Concern for the Most Vulnerable

 

Dear Parishioners,

Thursday, January 22nd, is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. I wonder how many people are actually aware of this.

When Roe v. Wade was officially overturned by the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022, I stated that the battle for the rights of unborn (or preborn) children would need to continue on the local (i.e., state) level. New Jersey and its current majority of legislators are, sadly, by no means “pro-life.” Rather, the call for the protection of so-called “abortion rights” unfortunately continues. Do we ever seriously contemplate the rights of all the vulnerable children yet to be born?

In actuality, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is clearly stated in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Our founders recognized that people have a right to live in this world. Logically, if humans create a new human life, then that new person now has a right to exist. (This is abundantly clear even before we intensify matters by bringing any mention of God or morality into the picture.) From a merely human perspective, innocent, vulnerable human life needs protection in similar manner to various legislation enacted to protect the bald eagles' eggs, baby seals, elephants from being hunted for their tusks, dogs from being used in deadly dogfights, etc.

As Christians, we take this situation a step further by realizing that every person is created in the image and likeness of God. We believe that God elevated our human dignity by becoming one of us in the Incarnation of Jesus. We acknowledge that every born or preborn baby has both a developing body and an immortal soul destined for eternity. We hold to timeless precepts such as Thou shalt not kill. We believe that medicine and technology minimally should do no harm to the patient (human person), and certainly not deliberately destroy him or her in the womb.

The problem now exists where people have become much too comfortable in their sin. What might have seemed so obvious in the past—a grave sin or repulsive evil—is now accepted or even glorified. Sin dulls the conscience and blocks the intellect. The lies that have been uttered over and over again begin to be believed and then held as “truths” and “rights.” Good becomes bad and bad becomes good. Our world winds up upside down.

Unfortunately, too many people do not want to upset the status quo. Keep your mouth shut! In many cases you would seriously risk being cancelled. I hope people are beginning to wake up and not fear to speak up! Free speech is something guaranteed in our Constitution—in the Bill of Rights, to be precise.

Yes, we have a long way to go before things change for the good. However, left without resistance we see evil advance in (formerly, obviously repulsive) acts like infanticide, euthanasia, the acceptance of pedophilia or ephebophilia, a distortion of marriage, recognition of sodomy (and other acts) as sexual alternatives, dissatisfaction with one’s gender, propagation and use of artificial contraception and various abortifacients, a flourishing pornography industry, etc. etc. This could never happen in an enlightened, civilized society, could it? Just look around you. Our societal values resemble godless, pagan and not Christian cultures.

While the message of the Gospel is suppressed, minimized, mocked, and seen as outdated and irrelevant, what will it take to bring people to their knees and acknowledge the need for Jesus Christ and His true Church? 

I truly fear to ask this question.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

                       

Politics and the Moral Issues

Dear Parishioners,

Throughout history, politics and religion have started wars.  Therefore, I generally tend to avoid certain subjects that evoke strong feelings, especially when I am trying to have a peaceful meal, or when I am in mixed company (and I am not sure of one’s religious background or political leanings).  I attempt to keep matters civil and usually have a live and let live attitude toward issues that I see as non-essential or less-important.

Regarding politics, currently we are preparing for another presidential election and I think that many, if not most, people have already made up their minds concerning how they will vote.  What I particularly worry about are those who are not informed of the issues (and their various implications) and people who base their decisions on reasons such as a candidate’s likeability or popularity instead of more substantive reasons.  What also intrigues me is those who will vote for a particular candidate solely because of party affiliation.  (I once again state emphatically that I have never sold my soul to any particular political party and I base my vote on the substantive issues, while considering a candidate’s moral character, belief system, voting record, etc.)

Certain issues should be of utmost importance for Catholics (and, in fact, for all people with faith in God as creator).  Where does a candidate’s party stand on abortion, euthanasia (assisted suicide), traditional marriage, freedom of worship, socialism/Marxism, parent’s rights regarding the education of their children, etc.? How one values every human life from conception onward should never be minimized or made equivalent to some lesser issue. 

A candidate’s honesty and integrity need scrutiny.  Will the candidate’s political positions reflect the biblical values and principles that have guided civilization from its earliest days? What does the person’s past track record tell us about future decision making? Is political correctness more important than moral truth?

Regarding religion, I believe that my Catholic faith should guide how I do all things in life.  A properly formed conscience should assist me in my decision making.  This means that my faith, properly articulated and understood, needs to guide and inform my vote.

We have seen biblical examples of those who have stood up to kings and rulers on principle—being anything but politically correct—and were not afraid to speak the truth regardless of personal consequence.  Notable is St. John the Baptist who objected to King Herod’s choice of wife and was ultimately beheaded because of his unwavering stance (see Mk. 6: 14-29).  Our parish patron, St. Thomas More, was also beheaded for standing up to King Henry VIII on principle.

America’s future is going to be shaped by those we choose to represent us in public office—especially the office of President.  I suggest that we become informed of the issues, learn about the candidates (especially from their own words) and current/past actions (and not just what the PC media wants us to hear about them.)  Read the democratic and republican party platforms.  They are very revealing.

What worries me is that my singular vote, which I intend to take the time to make prayerfully and intelligently, can be nullified by someone else’s uninformed vote or by a vote that is motivated by a less-than-altruistic political or social agenda.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Respect Life Month

Dear Parishioners,

October is traditionally the month of the Holy Rosary.

It is also Respect Life month.

The two seem to go together so perfectly as I encourage you to pray the rosary each day for an increase of the awareness in our society of the sanctity of all human life—from the moment of conception until natural death.  We especially pray to end practices like abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research and pray that all human beings be treated with their God-given dignity and respect.

Sadly, on the news just recently I learned about two young drivers in Las Vegas who deliberately hit a man on a bicycle and killed him. The cyclist was a retired police chief, Andreas Probst. The video of the incident was boldly posted by the laughing perpetrators on social media. How life has indeed become so cheap and seemingly disposable! It is frightening that there are various incidents where the homeless are set on fire, elderly are beaten and robbed, children are tortured and sexually assaulted, the infirm or handicapped are physically abused, etc., etc. We need to insist that all human life never be treated with such lack of dignity and respect, but rather as a gift from God which is to be honored and preserved.

Do not be deceived by people who claim things like: “A woman has a right to choose.” First of all, without denying our God-given free will, the conceived baby is a separate human person who had no “choice” in the matter of his/her conception. Since we may never “choose” that which is intrinsically evil, no one can make the “choice” to take an innocent human life.

With regard to embryonic stem cell research, the same results can be achieved by using stem cells taken by other means. I quote the Document of the Holy See on Human Cloning:

“There are two potential sources of stem cells for human research, firstly "adult" stem cells, which are derived from the umbilical cord blood, the bone marrow and other tissues and secondly "embryonic" stem cells, which are obtained by the disaggregation of human embryos.  The Holy See opposes the cloning of human embryos for the purpose of destroying them in order to harvest their stem cells, even for a noble purpose, because it is inconsistent with the ground and motive of human biomedical research, that is, respect for the dignity of human beings.  However, the Holy See applauds and encourages research using adult stem cells, because it is completely compatible with respect for the dignity of human beings.”

Euthanasia, sometimes called “mercy killing” is usually presented as a humane solution to a life of suffering. However, “playing God” and actively putting a person to death by some direct means is morally wrong. (A person may choose, however, to take no extraordinary means to keep himself/herself alive.)

Human life needs to be respected and honored as sacred. After all, Jesus Christ chose to become one of us—a human being—in all things but sin.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

The Annunciation

The Annunciation

Dear Parishioners,

Around March 25^th 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

When the Planets Align

 

Dear Parishioners,

The planets aligned last week, literally.  Five planets—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—lined up in planetary order on June 24, 2022.  This day would normally have been the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.  However, because the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (a feast day with a varying, movable date) also fell on the exact same day this year, it took precedence.

It was also the day we saw the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

A coincidence?  Maybe a Divine Coincidence?

Since 1973, when Roe v. Wade opened the door to legal abortion in our country, America has been on a continual, downward spiral.  Moral decay quickly follows when there is a loss of respect for the sanctity of every human person—from conception until natural death.  What started as a 7-2 decision by US Supreme Court Justices who legislated rather than interpreted the law, well over 60 million innocent children have been surgically or chemically killed in the US.  The dissenting opinion of Justice Byron White (with Chief Justice William Rehnquist concurring) at that time stated the following:

I find nothing in the language or history of the Constitution to support the Court's judgment. The Court simply fashions and announces a new constitutional right for pregnant women and, with scarcely any reason or authority for its action, invests that right with sufficient substance to override most existing state abortion statutes.

The court last Friday finally acknowledged that the reasoning behind Roe was indeed seriously flawed.  Now the decision for or against legalized abortion falls back to the individual states to decide, as it was before Roe.  No matter how the media or others try to portray the situation, this is where we are right now.  New Jersey decides for New Jersey.

Sadly, we are not a state that legally protects the lives of the unborn.  The uphill (and now local) battle waged by Pro-Life Catholics and all who support the rights of the unborn to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is not yet won.  In fact, it is in the process of intensifying.

However, we can see clearly that what might have seemed unlikely or even impossible is never so with God’s Divine Assistance.  Our prayers and efforts are ever more necessary to accomplishing the task of making New Jersey a Pro-Life state and not one that permits the continued surgical or chemical death of unborn children.

Reasonable people would certainly hold to the Golden Rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do to you.  Well, what about the preborn?  Would we want to be surgically torn apart or chemically poisoned?  Do we not appreciate the fact that we were given a chance to live in this world?

Each year since Roe v. Wade, the March for Life has protested and stood up for the life of preborn children in our nation’s capital.  The founder and organizer of this march was an attorney named Nellie Gray.  She died ten years ago in 2012, not living to see what she had hoped would eventually occur, the overturning of Roe.  June 25th, the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary this year, was her birthday.  Happy birthday Nellie!  The planets aligned.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Nellie Gray

The Holy Rosary and Our Pro-Life Efforts

Dear Parishioners,

As we soon begin the month of October, I am reminded of the important connection we need to make joining devotion to the Holy Rosary with our Respect Life efforts.  It is no coincidence that October is both the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary and also to the respect for all human life from the moment of conception until natural death.

The history of the Holy Rosary reveals its power combating heresy (against the Albigensians) and providing victory in battle (the battle of Lepanto).  It was requested by our Lady herself during various Church approved Marian apparitions (Fatima).  It has tremendous spiritual benefits for those who faithfully pray it.

Simply stated, the rosary traces the highlights of the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ and the life of his Mother Mary as found in Sacred Scripture and Church Tradition.  It is, in a sense, the bible on beads.  We can use the rosary to help us spiritually each day as we recall  and reflect on various mysteries of our faith and our salvation.

The repetition of the prayers is meant to help us get into a spiritual rhythm and a reflective mindset.  The meditation on the mysteries helps us to recall and reinforce essential truths of our faith.  The rosary also seeks the intercession of Our Lady who is essential to the plan for our salvation.  She is our spiritual mother guiding us and accompanying us on our journey of life.

Just think of some of the joyful mysteries of the Holy Rosary and their connection to various life issues.  The first joyful mystery, the Annunciation (Lk. 1: 26-38), shows us how with Mary’s “yes” to the angel, the Word became flesh in her womb.  God became Incarnate with Jesus’ human life beginning at conception.  After Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb, when Mary greeted Elizabeth [the Visitation (Lk. 1: 39-56)], John the Baptist leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb.  Recall how Elizabeth was in advanced years—a situation that today may be too easy an excuse to have an abortion.  When Jesus is born in a stable in Bethlehem [the Nativity (Lk. 2: 1-7ff.)] with no room for Him anywhere else, I can just imagine someone today saying that “This child is too inconvenient for us at this time!” or “We can’t afford this child!” These are just a few reasons that can be rationalized for terminating an unwanted or inconvenient pregnancy.

I could go on developing this meditation.  However, it is even more important that we take the time to pray the Holy Rosary with the intention of fostering a greater respect for all human life.  Please take the time to pray at least five decades of the Holy Rosary each day. 

