Homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Homily for the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ "C" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Saint Peter and Saint Paul

 

Dear Parishioners,

St. Peter the Apostle (a.k.a. Simon) was personally chosen by Christ to head what would become known as the Catholic Church. “ . . . You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.” (Mt. 16:18) Peter was a weak, imperfect man. He denied Christ three times. He fled the crucifixion scene. Peter fell asleep when Christ asked him (and others) to pray with Him in the garden of Gethsemane. Christ strongly rebuked Peter when he tried to contradict Christ’s prediction of His future suffering and cross. “[Jesus] turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.’” (Mt. 16: 23) Nevertheless, Peter became the leader that Christ wanted for His Church.

St. Paul (a.k.a. Saul) initially persecuted the early Church:

“Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.” (Acts 9: 1-2)

He had some culpability for the death of St. Stephen. “Now Saul was consenting to [Stephen’s] execution.” (Acts 8: 1) Yet, Christ had other plans for him. Eventually he become known as the Apostle to the Gentiles willing to go far and wide to proclaim Jesus is Lord. (See Phil. 2:11)

What lessons can we learn from Christ’s choice of these two men? First, Christ does not necessarily choose only the perfect, the holy, the best or the brightest. He chooses sinners, the weak, the lowly, and the seemingly insignificant. He chooses whomever He wills in spite of what others may think. After all, He is God.

Next, Christ has the power to transform even the worst possible situation into something holy and salvific. Peter and Paul were sinners who became saints. They did not initially act in accordance with what Christ intended for His Church. However, with the grace of God’s transformative love, they became holy. They learned to love Christ. They suffered and died for Him. They are officially recognized as saints. The Church’s history is filled with many such scenarios.

Additionally, we see how it is the power of Christ that works through these men and sometimes in spite of them. Peter could only walk on water when he kept his eyes focused on Christ. Otherwise he sank. (See Mt. 14: 22-33) Paul’s zeal for his religion was initially misdirected to destroy Christianity until Christ turned him around and allowed him to see clearly. He then became one of Christianity’s greatest proponents and missionaries.

Tradition has it that Peter was eventually crucified like Jesus. However, he requested to die upside down because he was not worthy to die in the manner his Lord had died. Paul, after a time of imprisonment, was beheaded. Peter is symbolized by keys illustrating his binding and loosing power as head of the Church. Paul is symbolized by the sword indicating the power Sacred Scripture has to pierce one’s being (See Heb. 4: 12) as well as the manner of his death.

As we honor these two great Church leaders on this solemnity, may we aspire to be transformed in like manner by Jesus into zealous disciples.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for Trinity Sunday "C" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

An Eternal Exchange of Love

Dear Parishioners,

On this Trinity Sunday, I share some reflections on the Holy Trinity—a most profound mystery of our faith.

First, we should realize that Jesus opened up for us the inner life of God. He revealed that God was a Trinity of Persons. Recall, the Jewish people are strict monotheists—Hear O Israel!  The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! (Dt. 6: 4)—and they held on to this belief despite being surrounded, invaded and conquered by various polytheistic cultures (e.g., Rome). However, Jesus began to teach his disciples God is Father—His Father—and this must have caused significant concern for those around Him. He equated Himself with God, His Father:  The Father and I are one. (Jn. 10:30) What exactly does He mean? He also promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples once He was gone: But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you (Jn. 16: 7). There is no natural way that we could figure out on our own that God was a Trinity of Persons without Jesus revealing this mystery to us.

Next, we are told that God is love (1 Jn. 4:8) Therefore, the experience of love itself seems to indicate that there should be a lover and a beloved. Within the Trinity, the Father loves the Son from all eternity and the Son loves the Father from all eternity. The love between the two is also a Person: the Holy Spirit. 

God's very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC # 221)

I contend that things in this world reflect and model for us certain eternal truths—albeit imperfectly—and help us to understand some mysteries of our faith better. Take the example of a family. A husband loves his wife and the wife loves her husband. Their love for each other can be manifest in a child who is the result of their love for each other. In essence, there is a type of a Trinitarian love involved here: the love between husband, wife and child. Again, the example is not perfect as God is uncreated, but it does shed some light on an otherwise complicated topic.

Another example from our life experience helps us with our understanding the Trinity. Take H₂O which can appear in nature as water, steam or ice. All three have the same chemical composition but can appear in different forms depending on temperature. This helps us to see how something can be three and one at the very same time. Our belief in the Holy Trinity teaches that there are Three Divine Persons in the One True God.

Every time you make the Sign of the Cross, think about how we acknowledge our belief in the Holy Trinity. By God’s immense love for us, we are invited to share in the life of the Trinity and to dwell one day within that eternal exchange of love. 

The whole idea can indeed be mind-boggling.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for Pentecost Sunday 2025 - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Homily for the Ascension of Our Lord "C" - Fr. Edward Namiotka