Looking for Signs of Christianity and the Sacred (in an Ever-More-Secular World)

Dear Parishioners,

As a priest, I am invited rather frequently to share a meal with a person, couple or family. If the meal takes place in the family home, I have a regular routine: I look around and simply observe. I notice if there are any religious objects in the rooms and on the walls. Statues of saints, sacred pictures and images, a crucifix and various other objects of devotion readily inform me that I am in a Catholic home. Does the family pray grace before the meal? Is there some familiarity with Catholic terminology and a willingness to share something about their faith? I try to find elements of faith practiced in the family and in the home.

I tend to walk the beach a lot in the summer. I certainly see many, many interesting sights along the way. (Just an unspoken thought here: most people look much better with clothes on.) Believe it or not, I actually look to see if anyone is wearing a Miraculous Medal, a cross or crucifix or some other outward sign that the person is a Christian. Unfortunately, these sightings are quite rare. Unfortunately, I see more gold chains, amulets or talisman (e.g., cornicello or corno), and various types of jewelry.

What name is given to a child? Names have meaning and indicate a certain authority. I look for a Christian or biblical name—especially when I baptize. While there are many innovative, unique and creative names given to children these days, I see less and less traditionally Christian and/or biblical names. I sincerely hope that those baptized in more recent days without those traditional Christian names will become the saints of tomorrow and future generations will want to take their names. (First, today's challenge begins with getting them and their parents in Church and going regularly to Mass.)

I admit that I do not always wear my clerical garb in public (especially at the beach or on vacation). I notice, however, when I do people look (and sometimes stare). I—standing six foot, five inches and weighing 250+ pounds—naturally attract notice anyway. Add a roman collar and traditional black clothing and people tend to notice me even more. I will sometimes get the "hello Father" or "hello pastor" greeting. Sometimes people even step back and let me in front of them in line (making me feel rather awkward). Clerical garb or a habit is still an outward sign for people to remind us all of a commitment to Christ made through sacred vows or promises.

As an aside, our churches are also meant to raise our hearts and minds to God and to be places of prayer and worship. When they are constructed "to look more like Pizza Huts" (to quote a former professor), when they take on a talkative, auditorium atmosphere, when we forget about or minimize the idea of sacred or holy space or being in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, then we run the risk of trivializing that which should be set apart for God. The meaning of holy refers to something set aside for God. Recall what Jesus did in the Jerusalem Temple when He saw that things were completely out of hand. (See Jn. 2: 12-22)

My observations and thoughts are not directed to anyone in particular. However, I think that we all need continual, external, visible reminders of our Christian faith in a world ever more hostile to Christianity and Christians. While people especially need to recognize Christ in our actions, varying outward signs—when properly understood and used—can help us Christianize a secular world. After all, our entire sacramental life employs the use of outward signs (pouring of water, oil, bread and wine, etc.) to indicate a much deeper spiritual reality.

So don't be embarrassed to wear that Miraculous Medal, to display a crucifix in the home, or to say grace in public. Don't forget that there may be others who come to church to pray and spend time with the Blessed Sacrament, and not just shoot the breeze. Please respect their sacred time and space.  Let's try to do our part to accentuate and promote our Catholic faith.  

We all need to be missionary disciples and to evangelize.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Shalom

Dear Parishioners,

Peace, shalom, mir, pax.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples in the upper room after His resurrection, he offered them peace.  

. . . Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you”. . . (Jn. 20: 19b-21a) 

If anyone could have rightly inflicted vengeance or retaliation on those who harmed Him, Jesus is top of the list. However, He showed us all another way.

Peace is not just an absence of war or conflict. When a Jewish person greets someone or bids farewell, he or she might typically use the word shalom. The word means much more than simply a greeting of peace. Shalom may mean completeness, soundness, safety, welfare, health, prosperity, tranquility, contentment, and/or friendship. It comes from the Hebrew verb shalam, which means to be complete, sound or whole.

 

In the world today we find many people who do not have peace in their lives. Beyond those who live in war-torn countries or areas with great civil unrest like Ukraine or Israel, we find people who are sometimes angry, mean-spirited, hateful, deeply troubled, confused, anxious, chaotic, etc., —anything but peaceful.

People search for peace, happiness and fulfillment in various ways. Sometimes it is wealth, material possessions, physical pleasure, power, authority, various thrills, etc. Worldly things, however, do nothing to fill the deepest desires of the human heart that only God can fill. What was it that St. Augustine said long ago in his Confessions? You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.

I am convinced that true and lasting peace comes from a right relationship with the Lord. The world cannot give this kind of peace.  It is simply impossible.  Why could Christian martyrs sing on the way to their deaths?  How can some people bear tremendous crosses in life without really complaining?  How do some people seem so confident and unafraid in the midst of extremely difficult or troubling situations?  I suspect it may have something to do with an interior peace and even a joy that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It comes from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit working within us. St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control. (Gal. 5:  22-23)

The world is a scary place to live in right now. Unfortunately, it will never achieve a true and lasting peace without the realization that Almighty God must be the source of it. Not a false god who seeks retaliation, revenge or utter elimination of one’s enemy, but someone who challenged His followers to love their enemies and to pray for those who persecute them (See Mt. 5: 44).  Supernatural grace is needed.

My prayer is that the world and each of you may know the true and lasting peace that the Lord Jesus is offering us!  Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. (Jn. 14: 27) 

Shalom!

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Praying for Our Church, Our Nation and Our World

Dear Parishioners,

I recall the story of the patriarch Abraham’s pleading and bargaining with God on behalf of the city of Sodom.  Perhaps you remember the passage from Scripture:

Then Abraham drew near [to the LORD] and said: “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous people in the city; would you really sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! Far be it from you! Should not the judge of all the world do what is just?” The LORD replied: If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake. Abraham spoke up again: “See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am only dust and ashes! What if there are five less than fifty righteous people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?” I will not destroy it, he answered, if I find forty-five there. But Abraham persisted, saying, “What if only forty are found there?” He replied: I will refrain from doing it for the sake of the forty. Then he said, “Do not let my Lord be angry if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?” He replied: I will refrain from doing it if I can find thirty there. Abraham went on, “Since I have thus presumed to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?” I will not destroy it, he answered, for the sake of the twenty. But he persisted: “Please, do not let my Lord be angry if I speak up this last time. What if ten are found there?” For the sake of the ten, he replied, I will not destroy it.  (Genesis 18: 23-32)

I worry about our Church, our nation and our world very much. Honestly, I am very disheartened with the direction that the Church, politics, and contemporary culture has taken over the past years. I fear it is only going to get much worse in the future. In particular, I hold my breath pondering where the current Synod in Rome might take our Catholic Church. Moreover, I have grave concerns when contemplating who the two potential presidential candidates for 2024 might be and how that election will result. I especially think about our young people and the type of world that they are going to inherit. Yet, I believe that we have many good people who love the Lord and want to do what is right. I continually request that we the people pray fervently and not take a lackadaisical attitude towards what is happening in our Church, our nation and in the world around us.  

Will you not join in this effort to pray?

No matter what your position is on various happenings in the Church and the upcoming presidential election, we all need to pray that the will of the Lord be done on behalf of our Church, our nation and our world. Prayer is absolutely essential and the rosary has been a powerful means of intercession in the history of our Church. After all, October is the month of the holy rosary. What a great time to intensify and solidify our efforts!                                    

The holy rosary is prayed every morning (approximately 9:30 AM) after daily Mass in our chapel. If you are free and have the time, why not make an effort to come to Mass and then remain to pray the rosary? People often make various resolutions and sacrifices, especially during Lent. I am asking (begging?) our parishioners and all who read this to consider joining in the effort by saying a rosary every day (regardless of whether you can come to Church to do it).  Pray for our Church, for our country, for our youth, for those who have left the faith, for the end of war, etc. etc.

Too often people seem to react to tragic situations like war, terrorism, natural disasters, and the like. A cry may go up to God saying: How could you let this happen? Can't intercessory prayer prevent these things from happening in the first place? Can't prayer move hearts and help in the conversion of the world to Christ?  I certainly hope so! One of the petitions in the Our Father—deliver us from evil—is worth contemplating.

I attached a link to help people get more information about how to pray the rosary.

Please take the time to pray fervently. I believe prayer, and especially the rosary, can work wonders in ways seen and unseen.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Spending the Weekend with Worldwide Marriage Encounter

Dear Parishioners,

I am away from the parish this weekend presenting a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend at the Holiday Inn, Cherry Hill. 

During a Marriage Encounter Weekend, a team of three couples and a priest, present a series of talks to couples (and sometimes to priests and religious) with the goal of making good marriages better. The Marriage Encounter Weekend is not primarily designed for troubled marriages. It is meant to open up the lines of communication between husband and wife in what is essentially a private experience between the husband and wife.

When I was a newly ordained priest, a couple from my parish asked me to make a Marriage Encounter Weekend. As you might expect, my reaction was somewhat puzzled. I am obviously not married. What would be the benefit for me attending such a weekend?

Over 35 years later, I can honestly say that this experience (and especially its aftermath) had one of the most profound and lasting effects on me as a person and on my priestly ministry. This is probably not something that I would have chosen to do on my own. It would certainly not have been on my bucket list. Yet, what happened as a result can only be described as truly life-changing. And it was thanks to a couple who simply asked me to try such an experience. Like the couple that invited me, I extend an invitation to any married couple to consider attending a future weekend.

 

I have been presenting the Marriage Encounter Weekend, usually once or twice a year, for over thirty-five now. Our team wants to help strengthen marriages and give couples a set of tools to face the many challenges that our world holds for marriages and families. For further information, you can check out the South Jersey Worldwide Marriage Encounter website or call the information line at 609-741-8012. (For couples experiencing serious and difficult marriage problems, there are alternate experiences such as Retrouvaille for this purpose.)

Many people are afraid of the unknown, afraid of change or may not want to “rock the boat.” Why not take a chance and ask your spouse to consider the possibility of attending an upcoming Marriage Encounter Weekend?

I can tell you from personal experience that it has had life-changing possibilities on me and on so many couples who have attended over the years!

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

Homily for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Forgiveness

Dear Parishioners,

Throughout my life, there have been a number of inspirational examples of forgiveness that stand out for me. 

Undoubtedly the first example is Jesus’ words from the cross:  “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”  (Luke 23:34) 

Next, was the example that Pope St. John Paul II showed when he visited his attempted assassin, Mehmet Ali Ağca, and forgave him. 

Third, was the occasion of meeting the mother of a Polish priest, Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko.  He was brutally murdered by three members of the Polish secret police for his activities with the Polish Solidarity movement. When asked about forgiving her son’s murderers she said the following in my presence:  “How could I not forgive when Jesus forgave the thief on the cross?”

Finally, there is the example of Vicki Schieber, the mother of Shannon Schieber who was who was brutally raped and murdered in 1998 while she was a student at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Mrs. Schieber visited Sacred Heart High School in Vineland while I was principal there.  Rather than demand the death penalty for the person who raped and killed her daughter, Mrs. Schieber (and her husband) said there was no way they could demand the taking of another life. “The death penalty wasn’t going to honor Shannon’s life and it wasn’t going to bring her back . . . I thought about everything we ever taught Shannon to believe—to turn the other cheek, to show compassion and to be forgiving,” Mrs. Schieber said. “If you have a set of principles and then don’t live by them when you are tested, were they ever your principles to begin with?”

Christianity is about love, forgiveness and mercy—not hatred and anger. Whenever people foster attacks and retaliation—an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth mentality—no genuine, lasting good will usually come from the situation. Forgiveness, on the other hand, shows love accompanied by the supernatural gift of God’s grace.

I again reflect on the words of my patron saint, St. Maximilian Kolbe: “Only love is creative.”

When we or those we love are hurt, it may seem difficult or impossible to forgive. It is at times like these that we must pray for the grace of God knowing that all things are possible for God—and for us—when aided by His supernatural grace.

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko

Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka

 

Tempus Fugit

Dear Parishioners,

Where did the summer months go?

School has begun and I’m sure there are some mixed emotions in many families. There may be disappointment that summer is over, a certain joy for students to be reunited with their classmates, relief for parents that the children are back in school, etc. etc. For many of us, it seems the summer just flew by too quickly!  Tempus fugit!  (Time flies!)

What is it about our fast-paced life in which so many of us seem to be carried away? For me, it can sometimes be described like a riptide experience. We often go about our lives doing so many things until we reach a point when we can be over our heads and become overwhelmed and overpowered by various activities and demands. We may seem rushed—maybe even a bit out-of-control. We may ask questions like: How did we get to this point? Where did the time go? Where did my life go?

When I was a child, it seemed there was more time in the day. It’s funny how various perspectives in life can change! There have always been 24 hours in the day. Why did there seem to be longer days back then?     

When I become recollected and reflective, I realize that time is one of the precious gifts we have been given. We don’t know exactly how much time we have left in our lives, do we?  How we spend those precious minutes, hours and days should have certain priorities. I suggest a few here:

• Take time for prayer each day.  A life lived in prayer seems to be more manageable—especially when there are difficulties. I have found that when I take the time to pray, I am able to handle the day’s activities better and I find the necessary time to do what I need to do. When I push prayer aside, my days frequently are more chaotic.
• Take time to worship God—at the very minimum, once a week at Mass. I am amazed that so many people find excuses why they can’t (or don’t) make it a priority to go to Mass. We need to be spiritually fed with the Word of God and the Holy Eucharist.  If we love God, then this small portion of my weekly time needs to be spent with my fellow Catholic Christians in prayer and worship.
• Take time for the family. The people in our lives who should certainly be a priority when divvying up our time and attention are our family members. Sharing meals, regular conversation, family activities, and common prayer are good ways to spend family time.
• Take the time to stay healthy. Physical, spiritual and emotional health are all important considerations for a well-balanced person. Do I exercise? Do I eat right? What productive activity do I use to release stress? Do I have a spouse, companion or good friend who I can talk to and share what is happening in my life? Do I take time for my spiritual needs? (After all, I am made of body and soul!)
• Take the time to enjoy life. Everyone has different enjoyments in life. I have found that a walk on the beach, on the boardwalk or in a park can refresh the mind and uplift the spirit. A bicycle ride also helps me relax. I enjoy listening to music. The various wholesome activities that help to refresh and renew a person are certainly worth prioritizing.

Life’s journey when compared to eternity is simply a blink of an eye! Spend the time you have remaining wisely, living life to the fullest!

Tempus fugit, momento mori.  (Time flies, remember death.)

Fr. Ed Namiotka

Pastor

Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time "A" - Fr. Edward Namiotka