Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time "B" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Homily for the Mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday)

 

Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time "B" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Homily for Holy Thursday - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Stinky Feet

Dear Parishioners,

There was a bit of controversy for some after Pope Francis broke tradition by not celebrating Mass in a major cathedral or basilica on Holy Thursday and by washing the feet of two females at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.  If you read the liturgical instructions for the day (as found in the Roman Missal), it does indicate that the feet of twelve men (vir in Latin) should be washed.

Frankly, I am not usually the type of person to ignore deliberately and knowingly official liturgical guidelines.  At the same time, this particular action of our Holy Father did not really upset me.  It seemed like the natural, pastoral thing to do, given the fact of his surroundings—the Roman reform center for minors, Casal del Marmo.

Here is a portion from our Holy Father’s homily:

It is the Lord’s example: he is the most important, and he washes feet, because with us what is highest must be at the service of others. This is a symbol, it is a sign, right? Washing feet means: “I am at your service”. And with us too, don’t we have to wash each other’s feet day after day? But what does this mean? That all of us must help one another. Sometimes I am angry with someone or other ... but... let it go, let it go, and if he or she asks you a favour, do it. 

Help one another: this is what Jesus teaches us and this what I am doing, and doing with all my heart, because it is my duty. As a priest and a bishop, I must be at your service. But it is a duty which comes from my heart: I love it. I love this and I love to do it because that is what the Lord has taught me to do. But you too, help one another: help one another always. One another. In this way, by helping one another, we will do some good.

I thought about what Pope Francis attempted to do—to follow the example of Jesus and to teach others to do the same.  I don’t think that he was making any statement other than service of others.  For those who try to read more into it—that he’s opening the door to women’s ordination or that he has no regard for liturgical guidelines—I think that they will be pretty disappointed.  Like Jesus, when He was accused of curing someone on the Sabbath and breaking Jewish law (see Luke 13:14), I think that our Holy Father simply took this time to show humility and love, and to use a very teachable moment.

If I apply this foot-washing scenario to our own parish, who would be the people whose feet should be washed?  How about those who give their service to the parish regularly:  the ushers, the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, the secretaries, the altar servers, my brother priests, etc.  How about those mothers and fathers who sacrifice daily for their children?  How about those who would be seen as outcasts, disenfranchised, immigrants, elderly, or impoverished?  Granted, not all of them may be men.  Would I be seen by some as radical or controversial?  Probably.  Rather, I would hope to be seen as joining company with Jesus (and apparently Pope Francis) who “came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10: 45)

The average observer—inside or outside of the Church—will more than likely see a priest, bishop or even a pope who is willing to be of service to his people as “Christ-like,” humble and self-giving and will probably not be delving into some deeper hidden meaning of this action.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

   

Bling . . . Bling . . . It’s All About Me

Dear Parishioners,

I was sitting in the airport in Copenhagen, Denmark waiting for a return trip back to the USA.  In a situation like this, I usually do some people watching to kill some time.

One woman—I think that she was an American—wore a black t-shirt with bold silver lettering that struck my attention.  It read:   Bling . . . Bling . . . It’s All About Me.

Little things like this tend to get me thinking.  I see a homily here somewhere. 

Maybe it’s a blessing, sometimes it’s a cross, but my mind usually tries to find something scriptural to which I can relate things and learn some lesson for life.  At the time I thought of John the Baptist and the words that came out of his mouth in reference to Jesus:  “He must increase; I must decrease."  (John 3:30)  Maybe I should put that on a t-shirt.

In our lives as Christians there has to be a certain dying to self.  All of the bling bling belongs to this world.  You can’t take it with you, as they say.  (Even if the bling bling is placed in the coffin as it sometimes is, it never quite seems to get to the next world.  If it did then the grave robbers of history would have no incentive!)

True happiness, at least as I understand it, comes from trying to care for the needs of others and concentrating less on me.  The enlarged and inflamed ego needs to shrink to be healthy and to function properly.  Jesus gave us examples of service for us to follow illustrated magnificently by the washing of His disciples’ feet followed by His total self-giving on the cross.

Ego and self-gratification can drive one’s life and lead to destructive self-absorption and ruin, if left unchecked.  “I” want more, more, more.  “I” have to be the center of attention—constantly.  “I” need to get/take the credit for something.  “I, I, I . . . me, me, me” tends to dominate the conversation.  It’s all about me.

Spiritual growth often occurs when the other person and his/her needs become more important than my own needs, wants and desires.  Doesn’t a good parent do this for his/her children?  Doesn’t a loving husband anticipate the needs of his wife, and vice versa?  Doesn’t the dedicated pastor show loving concern for his parishioners and want to serve their needs?  It is at times like these that Jesus is glorified by our imitation of His example of service.

The rector of my seminary used to tell us this in our preparation for priesthood:  “A lot of good can be done for the Lord as long as no one cares who gets the credit.”  It can’t be all about me as a disciple.

He must increase; I must decrease.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor