Baptism of the Lord

Dear Parishioners,

If the Lord Jesus was without sin, why would He ever need to be baptized by John the Baptist?

The most direct answer to this question is that Jesus did not need to be baptized.  So then, why did it happen?  Let’s first look at what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says on the topic:

Our Lord voluntarily submitted himself to the baptism of St. John, intended for sinners, in order to "fulfill all righteousness." Jesus' gesture is a manifestation of his self-emptying.  The Spirit who had hovered over the waters of the first creation descended then on the Christ as a prelude of the new creation, and the Father revealed Jesus as his "beloved Son." Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1224

One way to think of Jesus’ baptism was that it is an anticipation of what He would do for us later on the cross. He would take upon Himself our sinfulness. Just as He did not die on the cross for His own sin, He did not receive the baptism of John to repent for His own sinfulness. We might rather say that Jesus made holy the waters of baptism by His own baptism. In addition, His Baptism in the Jordan River, like His Epiphany as a child to the magi, was another divine manifestation of Jesus’ true identity: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Mt. 3:17)

Jesus’ Baptism should make us think about our own baptism.  St. Paul’s words to the Romans are instructive:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  (Rom. 6:3-4)

Baptism gives us new life—eternal life.  Baptism forgives our sinfulness—both original sin and any personal sin (once a person has reached the age of reason and is no longer an infant). With baptism we are adopted by God through Christ as His children. We become temples of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within us. God’s own life now dwells in us—the life of sanctifying grace. We become a member of the mystical Body of Christ, the Church, and the doorway is now open for us to receive the other sacraments of the Church. All of these wonderful things and many other blessings (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church #1262ff.) occur with the simple pouring of water (or an immersion into it) combined with the baptismal formula: N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Catholics should be aware that in the case of an emergency or danger of death any person can baptize. The Church primarily wants the salvation of souls and provides such an opportunity so no one would be lost!

 

Every time you bless yourself with holy water, remember that this sacramental is a reminder of your baptism into Christ Jesus who suffered and died for your salvation.  

I remind you to keep some blessed holy water in your homes.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor     

Two Saints in the USA

 

St. John Neumann (above) and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (below)

Dear Parishioners,

This week we honor both St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (Jan. 4^th) and St. John Neumann (Jan. 5^th). I proudly admit that I have a personal devotion to both of these “American” saints.

Frequently, when I am in Philadelphia, I visit the church of St. Peter the Apostle (5^th St. & Girard Ave.) where the remains of St. John Neumann are kept in the lower church. He was a remarkable man who came from Bohemia (currently the Czech Republic) to America because of an over-abundance of priests in his homeland during the 1830’s. John was ordained a priest by Bishop John Dubois of New York and assigned to work with German immigrants, initially in the Niagara Falls and western New York state area. He was a man gifted with languages and could hear the confessions of people spoken in at least six tongues.

Being lonely and seeking some fraternal camaraderie, he joined the Redemptorist Order (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer or C.SS.R.). Later, when he was appointed the 4^th Bishop of Philadelphia, he established and organized the Catholic School system there, increasing their numbers from two to about 100 schools. In addition, Bishop Neumann notably fostered the 40 Hours Devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist, established and built many parish churches and founded and/or invited various religious orders of sisters to work in his diocese.

As a seminarian, I completed my studies at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. Buried in Emmitsburg are the remains of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Elizabeth, a native-born American, grew up in the wealthy part of New York society. Married with five children, her husband died of tuberculosis while they were in Italy. Influenced by her stay there and moved by an ever-increasing love for and belief in Jesus’ Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, she converted to the Catholic faith (from Protestantism).

Elizabeth later became an educator of children, was instrumental in the establishment of free Catholic schools, and is the foundress of the Sisters of Charity—from which six separate religious congregations trace their origin. She is honored by the Church as wife, mother, educator and foundress. She was the first canonized American-born saint.

It is important that we know our local Catholic history. I also find it invaluable to visit, whenever possible, the shrines where these saints are buried. We can learn so much from them.

These two faith-filled people are part of our Communion of Saints whom we one day hope to join forever in Heaven. Get to know them! You will be glad that you did!

 

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

The Remains of St. John Neumann

Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord 2026 - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

The Epiphany of the Lord

Dear Parishioners,

We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar.

As far as I can remember, this popular carol, referring to the three kings from the East, has been sung annually during the Christmas season. The carol itself was written in the 19^th century by the Rev. John Henry Hopkins, Jr., an Episcopalian clergyman. Popular folklore has grown over the years regarding them, although the Sacred Scriptures dedicates only twelve verses to them in St. Matthew’s Gospel (Mt. 2: 1-12).

First of all they are actually called magi in the bible—not kings. Speculation has it that they were astrologers, although the term itself sometimes refers to a magician or a Zoroastrian priest. In any case, they were observing a star in their pursuit of the newborn King of the Jews. There is no mention that there are actually three of them, but the number of gifts seems to lead people to draw that conclusion.

With time the magi have been given names—Caspar (Kaspar), Melchior and Balthazar—although there is no biblical basis for this either. We are told that they brought three special gifts to the Christ Child—each seemingly with a unique significance: gold, frankincense and myrrh. While there are varied interpretations of the meaning of these gifts,  gold is usually seen as a royal tribute paid to a king, frankincense as a sign of divinity and myrrh as an embalming oil as a symbol of death or, perhaps, healing.

In the Roman or Latin rite of the Catholic Church, Epiphany (a manifestation) celebrates the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. It focuses primarily on this revelation to the three kings, wise men or magi, but it also focuses on Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan and at the wedding feast at Cana. In the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church, Theophany—as Epiphany is known in the East—commemorates the manifestation of Jesus’ divinity at his baptism in the River Jordan.

What is the spiritual significance of this event known as the Epiphany?  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation. The magi’s coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the king of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star of David, the one who will be king of the nations. Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of the world only by turning toward the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise as contained in the Old Testament.  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 528)

In Spain, the Philippines and various other countries throughout the Spanish-speaking world, various traditions have sprung up surrounding the Three Kings with forms of gift-giving attached. In a European tradition, the initials of the king’s names are marked in chalk above the doors of homes (for example, C+M+B or K+M+B) as a blessing for the New Year. Other cultures celebrate the kings with a special ring cake concealing a figure of the baby Jesus inside.

No matter what traditions surround the celebration of the Epiphany, we need to remember always that Jesus Christ is King! 

O come let us adore Him!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

The "Holy Family" and the "Mother of God"

 

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Dear Parishioners,

On the Sunday after Christmas, the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Family means a great deal to me. I have worked hard over the years to try to keep my family together, wherever and whenever it was possible. Spending time my brothers and sister and their families, especially around the holidays, continues to be a special gift to me. I realize that no family is perfect. We all have to deal with particular family issues and circumstances, varying problems and challenges, diverse personalities, etc. Yet, all of this is accompanied by multiple blessings.

Sometimes I think that certain people tend to idealize the Holy Family and forget the many difficulties and hardships that Jesus, Mary and Joseph had to endure. We read in the Sacred Scriptures that Mary was found with child before living with Joseph. He was initially going to divorce her quietly. (Mt. 1: 18-19) Then, there was no place for Jesus to be born in the lodgings of Bethlehem after Joseph and Mary (now in the final stage of her pregnancy) had travelled considerable distance. (Lk. 2: 4-7) As an infant, Jesus’ life was threatened by King Herod and His parents had to flee with Him to Egypt. (Mt. 2: 13-18) Joseph and Mary seemingly lost—could not immediately find—the boy Jesus during their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. (Lk. 2: 41-51) Mary later witnessed her only Son tortured and killed in front of her eyes. (Jn. 19: 25)

These were not quite the circumstances of a perfect, ideal life, were they? Through it all, Jesus, Mary and Joseph had each other and were bound together by mutual love and respect. They all greatly loved and trusted God, our Heavenly Father, and were obedient to His will as it was revealed and unfolded for them.

Today, problems within the family unit continue to exist—at a somewhat grand scale and pace. Various people question, with some even wanting to redefine, the traditional understanding of “family.” Family life as we once knew it in society seems to be eroding. I contend that we need to look at the Sacred Scriptures to see what they teach us (albeit ever so briefly) about the family life experienced by the Holy Family. Their obvious trust in God in difficult circumstances, their obedience to His will, and their fidelity to God and to one another are great examples for us all to follow.

In addition, on January 1st the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. While Catholics may use the term Mother of God regularly when praying the Hail Mary, some people may have questions about the meaning of this particular title. The Council of Ephesus (431) declared that the Blessed Virgin Mary is Theotokos or God-Bearer (in Greek). In the Latin Church, we use the term Mater Dei. Simply stated, our Catholic belief teaches that:

Although Mary is the Mother of God, she is not his mother in the sense that she is older than God or the source of her Son’s divinity, for she is neither. Rather, we say that she is the Mother of God in the sense that she carried in her womb a divine person—Jesus Christ, God "in the flesh" (2 John 7, cf. John 1:14)—and in the sense that she contributed the genetic matter to the human form God took in Jesus Christ. (Catholic Answers)

We should remember that the Blessed Virgin Mary is solely responsible for the genetic material for Jesus’ human body (in cooperation, of course, with the Holy Spirit) as St. Joseph was Jesus’ foster-father.

As we begin the New Year, I customarily entrust and consecrate my parish family (wherever I am pastor) to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary on New Year’s Day. I give this parish and all of its parishioners over to the loving care of the Mother of God. I invite you to join me. I can think of no better way to begin the New Year. 

God’s blessings in the New Year!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Dear Parishioners,

Is it my imagination or does every year seems to go by faster and faster? As I get older, I wish that things would slow down a little! In my opinion, there seems to be a constant push to move on to the next thing without necessarily taking the time to appreciate the present. Enjoy the Christmas season!

In the Church, the celebration of Christmas lasts for eight days. The joy of this wonderful solemnity is too great to contain within a single day! We refer to this time as the Octave of Christmas. Most people not familiar with the liturgical calendar would probably be surprised to find out that the Christmas season actually extends to January 11, 2026—the Baptism of the Lord. Sadly, by then many will not be in the Christmas spirit any longer because of how early the commercial Christmas preparations begin. By the time Christmas arrives, people are ready to take down their decorations. The Christmas music will disappear. Many people often seem exhausted from all of the things that they feel pressured into buying or doing. 

With Christmas upon us, please try to keep Christ at the heart of the celebration. Society may tell us that we need to shop and exchange gifts, to cook, to clean the house, to party and to do other things. All of this seems to add to increased tension and lack of peace in peoples’ lives. Our faith tells us to pray and to ready our hearts for Christ. This spiritual preparation can bring us peace, happiness and joy that the world cannot give. What type of Christmas do we want to have? The choice is always ours to make.

This Christmas, I ask that you pray for a stronger faith in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God.  As we get to know Him and fall more deeply in love with Him, we can begin to realize how He is truly here for us when everyone and everything else fails. He gives meaning and purpose to our lives. He gives us hope. He embodies love. He is love. Our Christian faith involves an intimate, personal relationship that God desires for us to have with Him. The celebration of Christmas is truly about Jesus and His tremendous, self-giving love for us. Christmas is all about love—Love that becomes Incarnate!

I thank all who work so hard in the parish and continue to strengthen our Christian community. Please be aware of how much we depend on you for your prayers, your volunteering and service and your financial support. Christianity is not like a “spectator sport” where we simply watch and cheer from a distance. Rather, it truly involves active participation and a life commitment: prayer, attendance at weekly Mass, a sacramental life, Christian service, love of neighbor, etc. Our parish family will be only as strong and vibrant as the people who faithfully participate in it each week.

Be assured that all members of St. Thomas More parish are remembered in my daily prayers and Masses. May I ask a small remembrance in your prayers and Masses as well? 

Have a blessed and peace-filled Christmas!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for the Vigil Mass of Christmas 2025 - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent "A" (Gaudete Sunday) - Fr. Edward Namiotka