Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

The Assumption and the "Wedding of the Sea"

Atlantic City

Dear Parishioners,

There is a Holy Day coming up next week: the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. This year, because of the way it falls on the calendar on a Saturday, the obligation to attend Mass is removed. However, it does not mean that it is any less holy of a day.

The Assumption celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary, after her earthly life was complete, being taken up body and soul into Heaven.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):

“Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians. . . . (CCC, #966)

Growing up in Wildwood, NJ leaves me with many fond memories. One of these was the celebration of the vigil of the Assumption at St. Ann’s Church each August 14^th. When I was young, the Vigil Mass was usually packed (standing room only). St. Ann’s could hold approximately 3000 people and I can recall seeing it year after year wall to wall with people. Unlike the famous celebration in Atlantic City which takes place during the day on August 15^th, the Wildwood tradition was/is a vigil Mass followed by procession down to the beach for the Wedding of the Sea ceremony. Most years, the bishop would preside during this ceremony in both locations.

At many seashore towns, the Assumption has become somehow tied into the Wedding of the Sea ceremony which had an entirely different history and origin. Apparently the custom found its way here from a couple of Venetian historical commemorations and a ceremony in which the Doge (chief magistrate) of Venice would "marry" the sea each year, and throw a blessed ring into the lagoon as a sign of eternal fidelity. (Interestingly, the original Venetian ceremony apparently took place in conjunction with the celebration of the Ascension of Our Lord rather than the Assumption).

The Press of Atlantic City reported a variation of the origin of the custom:

According to tradition, the ceremony commemorates an event in the life of the Bishop of Cervia in Italy, Paul Barbo who later became Pope Paul II. The Bishop is said to have been returning by ship from Venice on the Feast of the Assumption in 1445 when he was caught in a storm. The Bishop, it is said, calmed the storm by prayer and throwing his pastoral ring into the sea. (6/16/10)

Here at St. Thomas the Apostle we will process to the ocean after the 6:30 PM Mass on Friday, August 14^th, the vigil of the Assumption. I hope that you will join us in the public profession of our Catholic faith.

Throughout history, it was not unusual that Christians would attempt to “Christianize” various secular customs and traditions. No matter what the exact origin of the Wedding of the Sea is, as we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, it is more important to recall the honored place that Mary, the Mother of God, has in salvation history and that her life on earth was worthy of an eternal reward in Heaven. Where Mary has gone, we hope to follow! 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Venice

Homily for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

"Sir, Give Us This Bread Always"

Dear Parishioners,

One of the things I enjoy (in the food category) when I vacation in Europe or in parts of the world influenced by European cooking is the freshly baked bread. When in Europe, I like watching people heading to a bakery or local grocery store to get a baguette, ciriola, or some type of freshly baked loaf. It is definitely not like what we find in most American supermarkets in the typical bread aisle. Many European-style breads are simply outstanding (in my humble opinion). Crispy crust, soft inside, great taste. . . .  Smother a slice in butter with a cup of coffee and I’m perfectly happy for breakfast.

I thought of these things when I read about the multiplication of the loaves (and fish) and feeding the crowd in this Sunday’s gospel (Mt. 14: 13-21). This miracle is found in all four gospels and is theologically seen as a foreshadowing of and anticipation of the Most Holy Eucharist.

Bread is a staple of life for many people throughout history. In Jesus’ time it was part of the everyday meal as was table wine. He used both of these common elements in an extraordinary way when He was at table with his disciples before His death—the Last Supper.

Bread also had some spiritual significance throughout history for the Jewish and later Christian peoples. The Jewish people eat unleavened bread to commemorate their freedom from Egypt when they had to flee before they had time for the bread to rise (Ex. 34:18).  When the Jews were wandering in the desert after their exodus from Egypt, God gave them manna to eat—mysterious “bread from heaven.” (Ex. 16) The Jews also kept showbread or bread of presence—twelve loaves representing the twelve tribes of Israel—before God in the sanctuary of the Temple. Later, Jesus famously multiplied the loaves and fish, to feed the hungry multitudes, as we see in this week’s Gospel passage (Mt. 14:13-21; see also, Mk. 6:34-42, Lk. 9:13-17 and Jn. 6:1-15). The use of bread comes to a spiritual summit in Jesus’ designation of it as His body at the Last Supper (Mt. 26: 26, Mk. 14:22, Lk. 22:19, 1 Cor. 11:23-24). 

In the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 6, we read what is referred to as Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse. It is seen as a commentary on the significance and value of the Most Holy Eucharist. We hear some definitive statements made by Jesus:  I am the bread of life.  .  .  I am the bread that came down from heaven.  .  .  Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within.  .  .  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  .  .  My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  .  . .

The Real Presence of Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist is one of the core teachings of the Catholic faith. We do not believe in some mere symbolic presence, but take Jesus literally—at his word—in our understanding of this mystery. Over the centuries, the term transubstantiation—a change in substance (but not in appearance)—has been used to explain this essential dogma.

When we approach the Most Holy Eucharist, we approach Jesus—our Lord, God and Savior. He deserves our love, reverence and respect.  Like some of the people in the Gospel, our attitude toward the Holy Eucharist should be one of desire, anticipation, thanksgiving and joy: 

“Sir, give us this bread always.” (John 6: 34)

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Setting Some Priorities

 

Dear Parishioners,

As a pastor for many years with numerous previous assignments, I have observed how people often have various ideas regarding how a parish should be organized or operate. We certainly can differ in opinion when asking some important questions: What should a parish's priorities be? What activities or programs should we support? Where should we place our time, energy and resources?