There is certainly no more important issue facing our world today than the one concerning the sacredness of all human life.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, chose to become one of us.  This is our fundamental belief and this indicates for us the tremendous value that God placed on humanity itself.  Let no one deceive you with false arguments and/or intellectual rationalizations somehow justifying an abortion, infanticide or euthanasia.

The Author of Life became one of us and this speaks volumes of our need, tirelessly, to protect and to defend all human life.  Prayer is the greatest tool and the Holy Rosary is one of the most powerful weapons in any spiritual battle.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Why the "Life" Issue is the Essential Issue

Dear Parishioners,

Since 1973 when Roe v. Wade originally opened the door to legal abortion in our country, America has been on a continual downward spiral. What started as a 7-2 decision by US Supreme Court Justices who legislated rather than interpreted the law, over 60 million innocent children have been surgically or chemically killed.  The dissenting opinion of Justice Byron White (with Chief Justice William Rehnquist concurring) stated the following:

I find nothing in the language or history of the Constitution to support the Court's judgment. The Court simply fashions and announces a new constitutional right for pregnant women and, with scarcely any reason or authority for its action, invests that right with sufficient substance to override most existing state abortion statutes.

A member of the Pro-Life movement since 1995, Norma McCorvey, who was the Jane Roe in the 1973 Supreme Court decision, had the following to say years later:

It was my pseudonym, Jane Roe, which had been used to create the "right" to abortion out of legal thin air.  But Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee [her lawyers] never told me that what I was signing would allow women to come up to me 15, 20 years later and say, "Thank you for allowing me to have my five or six abortions.  Without you, it wouldn't have been possible."  Sarah never mentioned women using abortions as a form of birth control.  We talked about truly desperate and needy women, not women already wearing maternity clothes.

The simple reality is that unless human life matters, nothing else matters.  This world and all that is in it are important because all human beings are important.  Pope St. John Paul II's words at the Denver airport (August 12, 1993) remind us of this:

America has a strong tradition of respect for the individual, for human dignity and human rights. I gladly acknowledged this during my previous visit to the United States in 1987, and I would like to repeat today the hope I expressed on that occasion: "America, you are beautiful and blessed in so many ways . . . But your best beauty and your richest blessing is found in the human person: in each man, woman and child, in every immigrant, in every native born son and daughter . . . The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless ones.  The best traditions of your land presume respect for those who cannot defend themselves. It you want equal justice for all, and true freedom and lasting peace, then, America, defend life!  All the great causes that are yours today will have meaning only to the extent that you guarantee the right to life and protect the human person".

When people argue that abortion is only one issue in this or any presidential election, the response of Priests for Life is worth noting:

The foundation of a house is only one of many parts of the house, but it is essential in order to build the other parts.  That is why the Catholic bishops have repeatedly asserted that among the many interrelated issues within a consistent ethic, abortion deserves "urgent attention and priority."

St. Teresa of Calcutta's words at the National Prayer Breakfast, (Washington, DC on February 3, 1994)—given in front of then President Bill and Hillary Clinton—included the following:

But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.  And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?  How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion?  As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts.  Jesus gave even His life to love us.  So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child.  The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts.  By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems.  And, by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world.  That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble.  So abortion just leads to more abortion.  Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want.  This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.

I hope that you take the time to reflect on all of the above.  

Do not be deceived by arguments that omit or minimize the vital importance of voting Pro-Life!

                                                                                                                

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

The Sacredness of Every Human Life

Dear Parishioners,

I begin my bulletin with an excerpt of a speech given at the March for Life in Washington DC on January 24, 2020:

 

"All of us here understand an eternal truth: Every child is a precious and sacred gift from God. Together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life. When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God's creation. When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul. One life changes the world . . . As the Bible tells us, each person is wonderfully made . . . To all the moms here today, we celebrate you and we declare that mothers are heroes. Your strength, devotion, and drive is what powers our nation. Because of you, our country has been blessed with amazing souls who have changed the course of human history. We cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve. The dreams they will imagine. The masterpieces they will create. The discoveries they will make. But we know this: every life brings love into this world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting. And above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of Almighty God."

