Understanding the Beauty and Importance of the Mass

Dear Parishioners,

In general, Mass attendance has been far from stellar in most parishes for quite some time now. In our area, calculations seem to indicate that less than twenty percent of registered parishioners attend Mass on the average weekend. Some of the sad comments that I remember over the years include: I can pray at home, I don't get anything out of the Mass, Mass is boring, I'm / we're just too busy, or I no longer practice any organized religion. As pastor, I can simply bewail and lament the situation or I can offer some suggestions to help people appreciate the wonderful gift that we have in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 

Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Mass is a ritual and an act of worship. Its general pattern does not change. There is a Liturgy of the Word and a Liturgy of the Eucharist each and every time. Knowing this, it is important I understand that Mass is not meant to be entertainment—like watching a show or performance—but worship. In fact, it is our part of renewing the Sacred Covenant that Jesus established by His Passion and Death. Today's liturgy involves the active participation of the congregation: voicing the responses, singing, listening attentively, praying, making various gestures and movements, etc. Just being present (punching my time card) is not the same as active participation. An act of the will is involved in which I choose (actively) to worship the Living God. 
2. Not every Mass will appear earth-shattering or every homily be super interesting. Ritual, by its nature, can become somewhat routine. While some things do change in the Mass like the color of vestments, the hymns, the readings, the prayers, etc., the general pattern does not. For a greater awareness and appreciation of the beauty of the Mass, the participant needs to delve more deeply into its rich mystery with all of its symbolism and subtleties. Read a book, take a class, watch a video, or listen to a podcast explaining just what is happening during each and every Mass. This should help enhance one's appreciation of what occurs at Mass. Moreover, homilists vary in oratory skills, intelligence, and preparedness. While not every homily will necessarily motivate or impress an individual, one or another might provide particularly good insight and inspiration. Some homilies might actually be life-changing. However, when a person is not present to hear them (does not come to Mass), the possibility of being edified or inspired by them might not even exist.
3. Reception of the Holy Eucharist and Mass attendance need to be clearly distinguished. Catholics are required to attend Mass each week and on Holy Days of Obligation. This responsibility has not changed in our time, although it is noticeably disregarded. It doesn't matter what the subjective state of the person is—sinner or saint. For example, a person unable to receive Holy Communion (for whatever reason) is nonetheless still required to attend Mass. Reception of Holy Communion is not a requirement for attending Mass. One needs to be in the state of grace (not conscious of any grave sin) in order to worthily receive Holy Communion. Otherwise, the person first needs to seek out the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (confession). However, anyone unable to receive Holy Communion can and should make a Spiritual Communion instead while realizing that Christ is also present at Mass through the Sacred Scriptures, in the person of the priest and where two or three are gathered in Jesus' name (the Church or Mystical Body of Christ). The essential point here is that all Catholics need to attend Mass weekly.
4. Preparation for Mass and reflection on the Scripture readings can help enhance the experience. Reading the Scriptures for Mass ahead of time is a valuable way to benefit more fully from them. What is God saying to me?  As a priest preparing my Sunday homily, I often begin right after the weekend Masses to reflect on the Sacred Scriptures for the following week. Taking the time to pray ahead of time (instead of rushing in late or at the very last minute) also can put one into the right frame of mind. Moreover, the motivational Catholic speaker Matthew Kelly suggests keeping a Mass journal with personal reflections from the Sunday readings. This practice can help one to become a better listener and more reflective. The Mass readings can be found online and in various monthly publications which often include prayers and reflections on the Scriptures.
5. Volunteer your services. Becoming a reader, altar server, usher or choir member are various ways for a person to get more actively involved at Mass. From my youngest days as an altar server, I preferred serving at the altar to sitting in the pew. If you have been properly trained, be prepared to offer your assistance whenever you come to Mass.

I have personally found that when I give God time in prayer and worship as I am supposed to do, I inevitably find the necessary time that I need to accomplish the many other duties I have. However, when I begin to cut corners or make my prayer and worship a lesser priority, my days often become more chaotic and burdensome. There is an important connection here for all of us and attending weekly Mass should be the first priority of every Catholic.  

 Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time "B" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

The Greatest Gift!

Dear Parishioners,

With the many advances of technology, what I write here has the potential to reach many more people than those who sit in our pews each weekend. Necessarily, if a rather significant number of parishioners in an average parish are not part of the Saturday evening/Sunday routine of going to Mass, then this bulletin article also has to attempt to reach those who will not be worshipping with us this week. The bulletin is also available online to those who may be away from home, such as college students, those travelling for business, etc. My hope and prayer is that this message will go out far and wide each week.

As Catholic Christians, we need to seek out the spiritual things in life. Life is very materialistic. We are constantly bombarded in commercials and advertisements that we must buy this particular item, that we are somehow incomplete or missing out on something if we do not own the latest, the best, the most expensive, etc. We need to buy, buy, and buy! And it’s all a lie!

What makes us complete? What really gives us value or significance in life? The greatest gift that anyone can be given does not have a price tag and cannot be bought. It is not something that will impress those who see things with a worldly or materialistic set of eyes. It is rather something of a completely spiritual nature—the gift of faith.

When we are baptized, we receive the gift of faith. It is a gift—not something we buy, not something that we earn. It is a gift, pure and simple. If you have been given this gift, then thank God for it. If you are a parent, it is the most important gift that you could ever give your child. It happens by the simple pouring of water in the sacrament of Baptism:  “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.” Through Baptism we become a child of God; adopted by God Himself! Jesus is God’s only begotten Son by nature from all eternity. We become His adopted child through baptism. God is our Father, truly our Father!

I really wonder how much we actually think about our Baptism and the gift of faith that we have received through it? Whenever we walk into the church and bless ourselves with the water from the holy water font, we should be reminded of the fact of our Baptism. I have been given the greatest gift! I am a Child of God! Faith, being a gift, can be lost or grow cold if it is not fostered. That is why it is so essential that we practice our faith—that we come together as a faith community at Mass. We need to worship together as children of the one God as a family. Hearing the Word of God and receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist regularly will help our faith to grow. Moreover, faith in the Holy Eucharist is faith in Jesus Christ himself! It is His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity we are privileged to receive at Mass.

For those who may not be baptized or who have not yet had your children baptized, please think about, pray about and ask for this precious gift though the Sacrament of Baptism. Adults seeking Baptism should inquire about the O.C.I.A. (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program.

Sometimes the most precious things in life are the things that we cannot buy. The gift of faith is one such gift. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God leads to eternal life! That is something no amount of money can ever buy! It is simply a gift—the greatest gift!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor 

       

The Bread of Life Discourse

Dear Parishioners,

Some of the most significant words of Jesus regarding the Holy Eucharist—found in Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse (John, chapter 6)—are being highlighted for these five weeks of reflection on St. John's Gospel.  Let me just quote a few of the most significant lines found there:  

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 you . . . 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 . . . .

Bread is indeed 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 (Mt. 14:15-21, Mk. 6:34-42, Lk. 9:16-17, Jn. 6:9-13). 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). 

However, in the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 6, as we read what is referred to as Jesus’ Bread of Life Discourse, Jesus makes some very profound and perhaps, disturbing, statements. Some people found His teaching hard to take and walked away from Him (see Jn. 6:66). This passage is seen as an essential commentary on the significance and value of the Most Holy Eucharist. We hear some of the most definitive statements of Jesus regarding the Holy Eucharist. The Real Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament 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 divine 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. Reverence and awe cannot be overstated or over-emphasized. We also should prepare for reception of Holy Communion by examining our consciences and making sure we are first in the state of grace (not conscious of any grave or mortal sin not yet forgiven in confession). 

Like 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)  Please realize Whom it is that we are privileged to have on our altar and to receive:  Jesus, the Son of God.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

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

 

The Assumption: Our Upcoming Holy Day

Dear Parishioners,

With the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary coming up on August 15^th, I thought that this article might be helpful.  

A question is frequently asked: “Why do we have to attend Mass some years on a particular holy day, and on other years there is no obligation to attend Mass?”

Holy Days of Obligation often generate confusion and need clarification. In the universal Catholic Church, there are ten of these days. However, each individual country is allowed—through its conference of bishops (the U.S.C.C.B. in America)—to decide which days are to be observed and how they are to be observed.

 Catholic Canon (Church) Law actually states the following:

Can. 1246 §1. Sunday, on which by apostolic tradition the paschal mystery is celebrated, must be observed in the universal Church as the primordial holy day of obligation. The following days must also be observed: the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension, the Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Mary the Mother of God, her Immaculate Conception, her Assumption, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter and Saint Paul the Apostles, and All Saints.

§2. With the prior approval of the Apostolic See, however, the conference of bishops can suppress some of the holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday.

Can. 1247 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass.

The US conference of bishops chose to move the observation of some of these Holy Days to Sunday (such as Corpus Christi, and the Epiphany). For those living in the Diocese of Camden and all of New Jersey, five holy days are retained on their actual calendar dates:

• January 1—The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
• August 15—The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• November 1—All Saints Day
• December 8—The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• December 25—Christmas

What is perhaps one of the most confusing aspects for almost everyone is the question: Why are we obliged to attend Mass some years and not others? Basically, when the Holy Days fall on a Saturday or a Monday—being so close to Sunday—the bishops of the USA removed the obligation to attend Mass on those days. This is true except for the Immaculate Conception (the Patroness of the USA) and Christmas. We observe these days no matter when they occur.

Now that you are thoroughly confused, I want to make a few important points for you to consider. First, since the universal Catholic Church has considered these days holy, then they deserve our attention, consideration and observance no matter when they occur (or whether we are required to attend Mass). Second, I hate to see people become so legalistic that we are constantly looking to observe the absolute, bare minimum that we could possibly do for God. We should develop an attitude of generosity toward God and not an attitude resembling something like a minimum daily requirement. What if God had that type of attitude toward us? Finally, these holy days should be a reminder for us to try to bring the sacred into our daily routine.

There are so many things that can distract us from God in the world today. Recalling and observing these sacred days and the events that they represent are a good way for us to Christianize our lives, family and world. I hope to see you in Church at Mass on these days because you truly want to be there, not because you sometimes are obliged to do so.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

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