Lessons from Jairus to all the Phantom Fathers of the modern world by Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

WONDERING GURU

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43

Fr. Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

Introduction: Mark’s Gospel brings us face to face with two stories of God’s amazing healing power. We find a woman who had been sick with an incurable condition for 12 years, and a little girl who had been well for 12 years, but now at the point of death. Let’s focus on the father figure of that little girl named Jairus.

Modern Tragedy: Many homes today are suffering from the phantom father or the absent father. The father who is not there & in some homes even when he is there, they’re not there.  Thousands of men have fathered children, & simply walked away from the family.  Other men though living in the family, are so absorbed by their careers that they seldom spend time with the children the effects have & are devastating, not only to the family unit, but also in our society. Off late, the number of murders committed by teen is increasing year by year.  Some would like to blame poverty, broken homes, physical & mental abuse.  Psychological findings tell us that the lack of father figure in the Homes in the past few years have seen tremendous increase in violent crimes, illegitimate births, teen pregnancies and teen suicides. In America alone nearly 70% of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes. The home doesn’t need a man in the house, it needs a father!

Let’s revert back to Jairus the father of that dying 12 year old girl.  Here we see a man with a high social position, a man known among the people, a man of prestige & power, but a man who had a desperate need. This man’s little girl, the apple of his eye, was dying. Those of you that have children you can feel the feelings that man may have felt.

Fatherly lessons from Jairus:

Lesson 1. He was not ashamed to seek out Jesus: He did not send his wife or someone else to take his place but he as the father sought out the Lord himself. Regardless of his social position, regardless of the onlookers of the town, Jarius humbly knelt before Jesus pleading with him: Please come, for my child is dying.  It’s so important in todays world that fathers play an important role in bringing not only themselves but their whole family to the Lord.  As the head of the family a father’s role in leading his family to Jesus cannot be underestimated.  Fathers in the families need to be seekers of Jesus who is the wisdom, strength, guidance and healing.  Children must know, that their parents are not ashamed of the Gospel, nor the God of the Gospel. It like one preacher said, “it’s time for some men to get off their blessed assurance (empty promises), & start being fathers & the leaders of the home god intended them to be”.

Lesson 2. he was not afraid to bring Christ into his home: One thing that the world today needs is some Christian homes, home where Christ resides. Homes where Christ is welcome, homes where Christ is more than a picture on the wall, but a place where his presence is acknowledged, his name is honored, his word is obeyed. Psalm 127:1 says “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain”.  Parents should realize that there could be death angel passing through the world. He’s coming with drugs, sexual disease, & rebellion. He wants to enter through the TV, laptops, ipads, through all of social media. He wants to enter through acquaintances and through wrong or bad friendships.  John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. This thief may steal your children’s virginity & dignity and may be even their bodies & souls.

Lesson 3. He loved his daughter-the girl child:  What took him from his daughter’s side, to seek out a Jewish teacher, what compelled him to fall at Jesus feet & cry out I beg you, please come, what would cause a man to forget his place in society, and what others might think or say.  Love--He loved his daughter. We don’t know how long she lived but I am sure she said “I’m alive today because of my daddy’s love. May be just maybe she grew to have children--Those grandchildren heard the story of how grandpa sought a man put his reputation on the line, how their mother was brought back to life--Because of a daddy’s love for his child. Her life, her living was an example of the power of God

Conclusion: The absence of a father in the house and worse the physical or sexual abuse in the families can cause unimaginable pain in the family. Unfortunately, pain is the only constant reality of life. We all live with pain. The No one can go through the pain for us. We don’t have to bear it alone. We ask where is God when life hurts? Jesus offers hope in the midst of our pain. Jesus is never too busy for you. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. Jesus cannot help you unless you go to Him. Jesus cannot heal your hurts until you offer them to Him. Jesus offers healing for our pain.  The peace Jesus offers allows us to live. Peace gives us power for life. This peace gives us the ability to weather any storm that life may bring. The love of Jesus transforms life.  The love of Jesus begins the healing process. There is nothing Jesus doesn’t already know about you. He knows your every weakness, your every care, your every difficulty, your every heartache. So start handing your hurts and pain over to Christ. Jesus wants to restore your life. Jesus wants to restore your wholeness. Jesus makes life worth living. Jesus takes the old pain and offers new living. Jesus allows us to find wholeness. Without a personal relationship with Jesus; you will never be whole. Wholeness begins and ends with God. The Father created you. Jesus restores you. The Holy Spirit empowers you.

“Christ did not come to do away with suffering; He did not come to explain it; He came to fill it with His presence” – Paul Claudel.

 

Don’t Despair when Your Boat Rocks. God is Good even in Bad Times by Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

 WONDERING GURU

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Job 38: 1, 8-11; 2 Cor 5: 14-17; Mark 4: 35-41

Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

Introduction: Have you ever experienced storms in your life? Those times where things just didn’t make sense. Times where your problems seemed so big and your faith seemed so small. Times where you felt so swamped and so afraid that you were going to be taken over by the storm. We have all had that “sinking feeling,” haven’t we? We’ve all had our share of storms.  Jesus’ disciples were no different.  How did the disciples deal with the storm?

Poem: Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,

there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

TYPES OF STORMS IN OUR LIVES. 

1. Situational storms. This is when circumstances seem to plot against us and everything seems to go wrong. Murphy’s law seems to be right. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Sometimes everything seems to go wrong at once. There are situational storms.
2. Relationship storms. This is when there is tension between people. When a relationship has been strained to the breaking point - parent and child, husband and wife, friends - life becomes stormy.
3. Secret storms. These are often hidden on the surface. We have a nice smile, but inside we’re crying. We have “Secret Storms” which we don’t want others to know. Specially with regard to our finances or family issues. Paralyzed by fear. Overcome by guilt. Raging with anger. Consumed with worry or jealousy. Those are the emotional storms of life.

COMMON FEATURES OF ALL THESE STORMS: 

1. Storms in life are inevitable. They will happen. We will experience them. They are a part of life. In James 1:2 it says "When you face trials..." It does not say “If you face trials.” Nobody goes through life sailing easy from the cradle to the grave. We all will have tough times.
2. Storms in life are unpredictable. They come suddenly. They come unexpectedly. Try as we may, we cannot predict the things that will happen to us.
3. Storms are impartial. They happen to good people; they happen to bad people. They happen to believers; they happen to unbelievers. They happen to all of us. Mat 5:45 says, "He sends the rain on the just and the unjust." Being a Christian does not exempt us from being in storms.

FACTS OF HUMAN LIFE

1. THE STORMS WILL COME! -- Even if everything is going great right now, remember to have faith in Jesus, because the storms will come. It only takes a split second for everything to change for everything to be flipped upside down. Maybe unemployment, financial crisis, sickness, relationship failures or even death. When the disciples left the docks that day, everything was fine. However, it only took a few minutes for things to go horribly wrong. When the storms come, they bring emotions of fear, anger, frustration, and uncertainty.
2. THE STORMS WILL GO – Mark Twain and a friend walked outside one day in the rain. The friend said, “You think it will stop?” Mark Twain said, “It always does.” Storms come and go just like the waves of the sea. We can always take hope in the fact, that no matter how bad things get, the storms will pass. Jesus’ disciples thought that this storm may last long. But what do we see from the story, the SON not the SUN come out and calms the winds and the waves and the storm that they were so worried about is over. When we realize that we can’t do it on our own, that’s when we ask for help. That’s when we start looking for Jesus. We know that Jesus will always be there to calm the winds and the waves of our spiritual lives. He will always be there to strengthen and comfort us.  
3. JESUS ALWAYS STAYS-God is good all the time even during bad times in our lives. Read the poem called the Footprints.

WHAT TO DO WHEN STORM COMES?

1. The first thing we need to do is to never give up.
2. The next thing we need to do is to keep focused. It’s so easy when times are hard to lose our focus from the things that are really important or the tasks that we need to accomplish.
3. The third and final thing we need to do is that we must remember to have faith in Jesus!

Conclusion: What’s rocking your boat? What’s flooding your ship? What kind of storm are you going through? Is it a strained relationship? Is it a financial difficulty? Is it a painful memory? Is it a health problem? Is it a secret storm? Something on the inside? An emotion that’s overwhelming you? Guilt or grief or anger or bitterness or worry or fear? Maybe you feel like the circumstances of life are tossing you back and forth and you feel like you’re just a little toy boat out there in a big ocean and you’re getting bashed back and forth every day. And you’re thinking, “I’m going under! I’m not going to make it!” God has not promised us a storm-free life. This is not heaven where everything is perfect and where God’s will is perfectly done. We have choices, and we make mistakes, and we get hurt. That’s why we’re to pray, "Thy will be done on earth like it is in heaven" because it’s done perfectly in heaven. God has not guaranteed us a storm-free life. There are two ways we can respond to storms. They are seen in this story in the way the disciples responded and in the way that Jesus responded. One responded in fear, one responded in faith. One trembled, the other trusted. The two sets of footprints in the sand remind us that we must put our faith in Jesus. For the simple fact that Jesus is always there! His peace and patience and kindness are always there! And most of all for the simple fact that Jesus Always Stays!

1 Peter 5:7 - "Cast all your care on Him because He cares for you."

 

 

The Unpardonable Sin-What is it? by Fr Nelson Lobo OFM Cap

 

WONDERING GURU

10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 9, 2024-Year B

Genesis 3:9-15; Ps 130:1-8; 2 Cor 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35

 

Today the church keeps the Memoria of St. Ephrem of Syria, a deacon, hermit, and Doctor of the Church who made important contributions to the spirituality and theology of the Christian East during the 4th century.

REFLECTION- The Unpardonable Sin

After appointing the twelve apostles, He and His disciples go to a house where a multitude gathers again. In the discussion that follows, Jesus warns against the unpardonable sin. In this story the strong man is Satan. The house is Satan’s kingdom on earth. His possessions are the victims that he holds in bondage. Beelzebul literally means “lord of the house.”

Scholars Speak

•“To blaspheme is to speak evil of, to offer intentional indignity to God or to sacred things” (Schubert 50).

•“Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit forever removes a man beyond the sphere where forgiveness is possible” (Lane 145).

•“It refers to Satan as somewhat of a king of the underworld, the head of a demoniac mafia. Beelzebul was the godfather who sat back in his big chair and gave orders to the rest of the little demons” (Schubert 49).

•“They were accusing Jesus of being demonized and claimed that the demon which controlled him was the one that ruled over the evil spirits” (Hughes 1:91).

•“They could not deny that He cast out demons, but they would not accept the conclusion that Jesus was empowered by God” (Black 84).

•“They may be venomously attempting to undermine Jesus by branding him as the devil’s spawn” (Garland 132).

Jesus responded with two parabolic sayings: Scholars give their opinion on the sayings of Jesus. In the first saying…

•“all develop the same basic theme, that since strength depends on unity, an attack on any part of Satan’s domain is a sign not of collusion with him but of threat to his power” (France 171).

•“Jesus said that if there is internal dissension in a kingdom, the kingdom cannot last” (Schubert 49). In other words, “if it was by the power of Satan that He had cast out the demon, then Satan was actually fighting against Himself!” (Wiersbe 1:122). “But internal revolution is not the only way to topple a regime; an alternative method is invasion…” (Hooker 116).

•In the second parabolic saying, Jesus said “the defeat of the demons showed that Jesus was not in league with Satan. It showed that Satan’s defenses had been breached, a stronger power had arrived, and the conquest of Satan had begun” (Schubert 50).

•Overall, “Jesus explains that his ability to cast out demons by the Spirit of God is evidence that the Kingdom of God has come” (Mt. 12:28; Lk 11:20) (Black 84).

What is this sin?

§  “Anyone who is worried about having committed the sin against the Holy Spirit has not yet committed it, for anxiety of having done so is evidence of the potential for repentance. There is no record in Scripture of anyone asking forgiveness of God and being denied it!” (Edwards 124).

§  “The blasphemy Jesus was talking about results from a stubbornness of heart on the part of those who do the blaspheming” (Schubert 51).

§   “It is the ongoing, continual rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit to the Divinity and Saviourhood of Christ” (Hughes 1:92).

§   “Any sin that is committed with such arrogance and hardness of heart that its perpetrator cannot and will not confess it is beyond pardon — not because of the action itself but on account of the sinner’s insolence” (R. Shelly).

§   “For such, there can be no forgiveness, for they have refused the only way of forgiveness that God has provided, they have slammed the door” (Cole 142).

Simply put it means, the sin for which we cannot be forgiven is the sin for which we will not ask forgiveness. We Christians we don’t have this problem because we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and we constantly invoke the power of the Holy Spirit and when we fail we seek the sacrament of reconciliation.

 

“You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God”.   -C. S. Lewis