Similarly, people can disagree on their expectation of the role of a pastor. We need a pastor who is a holy, spiritual leader . . . a talented administrator . . . a gifted fundraiser . . . a creative, dynamic shepherd . . . a riveting preacher . . . a brilliant teacher . . . etc., etc. Let me remind everyone that although Jesus was indeed the Son of God and the most perfect man who ever lived, even He did not meet certain people's expectations and was nailed to a cross by His dissenters. Any pastor, with his human flaws and weaknesses, will sadly fall short of people's expectations.

People should know that a priest, by his ordination, is meant to offer the sacrifice on behalf of the people. I was ordained to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for my people. I am not primarily a counselor, social worker, fundraiser, etc. I am a pastor/priest whose primary roles are to preach and teach, to sanctify (administer the sacraments) and to govern (the parish). These are my priorities here or wherever I may be assigned by the bishop. 

So, I want to spell out as clearly as possible how I envision the situation here at St. Thomas the Apostle, having been pastor for only a couple weeks. You should know what I am thinking.

All parishes must emphasize the need for continual growth. To achieve such, we should see a commitment by parishioners to regular Mass attendance, to adequate financial support, and to volunteering. Without younger families, more children and young adults as well as faithful Mass attendance by all, we could head down a dangerous path with a very uncertain parish future.

Priority One. Pray more. Attend Mass weekly (especially, if you are not currently doing so). Go to confession (the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation) regularly. Be an active part of the parish.

Priority Two. Bring people to Christ. We must evangelize! Invite people to Mass. Ask people if they ever thought about becoming a Catholic. Talk about your faith. Any future parish activities or suggestions first need to ask this question: How is my idea going to bring people to Christ and help to grow our congregation? How am I making new disciples for Christ? In my opinion, this will be time well-spent.     

Priority Three. Seek out our lukewarm or inactive Catholics. There are far too many non-practicing Catholics. We need to counter any utilitarian mentality where people come to the Church only when they need something or find it personally convenient. A sad joke that has circulated church circles for years was that people would seek out the Catholic Church only to be hatched (baptism), matched (marriage) and dispatched (funeral rites). We have often labeled inactive members as Christmas and Easter Catholics. The point behind the labels is that too many Catholics no longer practice their faith regularly. Catholics primarily worship through the Mass. The term "New Evangelization" has been used to indicate the task of bringing back those baptized Catholics who no longer practice their faith. This should be important to us all. Start with any inactive family members.

While the above list is by no means complete, we must start somewhere and this is where I think our collective energy currently needs to be spent.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Parables and the Kingdom of Heaven

Dear Parishioners,

Jesus often uses parables to get his message across. Most times I prefer someone to be clear and direct. Tell me exactly what you mean! Don't give me a song and a dance! Give it to me straight! However, Jesus frequently does not do this.  He may answer a question with another question. He may remain silent. He may tell a parable.

A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whereas parables have human characters. A parable is a type of metaphorical analogy.

One thing that parables should make us do is think. At times, we may come to different conclusions or even be left confused. Jesus would explain parables to his disciples privately to help them understand their meaning as he did with the Parable of the Sower (Mt. 13: 1-23) or in the parable about the Weeds in the Field (Mt. 13: 24-43). Just because Jesus may use symbolic, poetic or a type of flowery language—make no mistake—even in the use and explanation of his parables, he could be quite forceful when speaking about certain things (like a fiery furnace and wailing and grinding of teeth!)

Next, there is this concept of the Kingdom of Heaven. Living in a nation that does not have a king and even established its unique identity by declaring independence from a king, the idea of kingship may be foreign to many and perhaps, repugnant. I vote! I pay taxes! No one is going to tell me what to do!

Be careful, however, when we refer to God. We are creatures; God is Creator. God is absolutely sovereign. We were brought into being by God's great love and given intelligence and free-will, noting how we were created in His image and likeness. Respect for God (fear of the Lord) and all that God is (omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all-holy, all-merciful, all-loving, transcendent, eternal, etc., etc.) gets lost in a secular society. We suffer from shortsightedness, a desire for pleasure and immediate gratification and an ever-increasing absence and possible disdain for any matters considered religious, sacred or holy. Even the absolute sacredness of human life itself has dramatically and horrendously diminished.

When Pope St. John Paul II gave to us the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary for meditation and reflection, I initially thought that the third mystery was somewhat ambiguous. Why was the Proclamation of the Kingdom (and the Call to Conversion) so important? With time, I have personally realized a deeper appreciation of this mystery. Allow me to share this descriptive synopsis of the mystery:

The preaching by which Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God, calls to conversion (cf. Mk. 1:15) and forgives the sins of all who draw near to him in humble trust (cf. Mk. 2:3-13; Lk. 7:47- 48): the inauguration of that ministry of mercy which he continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly through the Sacrament of Reconciliation which he has entrusted to his Church (cf. Jn. 20:22-23).

Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God and through His Incarnation Heaven and Earth were united.  

May we do our part to build up His Kingdom here on Earth!

Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor  

Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka