to see God,they do not use their eyes but their hearts and minds. Meeting God with faithis our experience every day as true believers. The way to see Godusing non-sensory abilities is like the experience of three small children whocelebrated Christmas and New Year in their parents' village, when they were sodelighted being with their grandparents. From the city, the family brought somegifts such as food, coffee, sugar, milk, syrup and many others. Each childoffered a gift to the grandfather and grandmother. The act of offering giftswas truly a happy moment for the whole family. The family from cityexperienced a great joy in a family celebration took place in the villageduring the holidays. They were welcomed so warmly. Families in the village alsoexperienced the same warm atmosphere. Grandparents were so happy to find theirchildren and grandchildren full of joy and cheerfulness. God really blessesthem with all kindness and love. All of them really experienced what we valueas the love of God that works. The events in thisfamily really illustrate that God is love, Deuscaritas est, as mentioned in the first letter of Saint John. The scripturesand the teachings of the Church place great emphasis on love as the wisdom andway of life of every follower of Christ. The Ten Commandments contain only onelaw, which is love for others where God is also loved through others. SaintJohn advises that it is enough to seek and see God by doing love. The way to do love isto be a peacemaker and a promoter of happiness. Jesus who walked on the sea andwas present in the midst of His apostles is a person who gives sense ofcomfort, calm, and peace. He convinces His followers not to be afraid. Our loveshould not cause worry, suspicion or fear. Instead our acts of love must bringjoy, peace and happiness.Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O God, fill us with strong faith, so that we are able to carry out yourwill with joy and hope. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the HolySpirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Fiona from the Parish of Mary Queen of Rosary in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 John 4: 7-10; Rs psalm 72: 1-2.3-4b.7-8; Markus 6: 34-44.BREAD AND FISH Our meditation today isentitled: Bread and Fish. In a pond that is about 25 by 50 meters size there isa large number of various types of fish. The fish are large and ready to beharvested. The parish priest was invited to pray and bless the harvest ceremonyat the pond. The owner of the pond explained that the fish's daily food isbread. According to him those fish are delicious and healthy dish for the mealsat home. The harvest that day served as a good meal for the Priest and manypeople who attended the event. Bread and fishrepresent our daily food. We always pray and ask God to provide enough food forour daily survival. In "Our Father" prayer, we ask God to provide forus daily food. So the need for food for every day is concrete, which inevitablyis fulfilled, therefore, humans are not threatened by the danger of hunger anddeath. Before asking for other needs to be attended, we should ask first food anddrink for our stomach and body to be given strength and energy. God provideseverything, including food and drink, and we must make our access to it. The Lord Jesusteaches His own prayer to us, which meant that our access to the Father wouldbe direct in order to get what we ask for. To the thousands of people who werehungry in the wilderness, Jesus wanted them to have direct access to the foodthey mostly needed. A direct intervention to overcome an actual problem that ishappening is an action that God desires, and we are commanded to do our part init. God is so wise inputting others around us: our own family members, friends, acquaintances,friends and fellow human beings even more and more who are listed in socialmedia relationship. Networking through the media makes all of us equals intimes and places to be easily known and accessible. In this context, Jesus'command is very valid today: "You must feed them". This willstrengthen the faith and moral awareness of everyone to act directly to providefood and drink for those who are in need, hungry and thirsty. Media as an importantinstrument for human interaction today should hold the principle that theirrole is to be the hand of God, to be the channel for people to help one another.God is love, as proclaimed by the First Letter of John, is the light thatguides the work carried out by media, especially in providing direct access tothe food and drink that people of today really need. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, make us channels of your love for the needy ones, especially thosewho are hungry and thirsty for the food and drink for their survival. Glory tothe Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of theFather...

Delivered by Randy from the Parish of Christ the King in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 John 2: 22-28; Rs psalm 98: 1.2-3ab.3cd-4; John 1: 19-28.VOICE AND WORD The title for ourmeditation today is: Voice and Word. Today our Church commemorates Saint Basilthe Great and Gregory of Nasianze. Both are the Church fathers, and the Churchscholars who were instrumental in strengthening the mission of the Church inthe Asia Minor area, of ​​what is now Turkey and surroundings. They are bothexamples of the face and body of Christ in the Middle East and parts of EasternEurope. Throughout this yearwe will be faced with a challenge in the form of the question: "Who areyou?". This question is what people asked John the Baptist about hisidentity. They were disturbed if there were people so famous and seen asprophets with great influence, especially reagrding the view about the comingof the Messiah, or about the holy prophet Elijah thought to rise from death.John's testimony really confused them with mix feelings of wonder, fear,curiosity, annoyance, anger, and challenged. If now we are alsoconfronted with that same question, what would our best answer be? Let us lookback at the two saints, Basil and Gregory who were indeed the face of Christ inthe place where they worked. Our view can go back further, namely to John theBaptist. He also revealed the true face of Christ to all his listeners. Another expressionsimilar to this, is what we can call "the voice for the word". JesusChrist is the eternal Word of God. Whereas John the Baptist, Saints Basil andGregory and every Christian as His followers, must be the voices who proclaim theWord, which is Jesus Christ. To act as the voice, we are very dependent on theWord, the source of truth and as the content of our voices. Because if thesound has no connection with the word, the voice might express another alienword or not saying at all any word. In accordance withour faith, the Word is surely only the Lord Jesus. Because if it were not theLord Jesus, we would have never been preaching the Word through the works andmission of the Church. To be a voice for the Lord Jesus, we need the ability ofthe supporting instruments. First and foremost is the primary instrument, whichis each of us with different abilities. There are people who are gifted inknowledge, there are people who are gifted in action, and there are those whoare exemplary in life. The secondaryinstrument is the means of communication that help us to convey the Word toreach more people. Language, writings, music, dance, microphones, speakers,computers and online media have become part of the voice for the Word. Le usmake use of them with good intention and great impact for public audience.Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Father almighty and everliving God, bless us and teach us to knowourselves in Jesus Christ so that we may reach perfection as You wish us to be.Our Father who art in heaven ... In the name of the Father ...

Delivered by Johana from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 John 2: 3-11; Rs psalm 96: 1-2a.2b-3.5b-6; Luke 2: 22-35.A FREE JOY The title for ourmeditation today is: A Free Joy. There were priests, religious men and women whoheld for the first time a reunion in their parish of origin. The celebrationand party were so lively and full of memories. One of the memories was thatthey met Aunt Maria, a childless widow who served as the sacristan in theParish church for decades. Many priests and nuns have known Aunt Maria assacristan since they were children. The reunion was truly a blessed moment forthe sacristan Maria. For Aunt Maria,working and serving in the Church for the rest of her life was an endless joy.This joy is free, because it does not need a complicated process, there are noapplications and recruitment tests. Someone needs only good will, joy,generosity, and faitfulness. This is also the experience of Simeon and Hannah,old man and woman who devoted their lives in the temple, in prayer andsacrifice. They found joy there. They hoped that one day salvation andliberation would come for the people of Israel. Both Aunt Maria and thosetwo old persons, they inspire us about joy as a blessing from God. According tothe Scriptures, grace is free and not to be puchased. What is really needed isour willingness to stay and serve God through the Church, so that grace andblessings will be poured out to us in abundance. Aunt Maria found the LordJesus through the meeting with the fruits of God's calling from her parish. Simeonand Hannah themselves met the child Jesus and believed that their lives werealready full and sufficient. We can learn fromthis inspiration. In this Christmas season, we at least find in Jesus Christ ananswer to our questions, doubts, searches or hopes. That answer can be either athanskgiving for a meaningful year 2025 that is going away or a meaningfulrealization of dreams in the coming year 2026. That is why we believe andunderstand that joy as the grace of God is gratuitous. It is good that everyone of us would mention one's own dream during moments of prayer and encounterwith God. Aunt Maria, Simeonand Hannah expressed their joy and gratefulness. They found the true meaning ofthe Gospel, which is God who came to find and give meaning to their lives. We hopethat we can also find such joy. The Gospel that opens its meaning and shapesour lives is the Gospel of life, therefore we call it the good news. We mustproclaim the good news of the Lord. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus Christ, bless us with the fullness of Your Spirit. May we everjoyful to give You thanks for all the goodness and successes that we haveachieved in each of our work and sacrifice. Give us also encouragement to workhard. Hail Mary, full of Grace ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Margareth, Greg, Kezia, Svara Nirmala from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Sirach 3: 2-6.12-14; Rs psalm 128: 1-2.3.4-5; Colossians 3: 12-21; Matthew 2: 13-15.19-23.TOGETHER WE CARE FORFAMILY The title for ourmeditation on this Feast of the Holy Family is: Together We Care for Family. Fromthe moment of creation, God has created humans to live in the family, whichbegins with mutual love between a man and a woman. From there comes marriageand the offspring it produces. The first andforemost commandment for the family life is a man to take a woman as his wifeand they live in unity of one flesh. One man and one woman united by God on thebasis of love and in the name of God. Another equally important commandment isthat marriage produces offspring. For a marriage toremain united, then the children of the marriage grow in accordance withexpectations, therefore, discipline in life is needed. According to the Scripturereadings of today, we can call this discipline of life a common responsibilityto care for the family. God forms a familynot with just one person, but one man and one woman plus children with theuniqueness of each. They must walk and work together to build a family. Theyare together not only when the family is happy or having good moments of growthand life. They must be stronger in unity and cooperation among its members whendifficulties and threats come to endanger the life of the family. God wishes parentsand children's relationship must be taken care to help families to become happy,peaceful and healthy in their journey of life. According to the book of Sirach,a man of faith who fears God and is faithful to His commandments, must practiceit through obedience to his parents. We believe that parents are God'srepresentatives to us on this world. The way we together carefor families is also mentioned in the teaching of Saint Paul in the secondreading today. It says that a family must live with love. The family beginswith the love of a husband and a wife, is built in love, and expected to finallyarrive at perfect love, which is in unity with God. The story of the HolyFamily of Nazareth who fled to Egypt is an example of how we together care forfamilies when they are in trouble, under threat, and in danger. This commonduty  is done not only among the membersof one's family or neighbors, but also with the power of God who intervenes.When God intervenes in our trouble and problematic families, the work of caringfor them will be easier and meeting its good end. God helps when the family is introuble.  Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, may this Sunday, Feast of the Holy Family help our families to livemore faithful and obedient to You. Hail Mary, full of grace ... In the name ofthe Father ...

Presented by Ariel from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 52: 7-10; Rs psalm 98: 1.2-3ab.3cd-4.5-6; Hebrews 1: 1-6; John 1: 1-18.INCARNATION,THE ETERNAL WORD BECOMES HUMAN Ourreflection on this Christmas day is themed: Incarnation, The Eternal WordBecomes Human. The word "incarnation" aptly describes the mystery ofthe Son of God, who is the eternal Word in heaven, transforming Himself to havea human body. Thus, He adopts human ways by being born through a woman in theworld. Meanwhile, the word "reincarnation", also familiar in ourconversations, has no connection to "incarnation". Today'sGospel reading focuses on the Word of God becoming human. The question to openour reflection is: Why did the Word of God need to become human? It's likeasking a village child: Why work so hard to study far away in the city? Orasking a father: Why work so hard  dayand night with many sacrifices? Allthese questions have one common answer: because of a desire or will beingcarried out. Thus, the eternal God became human because of a desire, will, orplan of God. Compared to our human desires, which are many, overlapping, andoften unfocused, God's will is singular for humanity. Inheaven and in the divine life of the Holy Trinity, there are no desires becausethey are already full and eternal. God has desires because He is involved withhumanity. And that one desire is to save humanity from sin, which has resultedin a broken relationship between God and humans. Theeternal Word of God becoming human is the Redeemer humanity needs. Incarnationbrings this together in a harmonious union, all because of the power of theHoly Spirit. It's like a man wanting to express love to his beloved, and shealso needs the love of her chosen one. Incarnationmarries heaven and earth, symbolizing the union between God the Creator and Hiscreation, humanity. Incarnation is the door for God to enter our human historyand take full part in human life. This event remains a mystery, the act of theeternal Word becoming human, but it's a reality over 2000 years ago. Lastnight, we celebrated His birth as a baby Jesus lying in a manger. Today, wecelebrate His presence surrounded by God's chosen ones who made thisincarnation happen. They are all witnesses, so this great mystery is told,shared, and celebrated to this day. Besides believing and celebrating thismystery of faith, we should live the Word in our real lives. Let us pray. In thename of the Father... O Lord Jesus Christ, bless us to live always with thespirit of Your Word in every moment of our lives. Hail Mary, full of grace... Inthe name of the Father...

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Presented by Melissa Heidy from the Parish of Christ the King in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 1 Samuel 1: 24-28; Rs psalm: 1 Sam 2: 1.4-5.6-7.8abcd; Luke 1: 46-56.PREPARATIONFOR BIRTH Our reflection today is entitled Preparation for Birth. The dayof the birth of Jesus Christ is very near. The most appropriate preparation forus is preparation for this birth. Our reflections over the past days haveprepared us for this very moment. Today we reflect on the birth of John theBaptist, who prepares the way for a birth far greater than his own. The twoinfants had already met in their mothers' wombs when the Virgin Mary visitedElizabeth. This meeting can be seen as a sign: John was born first to announceto the world that the birth of the Messiah would soon follow. Sacred Scripturetells us clearly that their births happened one after the other. The birth ofJohn the Baptist fulfills the prophecy of Scripture and God's plan. He wouldbecome a voice crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way for the comingof the Word. His birth also prepares the way for repentance and liberation fromdarkness, blindness, ignorance, and sin. This preparation begins with his ownfather, Zechariah, whose mouth was opened after a time of silence before hisson was born. The birth ofJohn the Baptist inspires us to be born anew before Christmas. Spiritually, weare called to be reborn. Our baptism is our new birth in Christ. Through thesacrament of Confirmation, we receive the Holy Spirit and are born in theSpirit. Each time we take part in the Eucharist, we receive new life as theWord of God becomes flesh. Our confession of faith in The Apostle's Creed, ourprayers and devotions strengthen our new life in Christ. All of these are meantto be lived faithfully and regularly. As Christmasis only a few days away, we should take time to reflect on our rebirth infaith. We remember how we have grown throughout this year. This renewal becomeslike a festive garment that clothes us, fills our minds and hearts, expressesour gratitude, and prepares us to be reborn.  It is rightand good for us to experience a beautiful encounter: an encounter with life. Weare reborn through the holy Church, through the eternal Word who became humanand was born of the blessed Virgin, and we enter the same Church. Let us pray. In the name of the Father… Merciful God, renewus by Your Spirit, so that we may be reborn and ready to welcome the birth ofJesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Hail Mary… In the name of the Father…

