The 3 Purposes of Pentecost by Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

 

WONDERING GURU

19 May 2024

Acts 2: 1-11;1 Cor 12: 3b-7, 12-13 or (Gal 5: 16-25)

Jn 20: 19-23 or (Jn 15: 26-27; 16: 12-15)

We celebrate the birth of Jesus & most of the world pauses to celebrate Christmas with us. We celebrate His resurrection and recognize Easter as a very special day on the calendar. But unfortunately, Pentecost does not receive the worldwide fame and importance. Yet, this day is important to us, because Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, & God has given us the wonderful opportunity of being a part of it. Pentecost was a once in history event, when the Church was born. So let me share with you three things that we learn from "Pentecost."

 

I. THE CHURCH IS THE WORK OF GOD- It’s God who started the Church not any man. God brought the Church into existence & it is His Church, not ours. We are just a part of it. It is essential for us to realize that.

II. THE CHURCH WAS BORN TO COMMUNICATE THE LOVE OF GOD-The mission of the Church is to communicate the love of God to a lost & dying world. The theme of Pentecost actually is communication. God gave the gift of tongues to the apostles for one purpose, & that was for the purpose of communication.  They had a problem because of different languages and cultures. So language barrier was the main issue.  Because God wanted each of them to hear the message in his/her own language, He performed a miracle, & gave the apostles the gift of tongues so they could communicate His message to everyone there.  The mission of the Church is to communicate the message. Today that gift of speaking in tongues is put into black and white. And therefore today, we have translated the Bible into hundreds of different languages & dialects.

III. THE CHURCH WAS BORN TO CREATE UNIQUE FELLOWSHIP AMONG BELIEVERS-On the Day of Pentecost there are 3,000 new converts, & they suddenly share something that has never been shared before. All of them know they are guilty - by their sins they are guilty of crucifying Christ. But now they have repented of their sins. They've been baptized. They've been redeemed, & they've been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly, they are part of a new society, new fellowship.  They've come out of a world of slavery & superstition, of selfishness & greed.  Now they're part of a new fellowship where they can share things about themselves with others whom they know will listen & be kind & compassionate towards them.

IV THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD- How does the feast of Pentecost affect the church in the modern world? Let me share a story.  "A young man was apprenticed to a master artist who produced the most beautiful stained glass windows anywhere. The apprentice could not approach the master’s genius so he borrowed his master’s tools, thinking that was the answer. After several weeks, the young man said to his teacher, ’I’m not doing any better with your tools than I did with mine.’ The teacher replied,’ So, it’s not the tools of the master you need; it’s the spirit of the master you need.’

The Spirit of our master Jesus Christ has been with the Church since the first Pentecost, so that it could enter our spirit and enable us to be the kind of people God intended for us to be. Each day we need to renew ourselves and allow God’s Holy Spirit to replace our pride full spirit so that we can bear His cross in this world. The Holy Spirit works constantly with our spirit so that our lives may be transformed, be made new and rewarding.

 

 

 

Ascension- Good Bye! by Fr. Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

 

WONDERING GURU

May 12 2024

7^th Sunday of Easter, Year B

(Acts 1:15-17, 20A, 20C-26; 1 John 4:11-16; John 17:11B-19)

Introduction: The Ascension is largely overshadowed by the Incarnation and Resurrection. Christmas and Easter are great celebrations, but Ascension Day goes by without a trace, barely recognized—yet it is no minor event in the life of Jesus and His church. The Ascension means there can be no neutrality about Jesus. We cannot simply pick and choose from His teachings. We can’t treat him like any other religious leader or a political figure. The Ascension is the final proof that we are dealing with more than a man. All the Bible says about who Jesus is makes little sense without the Ascension. Through His ascent we know we are dealing with God.

It’s been said, Our Lord’s ascension is a climactic, glorious event—it is His exaltation to the right hand of the Father. Paul writes, “He who descended is the very One who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe” (Eph 4:10). Jesus humbly came to this earth; He descended to a sin-ruined planet, and went even to the gates of hell for us. Now He is seen returning to glory. It’s important that this event is described in the Bible. Luke tells us it took place “before their very eyes.” He wants us to know that something tangible, something real took place. Just as with the Resurrection, there were eyewitnesses to this historical event. It was a unique and spectacular moment! They saw the cloud take their Master to His heavenly home; this cloud was an OT image of the presence and glory of God, first seen in the wilderness wanderings of the Jews enroute to the Promised Land.

Easter Joy: On the day Jesus ascended to Heaven, 40 days after His Resurrection, His followers stood on the Mount of Olives grief-stricken. Their Easter-joy seemed short-lived. It took two angels to reassure them that this was part of the eternal Plan. Luke’s Gospel says that they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (24:52). The Ascension proved to be a blessing as it prepared for the coming of Jesus’ spiritual presence, no longer confined to the limitations of time and of a physical body. St Augustine reflects this benefit to us in a prayer: “You ascended from before our eyes, and we turned back grieving, only to find You in our hearts.” Jesus is present in us, wherever we go. He is our constant Companion. Author Philip Yancy suggests that, “ever since the Ascension, Jesus has sought other bodies in which to begin again the life He lived on earth…the Ascension represents my greatest struggle of faith—not whether it happened but why…by ascending, Jesus took the risk of being forgotten.” Like the disciples, we really don’t want Jesus to go. We feel detached from Him. We’re looking up into the blank sky, wishing Jesus were closer to us. Even though we may not feel His presence, we are assured that He will never leave or forsake us!

Why did Jesus say Good Bye to his apostles?

•So that He could keep His promise of sending the Holy Spirit. Jn. 16:7—It is necessary for you that I go away, for if I don’t the Comforter won’t come!

•So that He might serve as our High Priest. Rev. 1:13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.    These are the garments of the high priest, in Exodus 28.

What has Jesus been doing since He left this earth? Resting?

•Intercession-(Heb. 7:25) We pray to the ascended Lord, “Thy will be done; Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven.” Jesus hears our prayers and intercedes for us; He responds to our prayers because we are His people. He is our Mediator, Advocate and great High Priest. No angel could adequately represent us. Calvin writes, “Jesus has entered heaven in our flesh, as if in our name.” So, in a sense, as Paul writes, we are seated with God “in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6).

•Intervention-Our Lord’s ascension assures us that we too will be taken up to Heaven. He’s preparing a place for us. Many people fear or obsess over death, yet for believers, death is no longer an issue. Our eternal home is a settled promise. And Jesus is busy working to bring about His Kingdom rule on earth, in preparation for His return: “Jesus, who has been taken up from you into Heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into Heaven” (Acts 1:11). One day He’ll call us to cross over to Glory and join Him in His victory.  In the meantime, we’re waiting, and often experiencing pain and hardship. When we focus on our losses, like the disciples on the day of Ascension, we need to take a step back and look beyond our personal experiences, and seek what God wants us to have—HOPE. Hope invites us to confess and to repent of our sins. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess…” That is not talking about salvation but rather the daily confession, repentance, and forgiveness needed in the life of a believer.

“Easter is incomplete, Pentecost is impeded, and the Second Coming is impossible without the Ascension” (Robert Ramsey).

 

 

ABIDE IN MY LOVE-Live for me. Don’t die for me by Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

 WONDERING GURU

6th Sunday of Easter 2024

                                     (Acts 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 John 4: 7-10; John 15: 9-17)

Fr. Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

In this life we come across people that betray us, back stab us, hate us, or simply just ignore us. We have seen friends with benefits. We have seen fake friends, opportunists’ friends, indifferent friends.  All claim to love you and to be with you infront of your face but behind your back they show their real colours. Sometimes we trust our friends and so we confide personal things in them, but sometimes these so-called ‘trusted’ friends leak our personal information to others or use the same information against us.

There are many such friends in the church, but there are also unique friends that will stick closer than a brother. A friend that will never turn His back on you or back stab you. There will always be a friend that will not throw your mistakes in your face. He will never leave you when all you want to do is cry and cry with someone on your side or literally lean on his shoulder. He will be there 24x7, willing just “to be there”. Such a friend says, “Well, my bro, whenever you need anything, or anyone to talk to, or just someone to be on the phone and not even say a word, or just someone “to be there”, call me.” That is the type of friendship we should all give and have.

Many times, we are so caught up in our own world, in our so occupied lives, that if we receive a phone call, an unexpected visit, or a message, we tend to just blow it off, not knowing that that person is indeed crying for help from his or her heart, or perhaps experiencing suicidal thoughts.  You are not forced to be a friend, but we are to be examples of Christ. Proverbs 17:17 says: “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” Love at all times and you will be loved. What you sow is what you reap.

What does this mean to us? What does it mean to “lay down your life” as it is written here in today’s gospel? Often times, we look at this verse of “laying down your life” as “ending your life” The Greek does paint a different picture. It most probably refers to: “Commit your life”, “Give your life”, “Ordain your life”, “Purpose your life”.  The only translation that could be interpreted as ending your life, would be “give your life,” and I submit to you that it means precisely what it says: “give your life,” not “give your death”.

In verse 13, where it talks about laying down your life, the keyword is LIFE. Jesus lived for us, and yes, He died for us as well- but the key here is that He lived for us. He lived for His Father, and He lived the life that His Father wanted Him to. He was obedient to His Father’s will. He truly gave His life. The apostles clearly gave their lives, not in death, but in life. They were obedient to the Father, they were obedient to the Son. They gave their lives to Jesus.

If we have given our life to Him, if we have “laid down our life” to Him, then we owe him our life, not just a few hours a week.  Conversion to Christianity is a change in lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle, not just a religion. Paul paints a picture to the converts from paganism, the Gentiles in Galatia the lifestyle change that should be brought about by Christianity: He does not in any of these verses talk about this being a once-a-week thing. He talks about completely “putting off” the old man.  This is a lifestyle change, not a once a week change. We understand that it may be difficult, if being Christian was incredibly easy, everyone would be one. It’s not, though. It’s a lifestyle that requires us to “lay down our life,” or “Commit our life,” or “Purpose our life.” We give our life, as Jesus gave his life. Not in death, but in life.

As we conclude, “laying down your life” is not ending it, it is giving your life, or committing your life, or ordaining your life but rooted in Christ for He is the vine and we are the branches. We give our life to another, we give it to our friend and savior, Jesus, who gave us His. We give our life to the Father, to be obedient to His Will, to follow the example Jesus left us. Following that example requires us to do it completely. Just as Jesus did. He took His commitment with Him to the cross, as did many of His disciples. But this is possible only when we abide in His love. Amen

 

“Your life may be the only Bible some people will ever see”.