"Which bishop or religious leader is being quoted here?” you may wonder. The speech comes from the current President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. The fact that he is the first President of our country ever to attend the March for Life speaks volumes to me. Other presidents may have made a phone call to the March attendees or sent a proxy.  However, this year the sitting President was present and he spoke the above words. People who have faithfully attended the March year after year have waited decades for this to happen. 

I have stated very clearly on numerous occasions that I am neither a republican nor a democrat. I see flaws in both parties. I consider myself an independent conservative. My only complete allegiance is to Jesus Christ as my Lord, God and Savior. However, looking objectively at what President Trump said and what his appearance at the March meant to all who respect the sanctity of every human life, he deserves our applause.  I also commend Vice-President Mike Pence who is also staunchly pro-life, and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway (a graduate of St. Joseph High School in Hammonton, NJ where I was assistant principal for a time) for her continual support of the unborn.

I contrast the above with an excerpt from an acceptance speech from Michelle Williams at the recent Golden Globe awards. As she was accepting her Golden Globe award, she spoke the following:

“ . . . And I wouldn't have been able to do this without employing a woman's right to choose . . . To choose when to have my children and with whom, when I felt supported and able to balance our lives as all mothers know that the scales must and will tip towards our children. Now I know my choices might look different than yours, but thank God or whoever you pray to that we live in a country founded on the principles that I am free to live by my faith and you are free to live by yours. So, women 18 to 118, when it is time to vote please do so in your self-interest.  It's what men have been doing for years, which is why the world looks so much like them but don't forget we are the largest voting body in this country.  Let's make it look more like us."

All I could think of was the award she was now holding instead of the child that should-have-been. I don’t know her situation and the circumstances surrounding it. What I do know is that she made a “choice” that can never be reversed and because of it she is holding a golden idol instead of a living child.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Michelle Williams at the Golden Globes

Away from the Parish for a Little While

Dear Parishioners,

When I first started writing these letters each week over a decade ago for my parish bulletin, my intention was to communicate directly with you my parishioners and to let know you what I was thinking.  I generally enjoy writing, and I saw this as an additional way to communicate my thoughts and sometimes my feelings.  (Go on a Marriage Encounter Weekend to have this distinction--thoughts vs. feelings--clarified more fully!)  The homily each week was not always the means by which I could convey everything that I wanted to say.  Nor was it always the appropriate forum for some of the matters that needed to be addressed.

With time, and a transfer to various parish assignments, I began posting my letters on my blog (www.fr-ed-namiotka.com) for anyone to see.  Hence, my "parishioners" took on an ever greater context.  I now have people who do not physically reside in my parish but look for some spiritual guidance or insight, or just try to see what I am up to these days.  I hope that whoever reads my brief messages somehow benefits spiritually from what I have to say.  I put time, energy, prayer and love into my weekly message with the hope that it can somehow touch souls.  I pray that God use these words in whatever way He sees fit.

I just returned from a Caribbean cruise.  While it may seem a strange thing to do during Lent, sometimes the circumstances of life do not fit into exact categories.  For years, I was able to take my mom (now 85) with me and this was a way that we could be together for a week (or so) and where we could warm up from the chill of the winter.  Unfortunately, for the past two years she has declined to go with me for various reasons (usually health and mobility related).  Nonetheless, I was able to offer Mass and to preach each day for some of the cruise passengers and they seemed very appreciative that I could be there for them.  Daily Mass usually saw approximately 20-30 people while the Sunday Masses were attended by about 125 travelers.

Currently, I am a participant at the Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in South Jersey being held in Atlantic City.  Bishop Sullivan is the driving force behind this three-and-a-half day event.  He has required each parish to send 10 delegates with their pastor.  The hope is that the approximately 800 attendees will be able to return to their respective parishes filled with Gospel joy and zeal, and to be effective leaders.  We have Mass and pray together each day, attend various conferences and workshops, and find ourselves getting to know the chosen delegates better.  For me it has been something of a Diocesan/Catholic Who's Who, as I have run into so many former parishioners and friends.  When you are a priest for over thirty years, you do get to know quite a few people!

The convocation began on the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25).  This day, dedicated to Our Lady and her acceptance of God's will in her life, has been a special day for me for quite some time.  One of my close priest-friends generally sends out Annunciation Day cards rather than Christmas cards.  He does this to remind us all that the Word became flesh--the Incarnation of Jesus the Christ--with Mary's "yes" to the angel Gabriel (see Luke 1: 26-38).  The sacredness of the life of every child in the womb is accentuated by the presence of Jesus in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The words of the Hail Mary and the Angelus should be daily prayer-reminders of the events of this day.

When I return to the parish with my fellow attendees this weekend,  pray that we be filled with the Joy of the Gospel!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Christ, Our Light

Dear Parishioners,

Anyone with a modicum of supernatural faith, a functioning conscience and some basic intelligence should be able to see the hand of the diabolical behind some recent events.

On February 2^nd the Church celebrated the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the temple, also known as Candlemas day.  The blessing of candles with a procession is part of the Church’s tradition.  Christ is seen as the Light that now enters the temple.  Simeon, an elderly man praying in the temple, upon seeing the infant Jesus, utters the following:

Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel. (Lk. 2: 29-32)

These verses are recited daily in night prayer of the Church and are known as the Canticle of Simeon or Nunc Dimmitis.  Again, the emphasis is Christ as the Light for all peoples.

Sadly, just about a week prior, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, some other lights were lit throughout the city and state of New York.  Pink lights shone from One World Trade Center, the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Kosciuszko Bridge, and the Alfred E. Smith Building in Albany. These lights were specifically ordered by Governor Andrew Cuomo to “celebrate” a horrendous occasion—the passage of the so-called Reproductive Health Act.  I quote him directly:

The Reproductive Health Act is a historic victory for New Yorkers and for our progressive values. In the face of a federal government intent on rolling back Roe v. Wade and women’s reproductive rights, I promised that we would enact this critical legislation within the first 30 days of the new session – and we got it done. I am directing that New York’s landmarks be lit in pink to celebrate this achievement and shine a bright light forward for the rest of the nation to follow (emphasis mine).

What exactly were they celebrating?  The NY law permits abortions up until the time of birth, gives no protections to babies born alive from botched abortions, permits non-doctors to perform abortions, and removes any consideration of a baby in the womb as a human being.  After the passage of the law, the New York state legislature erupted in applause.  Yes, applause at the potential death of children in the womb.  Absolutely diabolical!

The state of Virginia tried to follow a similar path to remove restrictions on abortions with House Bill 2491.  Governor Ralph Northam tried to explain to WTOP radio what would happen to a baby born alive after a failed abortion:

If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.

A discussion between mother and physicians whether a born “infant” should be permitted to live?  I believe this is clearly infanticide.  Legalized killing of a baby in the womb—right up until the time of birth—and killing a baby outside the womb once born?  Have we completely lost our minds and any moral compass whatsoever?  I still can’t get over how they applauded in New York.

The cries of aborted children—over 60 million of them in the US—continue to be heard by God.  If those responsible for the death of innocent children have any concern for their eternal salvation, I pray they repent now before it is too late.  A realization of the evil that was done to these innocents, compounded by the diabolical laugh of Satan for all eternity in the fires of hell, is not a prospect that I ever want to face.  

Christ be our Light and lead us out of this terrible, terrible darkness.  We most emphatically and humbly implore you.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

One World Trade Center

Roe v. Wade

Dear Parishioners,

Could you ever imagine that the death of over 60 million babies has occurred since abortion was legalized in our country?  Certainly, they are not all because of rape, incest or a threat to the life of the mother.  The tragic anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade (January 22, 1973) is once again upon us.  It is important for us to continue to pray, fast and make sacrifices for the end of abortion (whether legal or illegal) in our nation and throughout the world.

Roe v. Wade was a tragic mistake that legalized abortion in our country in almost every conceivable circumstance.  But remember what may be legal is not necessarily moral.  The late Chief Justice Rhenquist and the late Justice White dissented against the majority decision of the court.  Later Justice Thomas, joined by the late Justice Scalia, wrote a dissent to the decision, saying of Roe v. Wade: "that decision was grievously wrong."