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Delivered by Reinaldy, Johana, Dwi Setyo, and Maria Delie from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 7: 10-14; Rs psalm 24: 1-2.3-4ab.5-6; Romans 1: 1-7; Matthew 1: 18-24.FOR THE SAKE OFGREATER IMPORTANCE The title for ourmeditation on this fourth Sunday of Advent is: For the Sake of GreaterImportance. A group of students discussed the place where they can do theirsocial service as a form of Christmas and New Year's action. They also consideredthe people to be the target of their service. All considerations of personalinterest were avoided so that the decision they made was truly for the needs ofmany people. A 5th grade boy ofelementary school opened all his savings for one year. The savings are theresult of collection of his pocket money and gifts he has received but he didnot use them. Then he spent all of his savings to buy Christmas and New Yeargifts, then he plans to offer them to an orphanage near his home, an orphanageunder the religious umbrella that is different from his Catholic religion. He issatisfied and happy because he does an act of love for others. These two truestories are the examples of reflection about self-renunciation. The theologicalterm for this we often say is incarnation. Actually the reason for an act ofrenunciation is for the sake of certain greater importance. The logic of thiswould be the following: any personal or smaller interest must be sacrificed,because there is other greater interest to be fulfilled. In the fulfillment of onegreater interest, personal interest is actually also fulfilled. The true  and genuine renunciation is made by God byleaving His place in heaven and becoming human. If God is only for Himself, Heshould just live in heaven and not to come to the world for the greater benefitwhich is our salvation. King Ahaz in the first reading understood well thistruth of renunciation. Therefore he refused to ask for something special givento him by God. He let God alone reveal His will, that is for the sake ofgreater importance. This importance isthat Jesus is born into the world for the salvation of the whole world and allmankind. He is indeed referred to by the scriptures as a descendant of David,but He does not belong to David and his whole family only. He is the God forall people and all creation. Joseph, engaged to Mary, also sacrificed his owninterests, namely shame, pride and anger. He just wanted to divorce Mary. Butbecause of a greater importance, namely God's will, he obeyed and he was happywith his attitude and decision. The truth for us shouldbe this: by obeying the will of the Lord, we actually act for the sake ofgreater importance.Let's pray. In the name of theFather... O tender and loving God, may this 4th Sunday of Advent celebrationcomplete our joy for the Christmas that soon to come. Our Father who art inheaven ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Melissa Heidy from the Parish of Christ the King in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Jeremiah 23: 5-8; Rs psalm 72: 1-2.12-13.18-19; Matthew 1: 18-24.JOSEPH,AN EXPERT OF CRHRISTMAS Ourmeditation today is entitled Joseph, an Expert of Christmas. In theGospel of Matthew that we have just heard, an angel speaks to Joseph in a dreamand says: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.She is pregnant through the Holy Spirit. The child to be born through Mary—youmust name Him Jesus.” Josephwas surely disappointed and embarrassed when he learned that Mary was pregnant.To help him understand, God had a plan. He sent an angel who could explainGod's will wisely. From the very beginning, the angel gained Joseph's attentionby calling him a descendant of David. By reminding Joseph of his connection tothe great King David, the angel showed him that he had a specialresponsibility. Joseph understood that he must obey and follow God's plan. Wehuman beings are often like this as well. When the name of a respected or holyperson is mentioned, we are more willing to listen and change our minds. We aretaught to follow the examples of great, noble, and holy people. When we aretempted to do something wrong, their example helps us reconsider our decisions. Inthis way, Joseph is truly an expert of Christmas. He teaches us how to evaluateourselves and remain faithful. A few days ago, we celebrated Gaudete Sunday.May the joy of Christmas not distract us from what the most important thing is—thatour hearts and spirits need to be purified. Our joy must be accompanied byobedience to God, so that we are not led into temptation. Josephis a true guide for Christmas. He teaches us to take risks for what is rightand to remain faithful to the right decisions. As individuals, families, andcommunities, we will make choices as we celebrate Christmas and the New Year.May our decisions strengthen our faith. Even if there are risks, may theyalways lead us closer to God. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Amen. Let uspray. In the name of the Father…O Lord,help us imitate Saint Joseph as we prepare for Christmas. Help us remainfaithful and obedient to You.Glory be tothe Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit…In the name of theFather…

Delivered by Svara Nirmala and Lukitananda Putra from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Genesis 49: 2.8-10; Rs psalm 72: 1-2.3-4ab.7-8.17; Matthew 1: 1-17.THEJUSTICE OF THE LORD REIGNS Thetitle for our meditation today is: The Justice of the Lord Reigns. In the pastfew days religious figures such as Elijah in the Old Testament and John theBaptist in the New Testament caught much of our attention. Today we have theopportunity to meet another Old Testament figure, namely the King David. Jacob,also called Israel, when he was about to die, called his children to give thema wish, and the one who got it and who would inherit the power of God's justicewas Judah. From him came the king David. Descendants after descendants fromJudah to David, finally reached Jacob who begot Joseph the husband of theVirgin Mary. Inthe classroom during the religion class, a student protested strongly againsther teacher. She did not want the teacher to continue the lesson by mentioningthe king David's name. For her David was a great scandal. As a girl, she wantedthat leaders and public figures who are unfair, deceitful, lustful, and sinfullike David should not be our point of reference because they are not goodexamples for many people. Theteacher tried to calm the situation, because the provocation of that girl madethe entire class noisy as the students were speaking and cursing the characterof David. The teacher assured them all, that the figure of David has much incommon with many other historical figures in the world. They are not free frommistakes and sins. They are the ones who actually create injustice. Therefore,God wants to provide justice according to His will, even if it comes throughthe wrong way and sinful person. God's justice must remain victorious and mustnot be defeated by any evil behaviour. There was a young man involving in anunhealthy relationship. He impregnated his girlfriend and his studies wereinterrupted. His behaviour at home was getting worst. He easily got angry and couldfight blindly. Anyway, he acted unfairly, out of justice. However,his parents were not hopeless. They chose the path of justice. It is a way oflove for their son. The son then felt welcomed. He was not treated as a failureand sinner. Both parents were actually practicing the triumph of God's justice.We learn from David, that if justice only follows human will, what will happenis injustice. The justice of God will change human injustice into blessing andsalvation.Let's pray. In thename of the Father ... O Father of Mercy, strengthen our obedience andfaithfulness so that we will not be swayed by the various threats around us.Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you ... In the nameof the Father ...

Delivered by Prishella Tjiuranda from the Parish of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Zephaniah 3: 1-2.9-13; Rs psalm 34: 2-3.6-7.17-18.19.23; Matthew 21: 28-32.SALVATION FOR ALL THE LOWLY The title for our meditation today is: Salvation forAll the Lowly. The prophet Zephaniah prophesied something that often felt theopposite of the logic of the world. He conveyed that God does not side withpride, oppressive power, or false security that man builds on his own strength.Instead, God promises to leave behind "the humble and poor remnant of thepeople," those who no longer rely on power, office, or great fame, buthope fully in God. Salvation, according to this prophecy, is born of humility,not of pride. Zephaniah emphatically reminds that arrogant andpowerful people who abuse power do not live in God's blessing. The power usedto oppress others actually distances man from the face of God. God is notimpressed by the grand outward appearance, but looks at an honest and brokenheart. Before Him, pride is a wall that hinders grace, while humility opens theway to salvation. This message is reaffirmed by Jesus Christ in Hisproclamation of the Gospel. Jesus repeatedly showed that God's Kingdom is closeto those who are oppressed, hungry, weeping, and persecuted. He said that whenlittle people cry out to God, their cries are never ignored. God is not adistant and deaf God, but a God who immediately comes to help when injustice causesman suffers. Jesus himself lived among the marginalized. He atewith tax collectors, touched the sick, and defended those who were despised. Inevery of His actions, Jesus reveals the face of God on the side of those whohave no one but God. In the eyes of the world they are despised, but in theeyes of God they are precious and loved. We can imagine a small worker whose rights are takenaway, whose voice is ignored because he has no power or relationship. When hecould only pray in silence, God worked in unexpected ways: people's hearts werechanged, the truth was revealed, and the path of justice was opened little bylittle. Not because of his strength, but because he cried out to God with anhonest, humble, hopeful heart. The salvation promised by God does not belong to thosewho feel the strongest, but to those who dare to hope in God in the midst ofweakness and difficulty. It is in this humility that God reveals His salvationto all those who are despised.Let us pray... In the name of the Father ... O Almighty God,enable us to do like Jesus Christ who is very merciful to those who are sickand suffering. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit... Inthe name of the Father ...

Delivered by Keisha, Claudia, Reinaldy, and Kathleen from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 35: 1-6a.10; Rs psalm 146: 7.8-9a.9bc-10; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11.GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD Our meditation onthis Third Sunday of Advent is entitled: God Is Always Good. On this thirdSunday of Advent usually as members of the Church we have a joyful celebration.Church tradition guides us to celebrate it as "Gaudete Sunday" or"Joyful Sunday" because its liturgical messages reveal the very nearcoming of the Lord. In the preparation towelcome His coming, today the three holy readings together convey the fact thatthe Lord really comes to do good to us. Since the first human's fall into sinand the beginning of the Divine promise for the salvation of mankind fromslavery of sin, the message of God's coming has always been a good news. For us his comingmeans he is always kind to us. If He is only in a distant and unreachableHeaven, God's goodness is doubtful. The third Sunday of Advent as a joyful day,because we feel, we remember, and we believe that God is always good to us. Hedoes not have the intention to keep His goodness to Himself, but is given andprovided for us. A housewife calledher husband who was on his way to work. It was a sudden news and must beresponded to immediately. Their four-year-old child crashed and fell on thestairs. The wife panicked and she urgently needed her husband. The husband whohas just arrived at work should return soon because of his child's severecondition. They immediately took the child to the hospital for an intensivemedical treatment. This man's action isan example of reaching out the problem and immediately solving it. In His actsof love, God always comes to us who have various kinds of problem andsuffering. He is the savior and giver of solutions for our lives. He overcomesour difficulties and sufferings. He cannot bear with our situation. The firstreading and the gospel of today clearly show such situation and God's decissiveand immediate action to humans. God is our helper and our savior. God's coming for usalso means to complete what we still lack. Perhaps we still lack enough hopeand longingness for God. Perhaps there is still emptiness within us. SaintJames encourages us that God will soon come to fulfill this lack. And when itwas confirmed that Jesus was indeed the promised Lord who had come, John theBaptist along with his disciples and all of us really experience a veryopportune moment to come to the fullness of life. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O God, may our joy on this third Sunday of Advent strengthen ourpreparation to celebrate the coming Christmas, the anniversary of the birth ofJesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Our Father who art in heaven ... In the nameof the Father ...

Delivered by Jeril from the Parish of Saint Joseph in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 40: 25-31; Rs psalm 103: 1-2.3-4.8.10; Matthew 11: 28-30.OVERCOMING WEAKNESSES The title for ourmeditation today is: Overcoming Weaknesses. Our preparation during Adventseason for welcoming the Lord's coming, among the many things to do, issomething that will be the focus of our today's reflection, namely to overcomeour own weaknesses. Our deficiency in the form of physical and mental pain orilness is the most common weakness in us. The surce of this weakness is eitherfrom within or outside ourselves. All weaknesses inthis world and in our lives are temporary. For example, people who have canceror high blood pressure will experience their freedom only after they die. Afterdeath they no longer have cancer or high blood pressure. Many people and maybeyou often complain and say this following statement: "How long will mypatience be in the midst of problems and sufferings I face?" This is thegeneral attitude of us human beings towards the weaknesses that we have, and weseem to believe that problems and sufferings are heavier than our abilities toovercome. Our weaknesses oftenseem so real that they can be seen by others. With the existence of a verywidespread communication tools and the mentality of people today to freely spreadinformation, these weaknesses easily become so interested by many people. Oftenin this way, people who are victims of oppression, harassment or slander willsuffer even more greater. Human weaknesses are thus easy to become a tool ofoppression, violence and profit for those who have power. From the point ofview of the Christian faith, this weakness in humans must be transformed tobecome strength, to be more positive and to encourage us to live a good life inaccordance with God's will. If God's will requires a person to be faithful inhis daily prayers and Sunday obligation, he must change the habit of forgettingthem or the tendency to overwork so to cause him not anymore having enough timefor God. Faith in God always has a function to correct human weaknesses andshortcomings, so that we can restore again our dignity as true human persons.   In this moment ofAdvent, it is very necessary to renew wrong attitudes and bad habits thatprevent us from doing good. Since people are often not able to get out of theirown weaknesses, it is very necessary to rely on God's power to overcome thoseweaknesses. The book of the prophet Isaiah confirms that God Almighty givesstrength to those who are weak. Likewise the Lord Jesus Christ invites andattracts people who are weak, tired and weary to come to Him. He provides allpossibilities to make them refreshed and recovered. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O most loving Lord, strengthen us so that we can renew ourselves from ourweaknesses and become more passionate to love you and our neighbours. Glory tothe Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Grace Larope from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Genesis 3: 9-15.20; Rs psalm 98: 1.2-3a.3bc-4; Ephesians 1: 3-6.11-12; Luke 1: 26-38.HOLY FROM THEBEGINNING The title for ourmeditation on this solemnity of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is: HolyFrom the Beginning. This celebration has been observed by the whole Churchsince 1845, when on this day Pope Pius IX promulgated the doctrine of Maryconceived without sins, or Mary the Immaculate Conception. This doctrineemphasizes the sanctity of Our Lady from the beginning of her life, while atthe same time strengthening devotion to Our Lady that had started from theAncient Church in Jerusalem. The development of this devotion includes thepolular spreading around the world the prayer "Hail Mary" which is soloved by all Christians. The phrase "Hail Mary, full of grace" whichis the greeting of the angel Gabriel in the Gospel of Luke today, is anacknowledgment of the sanctity of Mary coming from heaven. This means that thisdignity is not just an ordinary thing. This doctrineconfirms the truth of our faith saying that from the very beginning of theconception in the married couple Joachim and Anne, God had designed in suchmanner that the womb conceiving Mary's fetus would be protected by God's grace.Therefore, the life of the baby Mary was not interrupted and corrupted by thevirus of original sin and of course Mary was completely saved. Purity indeed existedin that infant who inhabited the womb of her mother, then her birth and so onuntil the moment she was a young lady who received the annunciation from theangel Gabriel. From there Mary began to live with the Eternal Word which becameMan and was named Jesus of Nazareth. She remained holy from the beginning tothe end of her life, then was taken up to heaven to be with the Holy Trinity. Mary is the onlyextraordinary human being. Only she from all created human beings is full ofGod's grace. The saints and the blessed ones, men and women are simply calledthe glorious inhabitants of heaven who take part in the fullness of God'sgrace. Mary instead has been in the fullness of grace since the moment of conception.This privilege and precious dignity of Our Lady has also impacts to us. Doesthis solemnity has meaning for every one of us? There are at least threemeanings that we can reflect upon and then live them out in every one's life. First, the ability tofight sin. The book of Genesis in the first reading tells us that the chief ofevil, Satan, was defeated and the one who did this is Jesus Christ. Even thoughwe are always tempted to fall into sins, Mary who had overcome sins will alwayshelp us, for example through the prayer: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for ussinners! Second, following in the footsteps of the Virgin Mary, we need tomaintain our dignity as followers of Christ and have been called brothers andsisters of Jesus, that we have been called from the beginning by Jesus Christ,as proclaimed by our second reading today. Third, if we live in the spirit ofrejecting sins and avoiding evil deeds, we really are the sons and daughters ofOur Lady.Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O heavenly Father, may we always imitate the Virgin Mary in holiness and alife full of grace. Hail Mary, full of grace ... Mary Immaculate Conception,pray for us. In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Kezia, Cherilyn, Stella and Michaela from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 11: 1-10; Rs psalm 72: 1-2.7-8.12-13.17; Romans 15: 4-9; Matthew 3: 1-12.DO NOT REFUSE TOREPENT The title for ourmeditation on this second Sunday of Advent is: Do Not Refuse To Repent. All ofour meditations during Advent are centered on the theme of welcoming the LordJesus, our Savior. In the recent past days we have pondered about the ways tomake our preparation. In this Sunday we are invited to another very importantway of preparation, the path of repentance. The scriptures present the personof John the Baptist to remind us of the importance of repentance in Advent. This importantinvitation and reminder is not only from Jesus Christ and John the Baptist.People near us also often remind, reprimand or inform you. The issue of whetherthe reminder or warning is strong enough to change you, it really depends onthe ability of every person. Every one's freedom to make a choice isfundamental. You choose to change or remain not change. But if we want tofollow the path of our faith that the Lord Jesus Christ wants, repenting willbe more important than the freedom of each individual to choose others thanchange. The young man wholikes to race over a motorcycle and toss the engine as hard as possible so thatit annoys many people, is warned by his parents and siblings to stop doing thataction. A man who is very addicted to smoking is warned by his wife andchildren about that dengerous addiction. A young couple are advised so thatthey have proper dating that they do not become the talk of the people aroundthem. A student is always monitored by parents so that he can finish his schoolwith good grades. And in this time of grace, the reminder to us would be this one:Don't refuse to repent. There are still many advices and warnings that we alwaysreceive from our neihbours. People who advise andremind us actually see us and our problems objectively. They see and understandthe positive and negative sides of those rebuked or admonished. Whereas when someoneonly believe in what he or she sees and understands in him or herself, itbecomes just a subjective view. In this manner, one is controlled by personalego, interest, and pleasure. The advice, reminder and warning that come to usare actually the choices that we have to choose and follow. They attract ourattention, and so we are drawn to choose the good from the bad, or the rightfrom the wrong. These three readingsof this Sunday together give us an important reminder or advice, namely torepent or renew ourselves from sinful life and wicked way of life. Having a newlife is the main condition for welcoming the kingdom of God that comes to us.Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Almighty Father, may this Sunday celebration encourage us to repent andbecome the persons in our Lord Jesus Christ. Hail Mary, full of grace ... Inthe name of the Father ...

Delivered by Svara Nirmala, Clairine, and Marie Delie from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Isaiah 2: 1-5; Rs psalm 122: 1-2.4-5.6-7.8-9; Romans 13: 11-14a; Matthew 24: 37-44.ALL MUST BE READY The title for ourmeditation today on the First Sunday of Advent is: All Must Be Ready. Theexperience of missing a flight or train has happened a lot. A friend onceshared his experience about this. He was enjoying the excitement of playinggames and downloading videos on the laptop while waiting for the transitflight. The moment was so precious to him because the internet is fast and freewhich is not found in the village where he comes from. He really wanted toenjoy it to his heart's content. But until the last call to board the plane, hedid not get to hear it. Finally when he realized later, he was too late toleave. His ticket automatically expired. He was ashamed ofhimself because in front of him there was a sign attached to the wall thatsays, "All passengers must be ready before being called to board theplane." All of us who are healthy-minded understand about getting ready.Everyone who knows and understands about getting ready, accepts it as anobligation. The basis should be this one: a demand to be fulfilled. Someone whohas an interest in this demand must follow and obey it. The quality required ofhim before carrying out that obligation is that he must be prepared. There's noway of not being prepared. For matters relatingto faith in God, preparation is absolute. There are a lot of God's words andcommands about preparation. God is never subject to time and place, but wehumans are very determined to. Humans are very limited in their ability toadapt to different times and places. For this reason, self-preparation foradjustment to changes is absolute. The universal law for preparation applies toall people, and for believers is crucial in the fulfillment of God's will. As we enter the newLiturgical Year, marked by the celebration of this first Sunday of Advent, ourgood news is the call to prepare. We are reminded to be prepared to welcome ourLord Jesus Christ. The call to welcome is addressed to all nations and culturesof the world. We follow the source of this call that is in the holy house ofGod. There enthroned Jesus as the Great King. His kingdom was marked by Hisbirth on this earth more than 2000 years ago, which we celebrate on hisbirthday every December 25, the Christmas day. We all must do thepreparations to welcome our King, because he always comes in accordance withthe time he wants. He just wants to find us happy, longing and full of warmnessto welcome Him, so that our joy becomes full and He fulfills the will of theFather.Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O God of great love, may this celebration of the first Sunday of Adventmake us always prepared to welcome your Son Jesus Christ our savior. Our Fatherwho art in heaven... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Fiona from the Parish of Mary Queen of the Rosary in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Daniel 6: 12-28; Rs psalm: Add. Dan 3: 68.69.70.71.72.73.74; Luke 21: 20-28.PASSING THE NEEDLE'SHOLE Our meditation today isentitled: Passing the Needle's Hole. The experience of exile and captivity isvery unpleasant. Living in a strange place and you do not have anyone near by,it is greatly sad. For anyone who wants to endure and survive, he must gothrough all challenges and difficulties. He must rely on God he believes in.His life like having to go through a needle's hole. This is a reality should befaced with patience and struggle. The young Danielexperienced captivity and exile as narrated to us by today's first reading.This Jewish youth is an all-out enemy by haters who wanted to destroy him. ButKing Darius, who respected God, was the one on the Daniel's side. After it wasproven that Daniel's punishment being destroyed in the lion's den wasunsuccessful, Daniel was finally released and the recognition of the just andtrue God was made by the King and his entire kingdom, while the criminals andhaters were put to death. In these days leadingus to the end of our liturgical year, the proclamation of God's word about theend of time illustrates a frightening and trembling emotion. This situation canbe understood as a transitional or a shift moment. Every transition or shifthas more critical situation compared to calm and pleasant condition. Peoplehave to go certain extent to prepare everything. People must decide to leavethe unnecessary, and they are filled with shadows about the next steps that arenot certain. A transition periodcan be seen as a state such as having to pass through a needle's hole. Indifficult situation and seemingly only little hope of release, the call tofreedom and salvation becomes so important. There, one's faith is tested sothat it becomes stronger and able to survive. One's hope also becomes strongerfor the promise of beautiful and extraordinary achievement will come true. Thisis the characteristic of our Christian faith which comes from the way of thecross of Jesus Christ. The cross of the LordJesus Christ is the principle sign of victory. In the cross the Lord institutesa total destruction of life on earth and death. But God at the same timecreates victory and new life as a divine gift that will never again destroyedor perished. All the horrifying images in transition, as portrayed in theGospel passage today as an event of the fulfillment of time, are opportunitiesthat we must face and pass through in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord truth and wisdom, in a needle's hole and difficult situation, may wealways see and find You. Our Father who art in heaven... In the name of theFather ...

Tim Tabur Kejaksaan Tinggi Sulawesi Selatan berhasil menangkap seorang buronan terpidana kasus pemalsuan dokumen yang sebelumnya masuk dalam target operasi intelijen. Tony Gosal alias Welly, mantan manajer perusahaan baja ringan, ditangkap di sebuah ruko di Makassar setelah mangkir tiga kali dari panggilan yang sah. Dia terlibat dalam pemalsuan dokumen di Kejaksaan Negeri Jayapura dan kini akan segera diserahkan kepada jaksa eksekutor untuk proses hukum lebih lanjut.Penangkapan ini menunjukkan keseriusan Kejati Sulawesi Selatan dalam menindaklanjuti kasus-kasus buronan yang melarikan diri dari hukum. Setelah ditangkap, pelaku langsung dibawa ke kantor Kejati Sulsel untuk diperiksa lebih lanjut.

Delivered by Erica Tanzil from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Daniel 1: 1-6.8-20; Rs psalm: Add Dan: 3: 52.53.54.55.56; Luke 21: 1-4.A THOUSAND RUPIAHFOR GOD Our meditation today is entitled: A Thousand Rupiahfor God. A child asked his father why their family always sat on the 5throw from the front every time the Holy Mass was being celebrated in the parishchurch. The child was quite aware that his parents would bring the whole familyto sit on that bench. They were always in that place before the mass began.Their feet stepped on the same floor and their heads went straight to the sameroof. After the Mass, the father explained the reason to thechild. The reason was because of the thousand rupiah. From a young age andbefore marriage, he was impressed by the words of the parish priest at thattime. The priest said that each collection, the amount of which depends on eachperson, contributed in the construction of the parish church. Since then he hasnever been absent from giving a collection of a thousand rupiah. When he got married and had a family, he used to bringto every Mass a thousand rupiah as collection. That family saw firsthand howthe church was renovated to its current shape. The cost of renovating thechurch indeed came from the routine collection of one thousand rupiah for thefamily and other families in the parish.  With such an understanding, the father and mother ofthe family always ensure that their place or position in the church must bereal and fixed. They showed it through a sign, that is to occupy a specialposition, so as to remind them of being special part of the membership of theChurch. Although their role and contribution to the Church are small, they havebecome an integral part of the growth of the Church as God's people. They justwant to make sure that they have the Church and at the same time the Church hasthem. The father's explanation really made the child understoodand was eager to be always active in the life of the church in theirparish.  For all of us, one of the signsthat we are active and part of the Church is that we make our owncontributions. The condition for making a donation is very simple, namely togive sincerely and with all your heart. The gift is very appropriate torepresent ourselves, even though it amounts to only a thousand rupiah, but itexplains ourselves as people who have something to give. The sacrifice of the poor widow narrated in today'sGospel gives us inspiration to give to God what is worthy of God and what makesour hearts satisfied and happy. Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, make us asgenerous and loving as you who always generous and loving to us. Hail Mary,full of grace... In the name of the Father ...

The tamarind tree, which has significant meaning in the culture of the Bugis people of South Sulawesi and Indigenous Australians of the Northern Territory, is a highlight of the exhibition in Australia. - Pohon asam, yang memiliki makna penting dalam kebudayaan suku Bugis di Sulawesi Selatan dan Penduduk Asli Australia di Northern Territory menjadi sorotan dalam pameran di Australia.

The journey of Nirmala Syarifuddin Baco, an Indonesian Maritime Studies graduate, in traditional Makassan boatbuilding and sailing, was captured in a documentary titled Wangany Mala. - Perjalanan Nirmala Syarifuddin Baco, seorang lulusan Ilmu Kelautan di Indonesia, saat mendalami dunia pembuatan dan pelayaran perahu khas Makassar, diabadikan dalam film dokumenter berjudul Wangany Mala.

Faisal Oddang, penulis dan dosen sastra dari Makassar, tampil sebagai pembicara di the Emerging Writers' Festival (EWF) 2025 di Melbourne, berbagi perspektif tentang tantangan penulis pemula dan peran kecerdasan buatan (AI) dalam dunia kepenulisan.

The annual visits of cucumber fishermen from Makassar are believed to have begun in the 1600s and continued until 1907 resulting in intermarriage between the two nations. - Kunjungan tahunan para nelayan teripang dari Makassar diyakini telah dimulai pada tahun 1600-an dan berlanjut hingga tahun 1907 yang menghasilkan perkawinan baur antara kedua bangsa.

The documentary “Before 1770” uncovers the long-established trade and social ties between Makassar sailors and Aboriginal peoples in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory - long before the Europeans set foot in Australia. - Film dokumenter “Before 1770” mengungkap hubungan dagang dan sosial yang telah terjalin lama antara pelaut Makassar dan masyarakat Aborigin di Arnhem Land, Northern Territory - jauh sebelum bangsa Eropa menginjakkan kaki di Australia.