Showing posts with label katolik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label katolik. Show all posts

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Blessings

First and foremost I want to say
"HAPPY EASTER!!!"

My 25th easter, and yes... I am going to tell you about my 25th birthday.
Turning 25 for me is Big. It feels like when I turned 10th - it's like a gate towards my teens.
When I turned 17th - it's an entrance to be young adult
When I turned 21st - a "legal" age
And then now, 25... people say it's an age for marriage haha. But, I am not getting married any sooner, and I am not feeling that I should. Actually, being 25 is no difference than when I turned 18 or 22 or 24. I am still childish and the same cheerful chen that everybody knows... (at least that's what I have heard for the past 25 years hehehe)

However, there's something special about 25th birthday.

No.1
I got my number 3 supporter from Makassar a.k.a. RETTY KHO. My nanny 911. She came here to Surabaya, volunteered to be my maid for two days. She cleaned every corner of my room!! and gave me supply of food for months!


No. 2
Birthday Discounts.
hail to memberships!
20% off  from BodyShop
25% off from GAUDI
50% off from Etude House



No. 3
It's Palm Sunday!
What I recall, my birthday could be one of days in holy week. It could be on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter vigil, or Easter Sunday.
This year, I had a privilege to celebrate it on Palm Sunday.
It's an ordinary Palm Sunday in Indonesia. A grande entrance with palms on hands, a full re-cap of station of the cross, but it's like a reading from a scripture. And then the eucharist.
It's just like any other Palm Sunday mass, but for me, it's a special one. I felt it when I got the hostia in communion. Regularly, in catholic mass, the priest would have a big hostia for the ceremony of eucharist on altar. The small hostia has been placed in crowns. The big hostia only be used by the priest and after the eucharist, it would be broken into small pieces and mixed with the small hostia.

Usually, people in the front who would have a chance to get the broken piece. Or, for a special mass like a wedding or baptism, the one who wed or the one who baptized got the broken piece. But, what special about it is when I got the broken piece instead. I was not one of those who in line in the first row. I was quiet towards the end, but the priest took a couple time before giving me the hostia, and it was the broken piece. I just thought it was not ordinary, it was a 'sign'. Don't know what, you could tell me that I was over-reacted. However, getting the broken piece on your birthday when you were not in the front line could make you think that... HE also wanted to 'congratulate' you, or I preferred to say, it was His gift :)

No. 4
"Mbak, masih SMA ya?" could be translated "Miss, you are still in High School, right?" said the Gaudi girl. Retty was burst into laughter. I was doing the same. That was not the first time I heard that people mistook me as a high schooler. In the first time I came to Surabaya, many have guessed that I could be at least still a college student. LOL
There were two possibilities about this; number one, I got a baby face look. Number two, childishness. Considering, they said it mostly at our first meetings, so I think possibility number one wins (yeaaah). Although, I admitted both of them haha.
taken a month ago

taken on April 13th

But hey, I think baby face is running into my family. Once my cousin Eras who is 10 years older than me, was mistook as a college student. It was on my 21st birthday, he came to Minneapolis from Washington DC for seminar. He was of course invited to my 21st birthday party. Most of my Minnesotan friends asked him whether he was in senior year, hahaha... he was 31 at that time. Already done with master. LOL


he was 31!! 

My dad is also having the similar situation. People wont guess that he is in his sixties. Most people were surprised when they know that my dad is 61 years old. He looks like in his late 40s at least, ot 50s possibly
He is the on who wears Batik

No. 5
Got many blessings from all of you :)

Being 25 feels old?
I honestly say that I am not feeling old. But, perhaps after this, I might? I don't know.
Anyway, numbers are just numbers.
What most important is how to live this life, don't you agree?
I am still not perfect, perhaps I could not be perfect.
However, just like you, I am learning from mistakes and gain every wisdom I can, walking in faith, and share joy and love.

Reminiscing of how I was born, every birthday is a gift.
Life is indeed a gift.
I could die when I was born because amniotic water was on my throat since I was in mambo's womb for 10 months. I was a premature baby. Hence, I could grow as tall and as big I am now is a blessing.

There's no other word than Grateful...

I just can say...

thank you
for all of you... for all of things...

Throwback post: 22 tahun yang lalu


CVB

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Surat kepada mereka yang sedang ragu akan iman kepercayaannya...

Kepada mereka yang sedang ragu akan iman (Katolik) nya...

Hai teman,
Aku menulis ini bukan untuk menggurui atau menyalahkanmu. Aku menulis ini untuk berbagi cerita. Aku tidak mengatakan bahwa Katolik yang paling benar, semua orang apapun agamanya bisa merasakan apa yang aku rasakan ketika mengetahui ada salah satu saudaranya yang ingin merubah agamanya. Ketahuilah bahwa agamamu adalah pilihan hatimu. Berbicara tentang imanmu bukan hak ku... aku hanya sedih mengetahui kamu sedang ragu2 terhadap imanmu...

Teman, aku cuma ingin berbagi cerita...
Katolik itu seperti sastra. Katolik menelaah teks Kitab suci, mencampurnya dengan fakta, meraciknya dalam doa, dan berjalan bersama zaman. Kadang terlihat mengada-ada atau melenceng dari kitab suci. Kadang terlihat seperti menyembah berhala. Itu karena mereka hanya melihat... tidak mengetahui...Tapi, Katolik tidak diciptakan semata-mata dari imajinasi. Namun dari interpretasi yang mendalam.

Katolik nemahami seperti apa manusia itu. Mengetahui kebutuhannya dan tidak memaksakan sesuatu yang melewati batas kemanusiaan. Katolik tidak memisahkan orang hidup dan mati karena kita adalah Gereja; perkumpulan umat Allah yang beriman. Baik hidup dan mati. Katolik tidak ingin menghilangkan budaya ataupun identitas seseorang karena itu adalah anugrah Tuhan...

Pengakuan dosa...
Api penyucian...
Bunda Maria...
Orang kudus ...
Tritunggal Mahakudus...
Konsekrasi...
Adalah keindahan yang mungkin susah dimengerti olehmu atau org lain...

Mungkin homili pastor membuatmu mengantuk... mungkin misa membuatmu bosan... namun ketahuilah... Katolik lebih daripada itu...

Dan ya... Gereja Katolik juga mempunyai sejarah gelap. Namun, dengan iman, Katolik bertumbuh. Dalam doa, Katolik berjalan.

Teman, apapun pilihanmu... aku hanya berharap... kamu diberi kesempatan untuk menikmati misa seperti yang kurasakan. Terharu ketika doksologi didoakan. Tersentuh dengan sakramen pembabtisan, pernikahan, imamat, maupun minyak suci...dan akan selalu ditenangkan dengan rosario.

Mungkin kamu merasa ragu karena kamu belum "mengenal" Katolik secara utuh... dan aku berdoa kamu diberi kesempatan. Kalaupun kamu tetap memutuskan untuk memilih agama lain... aku tidak akan menyalahkanmu. Tidak ada yang salah denganmu. Tidak ada yang salah pula dengan Katolik. Karena mungkin saja... waktu dan ruang belum setuju mempertemukanmu dengan keindahan dan kedalaman Katolik.
Aku bahkan tidak mau kamu bertahan di Katolik hanya karena memikirkan keluargamu ataupun tradisimu. Karena iman tidak diukur oleh itu.
Namun aku berdoa... kamu diberi kesempatan untuk menikmati semua keindahan yang aku rasakan sebelum kamu memutuskan pilihan terhadap agamamu...

Teman, semoga kamu juga berdoa dalam hening biar Tuhan bisa membisikkan kepadamu, jalan mana yang harus kamu ambil :)
Karena tetap saja... Tuhan itu satu...
Agama hanyalah jalan penuntun untuk kamu mengenalNya... dan lebih dekat denganNya... jika ia berkata bahwa kamu bisa lebih mengenalNya dari agama lain maka kehendakNyalah yang terjadi...

Semoga... kamu dibebaskan dari keragu-raguan sesegera mungkin...
Dan kepadamu juga yang sedang ragu akan imanmu, apapun agamamu. Aku berdoa semoga kamu juga diberi kesempatan untuk bisa menikmati dan merasa nyaman dengan agamamu... dan yang paling penting bisa lebih dekat denganNya

Tuhan memberkati dan menyayangimu...

CVB