surat ke-2 bulan April 2005

2) 3rd Sunday of Easter, April 10, 2005

Monday, April 04, 2005. In the morning at 7 o’clock we had Mass presided by Father Willy and in the evening I led the lectio divina. In the class of millennium spirituality, Liz Cope presented Georgia O’Keeffe, a woman painter of the US. At night I did research on Bonhoeffer for my presentation.

Tuesday, April 05, 2005. Early in the morning at 7 o’clock Ignas and I headed to O’hare airport to pick up an Indonesian Jesuit priest, Father Rukiyanto, who studies theology in Boston. He is our professor at Driyarkara School of Philosophy and Theology in Jakarta. Today also sister and mother of Jacques came to our house. They came from R.D. Congo (Africa). In the morning I met Sister Barbara Bowe, RSCJ to make an appointment of academic advisement at CTU. At 3 p.m. Ignas and I attended Mass at our chapel celebrated by Father Ruki in English. In the afternoon, I took Father Ruki to go to CTU attending a seminar of Thomas O’Meara about Karl Rahner. I took schedule of fall and spring semesters for next academic year (2205-2006) at the registration office after waiting for a while during these days. Arriving at the house, I pondered on the schedule and planned my studies for the coming semesters. Today also we received “Warta Xaverian” (a magazine of Xaverian students in Indonesia) edition of Sept 2004 to March 2005. I was delighted to read it in the evening. At night I called up my brother in Ponorogo-Indonesia to congratulate his son’s first year birthday.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005. In the morning as usual we celebrated Mass led by Father Ruki. I was typing my theological reflection for next week. At noon the class of millennium spirituality, we had presentation of Mary about Flannery O’Connor who was a U.S. writer. In the afternoon I was cooking for my community: fried rice, crackers, oven-chicken and beef soup (gule).

Thursday, April 07, 2005. We had Mass at 7 a.m. presided by Father Ruki. Since I didn’t have class today, together with Ignas, I took Father Ruki and inviting Father Edi, osc to go to Father Jack’s house. Before that, we were shopping at Argyle. At the house of Vincentian, the house of Father Jack, we had lunch and hospitality at his room. At 5 p.m. Jacques guided us at the Holy Hour. In the evening after cleaning the basement, I was preparing my Bonhoeffer’s presentation for this coming Monday and doing laundry.

Friday, April 08, 2005. Early in the morning Fathers Rocco and Victor returned home from retreat and assembly at the East Coast. Today is the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Vatican. I watched television reported this solemn ceremonial Mass in the morning time of Chicago. At 7 a.m. Father Ruki and Father Victor concelebrated the Mass at our community. In the afternoon I was cooking again for my community: fried rice of leftover food and pork soup (sayur asin/baikut). In the evening to midnight I was preparing my Bonhoeffer’s presentation.

Saturday, April 09, 2005. At 6 a.m. Ignas and I took Father Ruki to O’hare airport. He has been in Chicago to do his doctoral research and meet some professors at CTU. He returned to Boston and visit Philadelphia first. Since the traffic was not bad, we still had time to attend our Mass at 7.30 concelebrated by Fathers Victor and Rocco. I was preparing my power point presentation on Bonhoeffer. In the afternoon Pascal Atumisi and I attended the deaconate ordination of two African Combonian students at Saint Michael Archangel Church, at Damen and 51st street that was started at 3.20 p.m. It was concelebrated by Most Rev. Perry, an Afro-American bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Most people who came to this celebration were Africans and Latinos. We had dinner at the gym of Saint Michael School with Mexican food. I returned home at 7.15 p.m. while in our Xaverian house there were some guests: Mulianto-Dewi and one from California, Ibu Densy. Ibu Densy is the one who invited me to attend an Asian Pacific workshop in Los Angeles back in the summer 2004 while I was experiencing immersion at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church in Philadelphia. She works as a consultant of Asian Pacific Ministry at Catholic Church in the U.S. She attends convocation for three days in Chicago. She lives in San Bernardino-California. Together with Ignas and Petrus as well, we had supper at Lao Tze Chuan restaurant at Chinatown. We took Ibu Densy to meet two OSC’s fathers at CTU, Edi and Rudi. Nearly midnight we took her to Cenacle Retreat House at Fullerton, Northern Chicago.

Sunday, April 10, 2005. I woke up at 7 a.m., took shower, praying breviary personally at my room and typing this journal. At 9.30 a.m. Petrus and I headed to Saint Therese Church, Chinatown to attend Indonesian Mass at 11 a.m. and this time Father Jack, CM concelebrated it. It seemed few people came to this Mass but the music and choir was wonderful with band and electric guitar, piano and organ that made the liturgy of the Mass more alive. After having lunch and hospitality, I returned home by CTA, taking a rest a while and typing my homework of millennium spirituality. We had supper cooked by Ignas, namely, rice, fish and shrimp.

04 April 2005
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986)

“Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) is the most famous American woman artist and an important pioneering modernist.” It is the first time I know about her and I found she’s very interesting woman in the relation between art (painting) and new millennium spirituality. I’m grateful to have experience of this presentation given interestingly by Liz Cope. The video about O’Keeffe gave me her real life in the process of knowing nature such as dessert in Mexico then she implemented in beautiful paintings. I was impressed by her spirituality especially her spirit in her aging and wrinkle skin of face she still had passion to create harmony and beauty of the nature. I hope I also have a same spirit in my aging process, not to be old and feel old in my old days. The playing of light colors in the power point presentation gave me insight and hope that this figure has optimistic and realistic life. I appreciate Liz’ integration of this presentation in which she can connect the spirituality of other figures of our class in the spirituality of O’Keeffe that was evidenced in her power point quotations.
In her age 11, O’Keeffe knew already that she wanted to become a painter. It reminds me of the idea and dream of Martin Luther King Jr. when he was a little boy, he also said that he wanted to become like Jesus. The ideal and dream since I was a boy sometimes changed until I got a certain idea when I was at 16 year-old when I knew for the first time a vocation of becoming a missionary. I was convinced at that time that I would be one of the Xaverian missionaries and it becomes real now. In the relation to a new millennium spirituality, I can draw the spirituality of O’Keeffe into our care of the nature and how to reveal the beauty and mystery of our tremendous nature into our talent such as painting art. It is interesting to see O’Keeffe in the dessert of Mexico in the hot day paying attention to the reality of nature and put it into her creative and imaginative work. Our care and talent can be implemented in many ways as we create harmony in our heart and for the good of others. The spirituality that comes up and spread toward others we can call it as a real spirituality. In other words: happiness is not fulfilled if it is not shared. The same thing with spirituality if it is not shared for others, it will not be complete.
In creating good art, we need imagination and inspiration. It can happen in conducive situation that often times in a silence manner. It is exactly what O’Keeffe did when she needed solitude place and time for herself and her art. In a new millennium spirituality I think it is very important to spare solitude time to reflect upon human work in busy and hectic days with full of activities that normally people never finish to achieve their material aims. For myself as a religious, always there is a time to do it in my annual retreat even vacation during the summers always gave me new energy and spirit to start new life. To stop for a while and look back our life’s journey will help us to know ourselves, others, God and nature then we start again this ever long and longing story of human being toward unity with God. Even in my own daily lives, I can also draw a solitude time to see again myself in the relationship with all surrounds me and to be aware of every grace I privilege to have in here and now.

06 April 2005
Flannery O’Conner (1925-1964)

I never know about Flanner O’Conner before, so I am grateful to know about her in this presentation. She is a woman and a writer in which Bishop George H. Niederaruer witnessed as savvy, sly with, and dead-on honest observer. Other qualities on her are she is a supreme artist in fiction, valuable witness to the Catholic Church and its leaders in the USA. She is also the testimony of a watchful, honest, faith-filled, eloquent lay person and she had much to say about life experience in the Catholic faith. He points out four aspects in her letters connected aspects in the Catholic faith: the experience of being a believer, a disciple of Jesus Christ; the cost of discipleship; the power of grace in the experience of the believer and the experience of the church as the setting of that life of faith and discipleship. I think they are in accord with our millennium spirituality we engage and pursue in this course. I have impression that O’Conner has deep spirituality in her early life. It is evidenced when she pursued her identity toward her work. She declared that she wanted to be a writer and tried all effort to prove it even though sometimes she was disappointed and failed. She is a prolific author who combined various spirituality such as Thomas Merton as her writing. Her profound example to write and to write incessantly gives me insight to continue my weekly journal writing based on my own daily experience.
To understand the spirituality of Flannery O’Conner, it’s much easier for me when I read an essay of The Most Reverend George H. Niederauer (Catholic Bishop of Salt Lake City) entitled The Church Listens to Flannery O’Conner. But, it’s difficult when I have to understand the two stories of “The Life You Save May Be your Own” and “Everything that Rises Must Converge” even though I have read it. Perhaps it is my own limitation on comprehending English literature that is not my first language. Thank you to Mary who has given me handout of before the class so that I could try to understand who’s Flannery O’Conner.
I can correlate the essay of Bishop George on my presentation of Bonhoeffer, especially the cost of discipleship. Bonhoeffer wrote: “Cheap grace is grace without the cross, grace without the living, incarnate Jesus Christ. Costly grace is the gospel. It costs people their lives. It costs the life of God’s Son, and nothing can be cheap to us which is costly to God.” O’Connor also had strong aspiration to say about faith, discipleship and living together as church and she admitted herself in good doing it. It’s pretty much connect on my own life in the journey of my vocation life become a disciple in ministering God’s people at church and as a member of our Catholic Church. The question and task for me is: how I do integrate myself in the spirituality of faith journey in discipleship that often times requires ‘costly grace’?

2) Hari Minggu Paskah Ke-3, 10 April 2005

Senin, 04 April 2005. Pagi ini pukul 7 kami merayakan misa dipimpin oleh Pastor Willy, sx dan sore harinya saya memimpin lectio divina di komunitas kami. Dalam kuliah spiritualitas millennium, Liz Cope mempresentasikan tentang Georgia O’Keeffe, seorang pelukis wanita terkenal di USA ini. Malam harinya saya mengadakan riset tentang Bonhoeffer untuk presentasi saya.

Selasa, 05 April 2005. Pagi ini sebelum jam 7 saya dan Ignas pergi ke bandara O’hare untuk menjemput seorang romo Jesuit Indonesia yaitu Romo Rukiyanto yang studi teologi di Boston. Ia adalah dosen teologi kami di STF Driyarkara, Jakarta. Hari ini juga ibunda dan adik perempuan Jacques datang ke komunitas kami di Hyde Park. Mereka datang dari R.D. Congo (Afrika). Pagi hari saya menemui Suster Barbara Bowe, RSCJ di kantornya untuk membuat janji pertemuan perihal program studi di CTU. Pukul 3 sore, Ignas dan saya merayakan misa dipimpin oleh Romo Ruki di kapel kami dalam bahasa Inggris. Sore harinya, saya mengantar Romo Ruki ke CTU untuk mengikuti seminar dibawakan oleh Thomas O’Meara tentang Karl Rahner. Saya pergi ke kantor registrasi mengambil daftar matakuliah untuk tahun akademis berikutnya (2205-2006) di mana sebelumnya saya sudah menunggu lama daftar ini diterbitkan. Tiba di rumah, saya langsung memikirkan dengan cermat dan seksama daftar kuliah ini dan merencanakan kuliah-kuliah yang akan saya ambil di dua semester depan ini. Hari ini pula kami menerima Warta Xaverian dari wisma xaverian di Cempaka Putih Jakarta edisi September 2004 hingga Maret 2005. Saya senang sekali membaca majalah ini di malam hari. Malam harinya saya menelpon adik saya di Ponorogo untuk mengucapkan ulang tahun pertama putera sulungnya, Frederiko.

Rabu, 06 April 2005. Pagi hari seperti biasanya, kami merayakan misa dipimpin oleh Romo Ruki. Saya mengetik refleksi teologi untuk kerasulan saya yang digunakan minggu depan. Siang hari kuliah spiritualitas millennium, kami menyaksikan presentasi dari Mary mengenai Flannery O’Connor yang adalah seorang penulis di USA ini. Sore hari saya memasak untuk komunitas saya di Hyde Park ini: nasi goreng, kerupuk, ayam yang di-oven dan gule daging sapi.

Kamis, 07 April 2005. Kami mengadakan misa pukul 7 dipimpin oleh Romo Ruki. Karena saya tidak ada kuliah, bersama dengan Ignas, saya mengantar Romo Ruki serta mengajak Romo Edi, osc pergi mengunjungi Romo Jack, cm di rumahnya. Sebelum itu kami sempat berbelanja di Argyle, bahan makanan Asia, toko Thailand dan Vietnam. Di rumah Vinsentian rumah Romo Jack, kami makan ditraktir makan siang lalu ramah tamah di kamarnya. Pukul 5 sore kami mengadakan adorasi sembah sujud di kapel rumah Xaverian kami di mana Jacques memimpin acara ini. Sore hari setelah membersihkan basement, saya menyiapkan presentasi tentang Bonhoeffer untuk hari Senin mendatang ini dan mencuci – menyeterika baju.

Jumat, 08 April 2005. Pagi-pagi buta, Pastors Rocco dan Victor kembali dari retret dan asemblea mereka di New Jersey. Hari ini adalah pemakaman Paus Yohanes Paulus II di Vatikan. Saya menonton TV yang menyiarkan langsung misa ini di pagi hari waktu Chicago. Pukul 7 pagi Romo Ruki bersama Pastor Victor memimpin misa di komunitas kami. Di sore hari saya memasak lagi untuk komunitas di sini: nasi goreng lagi dari sisa-sisa makanan yang ada dan sayur asin/baikut. Di malam hari saya menyiapkan lagi bahan presentasi saya tentang Bonhoeffer.

Sabtu, 09 April 2005. Pukul 6 Ignas dan saya mengantar Romo Ruki ke bandara O’hare. Ia sudah berada di Chicago dalam 4 hari ini untuk melakukan riset untuk studi doktoralnya di bidang teologi eklesiologi dan menemui beberapa dosen di CTU. Ia kembali ke Boston di mana dia berkuliah di Weston Theological School di Boston dan singgah sebentar di Philadelphia. Karena lalu-lintas tidak padat maka kami masih sempat tiba di rumah lebih awal dan mengikuti misa di rumah pukul 7.30 dipimpin oleh Pastors Victor dan Rocco. Saya menyiapkan presentasi dengan power point tentang Dietrich Bonhoeffer dalam kuliah spiritualitas millennium. Di sore hari Pascal Atumisi dan saya pergi ke acara tahbisan diakonat dua orang frater Combonians asal Afrika di Gereja Santo Michael Malaikat Agung di Jalan Damen dan 51st yang dimulai pukul 3.20 sore hari. Misa ini dipimpin oleh Uskup Perry, seorang uskup dari Keuskupan Agung Chicago keturunan Afro-Amerikan. Kebanyakan orang yang datang dalam acara ini adalah orang Afrika dan orang keturunan Amerika Latin. Setelah misa kami makan bersama di gedung olah raga sekolah Santo Michael dengan menu makanan Mexico. Saya kembali ke rumah pukul 7.15 sore di mana di rumah Xaverian sudah ada tamu: Mulianto-Dewi dan seorang lagi dari yaitu Ibu Densy. Ibu Densy adalah seorang yang mengundang saya ke acara workshop Asia Pasifik di Los Angeles saat musim panas 2004 lalu saat saya sedang menjalani pengalaman pastoral di paroki Santo Thomas Aquinas di Philadelphia. Ia bekerja sebagai konsultan di Pelayanan kerasulan Asia Pasifik di gereja Katolik di USA. Saat ini selama tiga hari ia menghadiri pertemuan di Chicago. Ia tinggal di San Bernardino-California. Bersama dengan para tamu ini juga dengan Ignas dan Petrus, kami makan malam bersama di restauran Lao Tze Chuan di Chinatown. Kami mengantar Ibu Densy menemui kedua romo OSC di CTU yaitu Edi dan Rudi. Menjelang tengah malam kami mengantar Ibu Densy ke rumah retret Cenacle di Fullerton, Utara Chicago di mana dia menginap dan mengadakan pertemuan.

Minggu, 10 April 2005. Saya bangun pagi pukul 7, mandi, doa brevir pribadi di kamar lalu mengetik jurnal ini. At 9.30 a.m. Petrus dan saya pergi menuju Gereja Santa Theresia Chinatown untuk mengikuti misa bahasa Indonesia pukul 11 pagi dan kali ini Romo Jack, CM memimpin misa ini. Nampaknya sedikit orang yang datang di misa ini namun musik dan koornya sungguh bagus sekali dengan band, gitar elektrik, piano dan organ yang membuat suasana liturgi misa bertambah lebih semarak dan hidup. Setelah makan siang dan ramah tamah, saya kembali ke rumah dengan bis dan kereta CTA, istirahat siang sejenak, lalu mengerjakan PR kuliah spiritualitas millennium. Kami makan malam bersama di komunitas yang dimasak oleh Ignas dengan menu nasi, ikan dan udang.