The deliberate and intentional taking of an innocent human life is morally wrong and can never be justified—not even in the case of rape or incest.  Even in the most horrible of circumstances (like rape or incest) in which the conception of a child can take place, killing the child does not and cannot remove or change the circumstances in which the child was conceived.  In fact, it only makes the situation worse because violence is now inflicted on an innocent unborn child.

I thank those who publicly protest Roe v. Wade at the annual March for Life in Washington, DC.  Always remember that while protesting and an outward display of faith certainly have value, more things are wrought by the power of prayer than we can imagine.  So, keep praying continually!

May God have mercy on those who have mistakenly thought that abortion was a “choice” that they somehow needed to make.  Abortion has many victims including the mother herself.  There needs to be much healing and forgiveness through God’s mercy for those who make a “choice” that can never be undone.

Whenever you hear someone recite the mantra about a “woman’s right to choose,” remind them that we can never choose that which is morally evil—the taking of an innocent human life in the womb.

St. Teresa of Calcutta's words at the National Prayer Breakfast, (Washington, DC on February 3, 1994)—given in front of then President Bill and Hillary Clinton—included the following:

But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.  And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?  How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion?  As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts.  Jesus gave even His life to love us.  So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child.  The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts.  By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems.  And, by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world.  That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble.  So abortion just leads to more abortion.  Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want.  This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.

I hope that you take the time to reflect on the words of this saint.  

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

57,762,169

Dear Parishioners,

They say that we can ask the computer any question.  Whether it’s Siri, Google, Galaxy, Cortana or some other voice recognition device or system, we can now ask, and the answer will be given to us.  Sounds almost biblical, doesn’t it?

So I asked Google: “How many abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973?”  I chose this year since it was the date of the historic United States Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade (January 22, 1973) which legalized abortion.  The answer I was given was 57,762,169—referencing a 2015 article from www.LifeNews.com.  The number would actually be greater if we bring the statistics to our current 2016 date.  Sounds like a lottery jackpot.

Just how many people is that?  It is more than the entire population of the following countries:  South Korea, Ukraine, South Africa, Spain, Colombia, Sudan, Argentina, Poland and many others that have a total population of less than 50 million people.  We have literally aborted the population of a fairly large country—just in the United States alone.  Imagine what the worldwide number of abortions is!

This statistic tells me a couple of things.  First, I believe that many people have no Idea how tragic this situation truly is.  As a nation we have become complacent with slogans like: The Right to Choose! or Keep Abortion Safe and Legal! The right to choose what?  Death . . . extermination . . . murder . . . infanticide?  Maybe we should label it differently.  Is abortion ever safe and legal for the unborn child?  Is it not, rather, a death sentence for him or her?  And how about the physical, psychological, and spiritual damage that is done to the woman herself?  One cannot just expect to rip a developing baby from the womb and then anticipate there to be no consequences whatsoever.

Next, it is unbelievably tragic that a moral evil (abortion, the taking of an innocent, human life) can be seen and touted as something good for women, for civilized society, or for humanity itself.   As if we have some moral right to kill innocent human life?  When a society abandons God’s moral law, distorts its meaning to suit its own selfish purposes and/or replaces it with a deception advocating and glorifying the means by which a large portion of humanity is exterminated, we are in grave danger.

 

We, as a nation, have drunk the Kool-Aid.  The Rev.Jim Jones was not the only one leading a mass amount of people astray and to the ultimate consequence of death.  I am continually hearing politicians advocate the choice for an abortion as a right, as something good, as something that must be defended.  And Americans will continue to drink the Kool-Aid.  And babies will continue to die, in numbers too great to even imagine.

Just think of the loss of potential human life.  Did we already abort the one who would cure cancer or Alzheimer’s?  How about the next great composer or inventor?  Has he or she already been poisoned or ripped apart?  Did the next great political or church leader already wind up as medical waste?

 

I know that I have been pretty blunt.  Yet, somehow I don’t think what I say is going to change things dramatically.  I fear that we have become too stiffed-neck (see Dt. 9:13) or hardened of heart (see Heb. 3:15), as those previously condemned in the Bible.

January 22, 2016.

Almost 60 million babies.

Does it matter?

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor