A Pastor's Thoughts (Fr. Ed Namiotka)
The thoughts and writings of Fr. Ed Namiotka as taken from his weekly parish bulletin columns.
Monday, March 18, 2024
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
A Look at Some Liturgical Practices
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Continuing Our Lenten Journey
Dear Parishioners,
I can’t tell you how many times I
have said to myself (and sometimes to my parish staff): “I should have been a
monk!” For years I have been going to a Trappist monastery for my annual
retreat. There I can experience some profound solitude and have quality time to
pray, read, write, etc. My time in the
desert, so to speak, can also be a time to confront the devil and his
temptations, just as Jesus did. However, in the end, I must return back to the
parish and to my priestly duties and routine. After all, I am not a monk.
The season of Lent is an occasion
for all of us to go into that spiritual desert
to deepen our relationship with God, to repent of our sins and to confront the
evil (the demons) in our lives. This time should not be business as usual, if
we want to grow in holiness and the love of God. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are not just suggestions, but
necessary requirements for penance (mortification) and our spiritual growth.
Many of us start out with good intentions
at the beginning of Lent, and then weaken our resolutions and grow less zealous
as we move through those long forty days. Let me act as a spiritual coach: Don’t give up! Keep going! The Stations of the Cross can certainly be
comforting to us, especially when we realize that Jesus fell (at least) three
times and still got up and kept going on the road to Calvary. Follow His
example.
The 4th Sunday of Lent
(Laetare Sunday) is named for its
entrance antiphon reflecting on Isaiah
66: 10-11: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all
who were in mourning; exalt and be satisfied at her consoling breast.” Laetare means "rejoice"
and like its counterpart in Advent, Gaudete Sunday,
the priest has the option of wearing rose-colored vestments instead of violet. The
change of color is to indicate a sense of hope and joy—anticipation of Easter—during
the penitential season. We are now only 21 days away from Easter Sunday!
I have been encouraged by the
good number of people who have taken advantage of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (a.k.a., confession) during
this time. If you have not, I implore you to seek out the healing power and
mercy of Christ waiting there for the repentant sinner. Too often people carry
sins around for months, years or even decades (for various reasons) not
realizing that Christ came to reconcile
us (see 2 Cor. 5: 18-19)
with the Father and not condemn us. Yes, we first need to repent and change our
sinful ways. But Christ offers us forgiveness and mercy when we do.
Holy Week and Easter
focus on the most profound mysteries of our faith: the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord. Please plan to
participate in the Masses and services at this sacred time. Holy Thursday emphasizes the
institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Ministerial Priesthood. Good Friday recalls Jesus’ Passion and
Death on the Cross for our sins. The
celebration of Easter proclaims Christ’s
Resurrection from the dead and new life for us all!
If we take Lent seriously, if we take our Catholic faith seriously, we are in the best position to deal with the ever-growing hostilities that are present toward Jesus and His Church. He warned us that if they persecuted Him they will persecute us also (see Jn. 15:20). They mocked, rejected, tortured, and killed Jesus even though He came to save us and lead us to His Heavenly Father. Don’t ever think that the path ahead will be easy and without a cross.
We adore
You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the
world.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
An Explanation of Some Lenten Practices
It seems strange that during the most sacred time of year we cover everything that is beautiful in our churches, even the crucifix. Shouldn't we be looking at the painful scene at Calvary while we listen to the Passion narrative on Palm Sunday? While it may appear counterintuitive to veil statues and images during the final weeks of Lent, the Church recommends this practice to heighten our senses and build within us a longing for Easter Sunday . . . .
The rubrics can guide us. In the Roman Missal we find the instruction, "In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from [the fifth] Sunday [of Lent] may be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil." This is the current practice of the Church, but veiling from the Fifth Sunday of Lent onward is miniscule compared to what was once practiced. For example, in Germany there was a tradition to veil the altar from view throughout all of Lent . . . .
The unveiling before the Easter Vigil is a great reminder of our own life on earth. We live in a "veiled" world, in exile from our true home. But why go through such lengths to cover up images that are designed to raise our hearts and minds toward heaven?
First of all, we use veils to alert us of the special time that we are in. When we walk into church and notice everything is covered, we immediately know that something is different. These last two weeks of Lent are meant to be a time of immediate preparation for the Sacred Triduum and these veils are a forceful reminder to get ready.
Secondly, the veils focus our attention on the words being said at Mass. When we listen to the Passion narrative, our senses are allowed to focus on the striking words from the Gospel and truly enter into the scene.
Third, the Church uses veils to produce a heightened sense of anticipation for Easter Sunday. This is further actualized when you attend daily Mass and see the veils each day. You don't want them to be there because they are hiding some very beautiful images. And therein lies the whole point: the veils are not meant to be there forever. The images need to be unveiled; it is unnatural for them to be covered. The unveiling before the Easter Vigil is a great reminder of our own life on earth. We live in a "veiled" world, in exile from our true home. It is only through our own death that the veil is lifted and we are finally able to see the beauty of everything in our lives.
In our parish the statues and crucifixes were covered at the beginning of Lent (rather than the 5th Sunday) for merely practical purposes. When the purple (violet) background drapes were put up in the main church sanctuary for Lent, the statues and crucifix were also covered. Actually, I should have waited a while longer. Mea culpa.
Regarding those parishes (not ours) that remove holy water from the fonts during Lent, I refer you to the following response from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments (2004):
This Dicastery is able to respond that the removing of
Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted, in
particular, for two reasons:
1. The liturgical legislation in force does not foresee
this innovation, which in addition to being 'praeter legem' is contrary to a
balanced understanding of the season of Lent, which though truly being a season
of penance, is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism,
constantly evoked in liturgical texts.
2. The encouragement of the Church that the faithful
avail themselves frequently of the sacraments is to be understood to apply also
to the season of Lent. The 'fast' and 'abstinence' which the faithful embrace
in this season does not extend to abstaining from the sacraments or
sacramentals of the Church.
The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy
Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of
the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the
Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday).
I realize that customs sometimes vary in different parishes, so I have tried to explain the reasons why I am incorporating or not incorporating certain practices for Lent in St. Thomas More Parish.
Pastor
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Some Spiritual Guidance While on the Mountian
Dear Parishioners,
Have you thought about the many times a mountain is mentioned
in Sacred Scripture? Often there is an encounter, in some manner, with God.
Think of Abraham and Isaac in today’s first reading. The sacrifice
of Isaac was about to take place on a mountain (Mt. Moriah) before the angel stopped it from happening. Moses
received God’s commandments on Mt. Sinai
(Mt. Horeb). The prophet Elijah
challenged the false prophets of Baal on Mt.
Carmel. Jesus gave us the Sermon on
the Mount on the Mount of Beatitudes
and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane
on the Mount of Olives. Jesus’ disciples
experience His Transfiguration (today’s Gospel) on Mt. Tabor. He died for us
on Mt. Calvary (Golgotha). In these
and other situations, the mountain is the location for encountering God.
In the spiritual life, people frequently describe some
intense religious event as a mountaintop
experience. Perhaps, we might identify the Transfiguration of Jesus as such an experience for the apostles
Peter, James and John. They saw Jesus in His glory. While Moses and Elijah—both
commanding respect and obedience from the Jews—are seen with Jesus, they
disappear. They represented the Law
and the Prophets, respectively, to
the people. However, we are told, Jesus is the one to whom we must
listen! He is the beloved Son of God! He alone!
As you progress through Lent, realize you may experience many
types of situations in the spiritual life.
Perhaps there will be some mountaintop days when the presence of God is
powerful, real and apparent. Other times there may be aridity and dryness in your
prayer, like being in the desert. There may be occasions when you can seem to
be drowning like St. Peter (see Mt. 14: 22-33) and you need Jesus to come to the rescue. Moreover,
there can be times when nothing whatsoever seems to be happening. Is God there?
What God seeks is our fidelity to Him at all times. Emotions are fleeting and circumstances
can change quickly without warning. Our emotions or feelings are not necessarily
the best guides for sanctity or holiness. Many saints have had days of spiritual
darkness (a dark night of the soul) or a tremendous cross or suffering in their
lives. The Lord may allow this for the increase of grace and holiness in us.
Here's some spiritual advice: work to create and fortify virtues (good habits) in your
life. Virtue involves discipline and a regular routine in your spiritual life. Otherwise,
we can develop vices (bad habits) when we fail to pray, fail to
go to Mass and receive Holy Communion weekly, fail to frequent the
Sacrament of Penance, etc. When we find
a fault or weakness in our lives that leads to sin (for example, selfishness), we
should attempt to cultivate the opposite virtue (charity, generosity).
As you read the Scriptures, we see Jesus had to teach, guide,
reprimand and warn his chosen disciples. They did not necessarily
understand Him or comprehend His motives. However, He did perform miracles in
their presence and even allowed some of his closest followers to accompany Him
up the mountain where they experienced His glory. Nonetheless, He gave them all
what they needed to know so that they would find eternal life and salvation in
Him. I suspect He will do the same for you and me in whatever way He sees fit.
Trust Him and be faithful to Him, no matter what.
Our spiritual journey may not necessarily involve some fantastic mountaintop
experience, but it will be whatever God determines is for our ultimate good.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor