The thoughts and writings of Fr. Ed Namiotka as taken from his weekly parish bulletin columns.
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Sunday, May 28, 2023
Monday, May 22, 2023
The Holy Trinity
Dear Parishioners,
Whenever we look at the mystery of
the Holy Trinity, we should realize that this is not something that
we could figure out on our own without God revealing this to
us through Jesus. If our explanation of the Trinity were merely one
opinion among many of the inner make-up of God, then God could be just about
anything that any one of us thinks or believes. One Person? Four persons?
However, as Catholic Christians we believe that Jesus—the Son of God and one of
the Persons of the Holy Trinity—revealed to us the mysterious
inner-workings of God.
God exists as three
Persons in relationship. Jesus often spoke of God as His
Father. He taught us to pray the prayer we call the “Our
Father.” He told us that “whoever has seen (Him) has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9). He told us that “the
Father and I are one” (Jn. 10:30). We
begin to recognize this unique Father-Son relationship through
Jesus.
But Jesus did not stop
there. He also began to speak of another—an “Advocate” (Jn. 15:26), “the Spirit of Truth”, (Jn. 15:26), the “Holy Spirit” (Jn. 14:26). With time the Church
began to understand a little bit more about this third Person as
“the Lord, the Giver of Life” who “has spoken through the prophets” (cf. the
Nicene Creed).
It must have been very hard for
many of the Jewish followers of Jesus who were strict monotheists to
try to comprehend how God could be one, yet three at
the same time. Why should this be surprising to us since we still fumble
at various explanations to try to articulate this profound mystery?
As a teacher, the best analogy
that I have used over the years that helps people comprehend this mystery of
something being one and three at the same time is the analogy
of ice, water and steam. All three have the same
chemical composition (H₂O) and thus have a certain oneness, yet
there can be a manifestation in different states (ice, water and steam)
depending on temperature. While all analogies ultimately fall
short of the reality, this analogy still gives us some insight into
this profound mystery.
Then some insight might be given
by the example of a human family
where a relationship of two people in love with each other (in this case,
husband and wife) can produce a third person (baby or child) who is both complete
(a person) and entirely distinct from the other two. The family of this world may indeed reflect, in an analogous way, the
mystery of the Holy Trinity—three unique and distinct Persons in one Godhead, eternally
in love with each other.
Trying to figure out God’s make-up
is one thing. Having a personal relationship with each of
the Persons of the Trinity is something else entirely. Jesus put a human
face to God for us by taking on a human nature. And he also told us about
the unique relationship that He has with the other Persons in the
Godhead. Now we need to seek out each of these Persons of Holy Trinity in
prayer and grow in our love for each of them—three Persons in one God.
On Trinity Sunday we
rejoice in the fact that God (through Jesus) has revealed His
inner make-up to us!
Monday, May 15, 2023
A Spiritual "Triple-Header"
- in the Scriptures he inspired;
- in the Tradition, to which the Church Fathers are always timely witnesses;
- in the Church's Magisterium, which he assists;
- in the sacramental liturgy, through its words and symbols, in which the Holy Spirit puts us into communion with Christ;
- in prayer, wherein he intercedes for us;
- in the charisms and ministries by which the Church is built up;
- in the signs of apostolic and missionary life;
- in the witness of saints through whom he manifests his holiness and continues the work of salvation.
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Friday, May 12, 2023
The Ascension of Our Lord (or the Holy Day formerly know as "Ascension Thursday")
Dear Parishioners,
When it was decided that the
celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension
of Our Lord into Heaven would now be moved to a Sunday in the dioceses of
New Jersey, I was certainly disappointed. I perceived this change as another pastoral move conceding the Church’s sad
defeat when dealing with contemporary society. Shouldn’t the Church be
attempting to re-Christianize and boldly influence a post-Christian modern
world? Yes, there may be less priests to offer Masses, and many people, in general,
do not really consider Holy Days of Obligation
that important. However, are there really too few churches within driving
distance in New Jersey for modern man to get to Mass? Does the tradition and
theology of 40 days after Easter no
longer have relevance (hence, Ascension Thursday)?
