WORDS FROM FATHER YOHANES: Not Blaming But Belonging

By Father Yohanes Akoit

In 2012, the Maumere Regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, faced an escalating public health challenge shaped by its social and economic conditions. This challenge was evident in the region’s approximately 900 People Living With HIV (PLHIV) among a population of about 300,000 predominantly Catholic residents. It happened because the area suffered from limited rainfall, agricultural productivity was low, which in turn restricted economic opportunities. As a result, many locals sought work abroad as migrant laborers. During their time overseas, some individuals engaged in risky behaviors that led to HIV infection. Unaware of their condition and assuming their symptoms were ordinary illnesses, many returned home hoping to recover. Once back in their communities, they became engaged, married, and started families. Unknowingly, they transmitted the virus to their partners and, in some cases, to their children.

In that same year, I joined the Peer Support Groups (PSG). At the hospital’s request, I underwent the NATs test to demon-strate the importance of participating in HIV testing. This initiative aimed to challenge the prejudice that attending PSG ses-sions automatically meant being HIV‑negative. My involve-ment was therefore driven by the need to support PLHIV, encourage them to take their medicine consistently, and raise community awareness to reduce stigma. The primary goal of joining PSG was to help PLHIV overcome feelings of shame or inferiority and prevent further transmission of the virus. At the same time, the involvement was also to remove prejudice and social stigma against PLHIV and accept them as family. Finally, it aimed to motivate more people, especially those showing symptoms of HIV, to take the NATs test so they could receive proper guidance and treatment.

The main idea above, “being uninfected with HIV but voluntarily taking the test”, can be used to reflect the feast of The Baptism of the Lord (Matthew 3:13-17). Jesus Himself was not a sinner, but He chose to participate in baptism. Therefore, His baptism was not an act of conversion but a gesture of solidarity with sinners. Through this act, Jesus sought to restore the dignity of those who were stigmatized and marginalized. He helped sinners and showed them how to reconfigure the Imago Dei they had in life but lost due to committing sins. Indirectly, Jesus wanted to con-vey this: the Imago Dei is the right of all God’s children, yet human weakness has disfigured that divine image in our lives. This is one of the reasons why, throughout His ministry, Jesus often chose to mingle with sinners: to show solidarity, to affirm their dignity, and to guide them back toward the fullness of the Imago Dei. These intentions of Jesus were not only meant for sinners but also addressed to the community that rejected them. His involvement with sinners was an inspiration for society. The best way to solve social problems is not by blaming the victims but by becoming involved and taking concrete action to help them overcome their problems.

Learning from this, one possible reflection on the baptism of the Lord is that we ask Jesus to grant us the same spirit and virtue, the spirit of true friendship and solidarity. Because of our human nature, each of us is vulnerable and inevitably encounters negativity in life. When such moments arise, we often struggle to find solutions. Recognizing this, we must also understand that when others face similar difficulties, they too may feel lost and uncer-tain. Their misfortune, therefore, becomes an invitation for us to show solidarity and to take concrete steps to help. The action may be small, yet it carries great meaning for those who suffer.

Father Yohanes Akoit is pastor of St. Julian and St. Anthony Catholic churches in Kentucky.