Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2020-2021)

There are many situations and many ways we can experience it. From the little things like failing the exam at school to deep uncertainties about us, our life, health.

Even in the Bible, in the Book of Proverbs you will find something about it “the fear of the Lord is beginning of wisdom, “Proverbs 9:10. But it is a totally different context and meaning.

Today’s Word is given to confront us with those what the definitions describe.

We see Jairus, the Synagogue official, who just received the worst news that a loving parent can ever receive: "Your daughter has died."

Those four words cause his world collapsed. All his hope disappeared.

He couldn’t imagine how his life will be like without his beloved daughter, the emptiness, the anguish, loneliness.

It was probably the lowest moment of his life, and Jesus looks him in the eye saying to him: "Do not be afraid; only have faith."

Jesus says Strange words.

The reality of loss is clear, so present, so undeniable.

And yet, Jesus tells him that faith in God's goodness can set things right.

He tells him that faith, is more powerful than anything else.

Those words of Jesus can be translated also as: “Fear is useless, what is needed is trust.”

Indeed, Fear is useless, it will bring nothing. Nothing can be accomplished through fear?

Thinking about fear here, I don’t mean fear used as prudence or as reverence, but fear used as a response to anticipation of danger.

We all could say something about it! How much it can be lost because of fear.

I know men and women who decided not to get married because they were afraid that there might not be good enough husband or wife. Or someone very good qualified who was afraid to quit the job He didn’t like and get something better for him.

So much is lost because of fear. “Fear is useless” the Lord says, “What is needed is faith.”

Look! It was faith that brought Jairus to his knees in front of Christ - and that faith raised his daughter back to life.

In the Gospel we have also another person, a women with the hemorrhage who suffer a lot, and lost everything because of her suffering. She decided to touch Jesus' cloak, even though doing so was a risk (by the Mosaic Law, her hemorrhage made her ritually unclean, so touching Christ would him make ritually unclean as well, exposing her to punishment).

But She did - why - it was her faith. Her faith led her to take a risk in order to be cured, to find peace, after a dozen years of extreme uncertainty and fear.

“Fear is useless, what is needed is trust.”

Pope Benedict XVI speaking about Pentecost addressed this very issue:

"...the Holy Spirit overcomes fear.

We know that the disciples fled to the cenacle after the Master's arrest and remained there out of fear of suffering the same fate. After Jesus' resurrection this fear did not suddenly disappear.

But when the Holy Spirit descended upon them at Pentecost, those men went out without fear and began to proclaim the good news of Christ crucified and risen.

They had no fear, because they felt that they were in stronger hands.

Yes, dear brothers and sisters, where the Spirit of God enters, he chases out fear; he makes us know and feel that we are in the hands of an Omnipotence of love: whatever happens, his infinite love will not abandon us.

The witness of the martyrs, the courage of the confessors, the frankness of preachers, the example of all the saints -- some who were even adolescents and children -- demonstrate this.

"Do not be afraid, only have faith."

Jesus is saying those same words to us today.

He knows your life in this world can cruel and yet, with him, we can conquer them all.

In the Second letter of Saint Paul to timothy we read:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

He is telling us all:

- do not be afraid of what other people will think of you: follow the way I teach you;

- do not be afraid of failure: following God's will is the only path to everlasting success;

- do not be afraid of changing your personal plans in order to follow God more closely: his plans are even better...

My Brothers and Sisters

the more our faith grows, the weaker our fears become, in the hands of an Omnipotence of love we too can experience that the hopeless situations can be turned into triumph of grace.

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Good evening/ Good morning

In San Pedro Spiritual Center in Winter Park a diocesan cemetery was opened last year.

Few weeks ago Fr. Ed Waters informed the priests of the parishes in the north part of the diocese that there is a plan to open the cemetery closer to us. It is around 10 minutes from us. There are 2 minutes Video of presentation the Land – it is 60 acres of landscape. It might at least 2 years to have the diocesan cemetery.