The world (secular culture) apparently has a stronger say in the decision
making process than does holding to Church tradition. Chalk another one up for
the world.
That being said, we should look at the
feast we now celebrate this weekend. Christ appeared to His chosen disciples
after His Resurrection, but there came the day when His Resurrected Body physically
left this earth to return to the Father. We no longer see Him walking this
earth.
However, Jesus did not abandon us. He
left us His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. He remains in His words and
teaching in the Sacred Scriptures. The ordained priest acts in His very person (in persona Christi) in the sacraments of
the Church. He is present where two or three gather in His Name—community prayer,
liturgy and worship, especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. And, as God-Man, He continues to intercede
for us at the right hand of the Father.
Our humanity is now elevated in Jesus’
glorious Body and has entered Heaven. The fall and exile of Adam (original sin)
is now reversed through the saving action of Christ, the new Adam. Heaven is
open to us through Him. As He told us, no
one comes to the Father except through Him (Jn.
14:6).
In the year 2000, I visited the Holy
Land with my mother. One of our stops was a place reverenced as a possible
sight of Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven. We gathered there to pray with our guide
who read a Scripture passage about the Ascension and led us in a hymn. As I
stood there reflecting, I wondered what the disciples possibly thought at the
time. What do we do now? The Master just told us to go and baptize
all nations. WE have work to do. (See Mt. 28: 16-20 and Acts 1: 1-11)
Jesus’ instruction to His disciples—to make disciples of all the nations—has
to continue with us. WE should start with our family, friends
and those within our circle of influence. We are not called to be passive and
timid regarding our faith, but to make
disciples.
Additionally, we should pray for and
anticipate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The power of the Holy
Spirit fortified cowardly disciples into bold witness of Jesus and His
Resurrection. Many disciples witnessed in the face of persecution and unto
death on His behalf. Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit
acting in our lives if we allow Him.
Thank God, there will be no changing of
the celebration of Pentecost Sunday. (I hope.)
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Monday, May 8, 2023
Friday, May 5, 2023
My Mom
Dear Parishioners,
My father died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 1995.
Subsequently, I began to travel on a regular basis with my mother. Being
her only unmarried child (I have three brothers and a sister),
it was easiest for me to accompany her to different vacation destinations over the
last quarter of a century. At times to her friends she has affectionately
referred to me as her “social director.”
My mother is a rather private person. She would never
want me to say anything about her let alone write something about
her. I guess that I truly admire her interior strength and fortitude
over the years. Not only did she give birth to and raise five children,
but she helped my father run their own businesses (grocery store and butcher
shop, hotel and restaurant, motel) while battling some major health issues over
the years (thyroid surgery, gall bladder surgery, back surgery, breast cancer,
atrial fibrillation, to name a few). And she has lived as a widow
now for almost 28 years.
I have journeyed with her all over the country and the world.
We've been on cruises (Alaska, Caribbean) and religious pilgrimages (Rome, Holy
Land). She never wanted to repeat any destination if she could help
it. For her, the world has too many other places to see!
Why bother telling all this to you? Simply because I
love my mother as I hope that you all do. As priests we are no more
or no less human than anyone else. We come from a family. We have
various family responsibilities depending on our particular situations. We
are somebody’s child. The mother who gave me life deserves at least some
of my time and attention. This was one way I have been able to spend some
quality time with her through the years.
(As an aside, I am truly disgusted and saddened with the woke mentality
in our contemporary society where mothers are referred to as "birthing persons" and even someone who now sits on the Supreme Court of our country
couldn't/wouldn't clearly define what a woman is in her
approval hearing. The world is insane!)
So as I write today. I am preparing to wish my own mom a Happy
Mother’s Day! This November, with God's grace, she will reach her
90th birthday. Thank you God! Thanks so much for her!
Additionally, I wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers this weekend.
For most people there is a special bond between mother and child. Our mothers carry us in their wombs for nine months. They endure the pangs of birth. They feed us, bathe us, clean up after us, teach us, comfort us, caress us and, most importantly, love us. How often they are willing to sacrifice for us! Thanks moms for your strength, patience and ability to make things better by your calming and reassuring presence. Whenever we take you for granted or forget what you have done for us over the years, we apologize. You deserve better from us. We love you!
Those who have lost their earthly mothers, please remember to pray for them and have Masses offered for them. Our faith teaches us, whether they are in purgatory or in heaven, they can pray for us! Let’s aid them in getting to heaven by offering our prayers, Masses and sacrifices for them.
In addition to our biological (or adoptive) mothers, I think that it is also important to remember to honor our Spiritual Mother as well. Our Blessed Lady should play an essential role in the lives of Catholics and indeed all Christians. She was given to us as our mother through St. John at the foot of the cross (See John 19: 26-27). After all, May is her month!
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Friday, April 28, 2023
Who Can You Trust?
Dear Parishioners,
Many moons ago, I had an elderly
professor in the seminary who taught us canon (church) law. He was a person who
was well-seasoned from years of experience as a priest dealing with people in
general, but failed marriages in
particular. He handled the process of annulments for his diocese. Having been
told by other seminarians that he would utter a particular phrase when
prompted, we were all too eager to bait him frequently with a hypothetical question.
Father, do people always tell you the
truth when they come to you seeking an annulment? The bait was set. Would
he take it? Gentlemen, they lie and they lie
and they lie. Never failed; like clockwork.
I sadly think in similar manner
when I look at the world around me. Who
can I trust? The media? Politicians? Big
pharma? Doctors? Educators? Lawyers? Lobbyists? Corrupt church officials (think
McCarrick)? Need I go on? They lie and they lie and they lie!
Yes, I am cynical, at times, and
skeptical quite often. Can you blame me? Look at the approval ratings for the
media and politicians. If they got any
lower they would actually be communicating to us or legislating on our behalf
from Hades
or Sheol or Gehenna. Speaking of such a place, need I remind you
who is considered the Father of Lies?
Today the Gospel provides us with
an alternative to all of this. I am the way and the truth and the life
(Jn.14:6). Very bold
words indeed! Certainly you have heard
of the liar, lunatic, Lord trilemma.
Who can say such things as Jesus did?
Is He a liar, a lunatic or is He Lord? C.S. Lewis put it so
eloquently:
I am trying here to prevent anyone
saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [that is,
Christ]: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t
accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who
was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great
moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he
is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. 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. But
let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human
teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. —Mere Christianity
I am the Bread of Life . . .
I am the Resurrection and the Life . . .
I am the Light of the World . . .
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life . . .
I Am.
We all must make a choice. No fence-sitting. Who is Jesus?
Lord Jesus, I trust in Thee!
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
A "Diabolical Disorientation"
- The denial of God to varying degrees (atheism, agnosticism, etc.)
- The ongoing acceptance of socialism (communism, Marxism) as a viable political option
- The emphasis on individual conscience (moral relativism) without understanding the necessity of the conscience being rightly formed
- Sexual freedom and license outside of the context of traditional marriage, fostered by a contraceptive mentality
- The ready acceptance of divorce and remarriage
- Abortion accepted and seen as a "woman's right"
- The transgender movement
- The deteriorating respect for human life at all stages as evidenced by abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, euthanasia, etc.
- The cry for "gay rights" and so-called "gay marriage"
- Cultures fueled by addictions at staggering levels: alcohol, drugs, sexual (pornography), gambling, etc.
- The delusion of universal salvation without the necessity of lifestyle change/conversion (Somehow everybody goes to heaven)
- Downplaying or denying the necessity of the Catholic Church and baptism for salvation (religious relativism/indifferentism)
- Mass apostasy
- Ever-decreasing Mass attendance
- Ongoing abuses in the liturgy
- Loss of respect for and understanding of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament
- Priest sex scandals
- Lack of clarity in Church teaching and a departure from traditional dogma
- Confusing or weak/scandalous leadership
- The ongoing cry for women priests and abolition of celibacy
Sunday, April 23, 2023
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Being “Spiritual” Without the Catholic Church
Granted, there have been far too many reasons why people get disillusioned with organized religion including (but not limited to) appalling scandals; an over-emphasis on hell, fire and damnation or requests for money; watered-down or unclear theological content; poor preaching or liturgy; hypocritical leadership; unfriendly or unwelcoming congregations; etc. Additionally, there are those who have been seriously hurt by insensitive church leaders and/or members of the congregation.
What the Mass offers to all is a foretaste of the eternal Banquet of Heaven where I pray the mercy of God leads me, a poor sinner, someday.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Monday, April 10, 2023
Divine Coincidence?
When Pope St. John Paul II died, the manner and timing of his death struck me as much more than coincidental.
Let me set the scene:
- Pope John Paul was a proponent of God’s Divine Mercy. In 1980 he wrote the encyclical Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy). He declared the Sunday within the octave of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.
- The day on which there was an assassination attempt made on his life was May 13th—the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Pope John Paul credited Our Blessed Lady with saving his life. He even had the bullet removed from his body placed in the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. It was from Fatima, the First Saturday devotions came about (as a request for reparation for sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary).
- John Paul’s life was consecrated to Our Blessed Lady as evidenced by his coat of arms with the motto Totus Tuus (Totally Yours) and an M (for Mary) on the right side at the foot of a golden cross.
- John Paul decried the culture of death that seemed to permeate our society. He held that every life was sacred: the unborn, the handicapped, the elderly, and the infirm. He died elderly, suffering from Parkinson’s disease, in the public eye as a witness to the value of every life.
- The miracle leading up to his beatification was a cure from Parkinson’s disease of a sister (whose name happened to be Sister Marie Simon-Pierre of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Catholic Maternity Wards).
When did Blessed John Paul II leave this earth? Saturday,
April 2, 2005. It was the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday and the First Saturday (Fatima devotion) of the month.
Pope Benedict XVI called our
attention to some of these facts in his homily during the Beatification Mass:
Today is the Second Sunday of Easter,
which Blessed John Paul II entitled Divine Mercy Sunday. The date was
chosen for today’s celebration because, in God’s providence, my predecessor
died on the vigil of this feast. Today is also the first day of May, Mary’s
month, and the liturgical memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. All these
elements serve to enrich our prayer, they help us in our pilgrimage through
time and space; but in heaven a very different celebration is taking place
among the angels and saints!
I believe that spiritual signs and
wonders are all around us calling our attention to God’s Providence ever-present in
our lives. With the secular, materialistic, skeptical and
unbelieving world in which we live, one might just write off all of this as
mere coincidence, if any attention is paid to it at all.
Yet, seeing things with the eyes
of faith, I wonder what God has in store for us in the days ahead!
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Friday, April 7, 2023
Happy Easter!
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Dear Parishioners,
Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Easter is here once again!
Many secular ideas, traditions, and customs have found their way into our culture at Easter (as well as other sacred times like Christmas). They are not necessarily bad in and of themselves. However, they tend to miss the profound Christian spiritual message.
As Christians, nothing is really more important than Christ conquering sin and death and rising from the dead. Easter is about Resurrection. It is about eternal life. It is about hope.
Establishing a church the way Christ did seems like a recipe for disaster. Pick a rag-tag bunch of mostly uneducated disciples—one who denies you when the going gets tough (Peter) and one who betrays you (Judas). Preach to the general public for only a few years, very mysteriously at times. Pick an area of the world oppressed by foreign rule. Pick a time in history without the internet, Twitter, radio, television, newspapers or mass media as we know it today. Allow yourself to be tortured and then put to death without offering resistance.
Should the Catholic Church still be around over 2000 years later? Not if it were solely a human endeavor!
When everything seemed like failure, the Risen Jesus appeared to the disciples:
While they were still speaking . .
. (Jesus) stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with
you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they
were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that
it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and
bones as you can see I have." And as he said this, he showed them his
hands and his feet.
(Luke
24:36-40)
Resurrection made all the difference,
then and now.
The Catholic Church still remains despite all obstacles, built on the foundation of Christ—the Risen Christ. The message of Jesus continues to be proclaimed and offers salvation and hope to those who willingly accept it and let their lives be guided and changed by it.
May the joy of Easter bring meaning and hope to your lives, today and every day!
Happy Easter to all!
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Monday, April 3, 2023
Monday, March 27, 2023
Making Meatless Pierogi for Lent
Although I was born in Philadelphia, as a boy I grew up at
the Jersey shore—Wildwood, to be
precise. My parents purchased an old
hotel (60 rooms, 7 apartments) with a dining room when I was about two years
old. As soon as I was old enough to contribute to the family business as an
indentured servant, I began working in the dining room. The restaurant served
Polish-American food and I started working
there at approximately age ten by preparing the bread baskets with dinner rolls
and rye bread and by putting the salad dressings on the individual salads.
Eventually, I wound up doing just about everything there was
to do in the business: cook, busboy, waiter, cashier, maître d’/host, dishwasher,
floor-mopper, etc. Until I was about 17—when
the hotel was demolished and a new motel was built in its place—I learned many
interesting Polish recipes from my father who ran the hotel kitchen. He was known for his homemade stuffed cabbage
(gołąbki) and kielbasa (sausage), czarnina (duck
soup) and borscht (red beet soup). Many of his recipes originally came from his
mother’s kitchen.
However, it was from a Ukrainian lady named Irene, who assisted my father in the
kitchen, that I learned two recipes: pierogi
and chrusciki.
Many cultures have some type of a pasta or dumpling dish. Eastern Europeans are no exception. I share
with you now a recipe for one of the most well-known ethnic foods: pierogi. Meatless varieties include
potato, cheese, sauerkraut (cabbage) and mushroom with various combinations of these
ingredients.
To make the dough—
The basic ingredients for the dough (and fillings) are listed here which should be enough for two batches of 18 – 20 pierogi. I like to make pierogi in small batches. Repeat the recipe (double, triple) as many times as needed. Some recipes call for additional ingredients for the dough like sour cream, milk, oil, baking powder, etc. However, these four basic ingredients will make a suitable dough for stretching, filling and cooking pierogi. The key is to knead the dough to the point where it is not tacky and will stretch suitably for easy filling. The dough should not be too thin where it will break open easily, nor too thick so that the pierogi seem more dough than filling. Usually about ⅛ inch is the best approximate thickness, once rolled-out.
Ingredients:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Mix the ingredients in a mixing bowl until they are no longer tacky. More flour (or water) may sometimes be necessary to achieve the proper texture. Knead thoroughly on a large pastry board, breadboard or countertop, adding additional flour as needed. Mold into a ball and let the dough sit in a covered bowl for approximately 20 minutes, once the dough is pliable and no longer tacky. Separate into two batches of dough. Roll half the dough until approximately ⅛ inch thick. Dust with flour, as needed. Cut into circles (using a water glass, round cookie or biscuit cutter, etc.) approximately 3-3½ inches in diameter. Fill the pierogi with a tablespoonful or so of the mixture and seal the edges pressing and closing thoroughly to form a half-moon shape. (Warning: if they break open in the water, you will have a mess!) Place in boiling water until they begin to float and the dough is cooked. Optionally, pierogi may be fried (after boiling) in butter or oil. Typically, they are topped with sautéed, chopped onions and a dollop of sour cream.
For the fillings—
Potato and cheese (mix ingredients together in a bowl)
- 3-4 large russet potatoes (boiled and peeled)
- 8 oz. farmer cheese (other cheeses such as cheddar are often substituted, but are not authentic)
- 1 small chopped, sautéed onion
- Salt and pepper to taste (½ teaspoon?)
Sauerkraut and mushroom (mix ingredients together in a bowl)
- 1 lb. shredded sauerkraut (drained and then fried for approximately 10 minutes)
- 4 oz. pkg. mixed mushrooms, chopped then sautéed (dried mushrooms, such as porcini, are also sometimes used)
- 1 chopped, sautéed onion
- 1 lb. farmer cheese
- Salt, to taste
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Monday, March 20, 2023
What Have You Done for Me Lately?
Dear
Parishioners,
Back in 1986, Janet Jackson asked this question in a popular
song. It seemed to fall in line with a number of other songs from the
decade (e.g., Material Girl by
Madonna, Need You Tonight by
INXS, 1999 by Prince) that
dealt in some way with selfishness or egocentricity. It was
a time in which people were popularly referred to as the “Me” Generation. One dictionary defined this “Me” Generation the
following way: Noun. (Sociology)
the generation, originally in the 1970s, characterized by self-absorption; in
the 1980s, characterized by material greed.
Jesus Christ is
the absolute antithesis of all of this.
As I reflect on the upcoming events of Holy
Week, I can’t help but think about what Jesus has done for us. The Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity who is almighty, omniscient, transcendent, eternal, etc.,
became limited, finite, tangible and visible for us in
the man, Jesus of Nazareth.
He was now capable of suffering and dying.
Moreover, He did everything for us. He was born
to live among us and to reveal God’s love to us. He gave
us the Holy Eucharist as his real abiding presence among
us and to feed us spiritually. He suffered and died for us
to free us from our sins and to give us eternal life. He
rose from the dead to invite us to share in His heavenly glory.
I don’t see an ounce of selfishness or greed here. What
did He personally gain? No big ego was at work. He would not be
a good contestant for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
St. Paul in
his Letter to the Philippians says it so
beautifully:
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. (Phil. 2: 6-8)
Obedient, humble, self-giving, and sacrificial are just
a few words that come to mind immediately whenever I think about Jesus, His
life and actions.
Whenever people look at me and tell me that they can’t find (or
is it make?) time for Mass, that God is not really that important for them
right now, or that they just don’t care, I sigh from the depths of my being. I think: You
don’t get it, do you? How much the Son of God endured and
sacrificed on our behalf? What He did for me, for you, for us? It’s sad. Very sad.
Jesus’ words from the cross ring ever true:
Father, forgive them, they know
not what they do. (Lk.
23:34)
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Gossip
The first priest said, "Well, it's kind of embarrassing, but my big temptation is bad pictures. Once I even bought a copy of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition."
"My temptation is worse," said the second priest. "It's gambling. One Saturday instead of preparing my homily I went to the race track to bet on the ponies."
"Mine is worse still," said the third priest. "I sometimes can't control the urge to drink. One time I actually broke into the sacramental wine."
The fourth priest was quiet. "Brothers, I hate to say this," he said, "but my temptation is worst of all. I love to gossip - and if you guys will excuse me, I'd like to make a few phone calls!"
The Annunciation
The Annunciation
Dear Parishioners,
Around March 25th each
year, I anxiously await what most people receive at Christmas—an
annual card from a friend. Fr. Tom has chosen to send out Annunciation Day
cards instead of the normal Christmas cards. The bottom of his card this
year (2023) reads:
As
long as our country treats the fruit of the womb as a disposable item in a
subhuman culture, I will send my Christmas cards nine months early to proclaim
to the world that the child in the womb is sacred.
In the past, his cards
have given recipients other reminders:
And
finally after nine months they give birth to humans who are our sons and daughters.
They do not grow pre-human life forms that become human once they leave a
woman. What an insult to women. That to live inside of our mother is to forfeit
human dignity.
Jesus entered our world as a child in the womb of the Most Blessed
Virgin Mary. He revealed to us His Father in Heaven. May we recognize Him in
the least among us, even our unborn sons and daughters as we seek the Face of
God together.
I wrote the following poem
many years ago when reflecting on the sacredness and value of each human life:
I Cried
I cried—no one heard me
Yet I cried—
For I was inside
Of my mother’s womb.
I longed to be held in her arms,
To be fondled and caressed,
To take milk from my mother’s breast
And to laugh.
Such beauty and warmth of life
I could enjoy,
Play with my first toy
And begin to love.
I could leave my print on the world:
Wisdom to span the ages,
As the knowledge of sages
Of years past.
Still, more than this all, I long for
life
—That gift God-given—
And the chance to live in
His created world.
I cried—and no one heard me
For I was inside of my mother’s womb.
Little did I know it would be my
tomb.
I cried.
© 1982 Edward F. Namiotka