Monday, June 16, 2025
Monday, June 9, 2025
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
Sunday, June 8, 2025
Monday, June 2, 2025
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I Place my Trust in Thee
Dear Parishioners,
In the Catholic
Church, the month of June is traditionally
dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I think it is no mere coincidence
that the secular world puts an emphasis on something contrary to Christ and the
teaching of His Church. Rebellious human beings would rather act defiant to
God’s design and try to tell God how they should be allowed to live and act.
The first deadly sin—pride—once again rears its ugly
head.
For fourteen years of my life I had worked at a
high school named for Our Lord’s Sacred Heart. The motto of
the school was: Fac Cor Nostrum Secundum Cor Tuum. (The
translation of the Latin: Make our hearts like unto Thine or Make
our hearts like Your Heart.)
The image of the Sacred Heart centers
on a devotion to Jesus’ physical heart as representing His Divine Love for all
humanity. The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming
heart shining with divine light. It is bleeding, pierced by the
lance-wound, surrounded by a crown of thorns, and surmounted by a cross. The
wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire
represents the transformative power of Christ’s love.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque is associated with the devotion to the
Sacred Heart. She entered the Visitation Convent in 1671 and six years
later Christ appeared to her in a vision in which she said: "I could
plainly see His heart, pierced and bleeding, yet there were flames, too, coming
from it and a crown of thorns around it. He told me to behold His heart
which so loved humanity. Then He seemed to take my very heart from me and
place it there in His heart. In return He gave me back part of His flaming
heart."
In all, there were four revelations, during
which the now-familiar Twelve Promises
of the Sacred Heart were
made:
1. I
will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I
will establish peace in their homes.
3. I
will comfort them in all their afflictions.
4. I
will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
5. I
will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
6. Sinners
will find in my Heart the source and an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm
souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent
souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
9. I
will bless every place in which an image of my Heart is exposed and honored.
10. I
will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those
who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart.
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
The last of these promises is responsible
for the nine First Fridays’ devotion. Also requested by
Jesus was the establishment of a feast in honor of His Sacred Heart. We
now celebrate this Solemnity of the
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on the first Friday after the octave of
the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. This year it falls on June 27, 2025.
Additionally, we honor the Sacred Heart every first Friday of the month. It is
also a Catholic tradition to have an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
enthroned in the family home.
Now that you have a brief history, what truly
matters is whether or not we are becoming more Christ-like and whether our
hearts reflect Christ’s love for us.
The simple prayer said — Make my heart like Your Heart — should
remind us of the task in front of each of us.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Monday, May 26, 2025
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
40 Hours Devotion and Corpus Christi
Beginning Thursday night (6/19/25)
with a 7 PM Mass in St. Thomas More
Church, we will offer the opportunity for prayer and adoration of the Most
Blessed Sacrament around the clock, commonly known as the Forty Hours Devotion. We will have two
Masses on Friday (6/20/25) at 9 AM and 7 PM and conclude on Saturday evening
(6/21/25) at the 4:30 PM Vigil Mass for Corpus Christi with a Eucharistic Procession at the
conclusion of Mass. I have asked Fr. Joseph Szolack, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood, to be the guest preacher. All Masses and Eucharistic Adoration will be in the church,
not the chapel.
This Forty Hours Devotion,
which can be traced to Milan, Italy around the year 1530, is a formalized
period of prayer and adoration centering on the Real Presence of Jesus in
the Holy Eucharist. Prior to this period in the Catholic Church’s history,
there were times of exposition and benediction, Eucharistic
processions and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the
tabernacle. However, both Saints Philip Neri and Ignatius
of Loyola instituted the Forty Hours Devotion (with reference to
Jesus’ 40 hours in the tomb and recalling other biblical citations in which the
symbolic number 40 was specified) in reparation for sin.
Fr. William Saunders, whom I
knew from my college seminary days, wrote a rather thorough article, “40 Hours with Jesus Christ,” originally for his diocesan paper (Arlington Catholic Herald) describing
this devotion. I quote from a part of it here:
While the Mass is the central act of
worship for us Catholics, an act which participates in the eternal reality of
our Lord's passion, death, and resurrection, Vatican Council II upheld and
encouraged the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass. Of
course such devotion derives from the sacrifice of the Mass and moves the
faithful to both sacramental and spiritual communion with our Lord (Eucharisticum
Mysterium, #50). . . . Pope John Paul II has repeatedly "highly
recommended" public and private devotion of the Blessed Sacrament,
including processions on the Feast of Corpus Christi and the 40 Hours Devotion
(cf. Dominicae
Cenae, #3, and Inaestimabile
Donum, #20-22).
It was the 4th Bishop
of Philadelphia, St.
John Neumann who was a strong promoter of this devotion in his
diocese. The practice would also spread to our area of New Jersey and
beyond.
After considering this brief
history lesson and the official encouragement by saints, popes and church
documents, I really think that the essence of this devotion comes down to our
belief—our deep faith—in Jesus’ Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. If Jesus is really there, why wouldn’t we want to spend time with Him in
prayer?
I can simply relate to you
from my own personal experience that spending time with Jesus in
the Holy Eucharist has been for me my most fruitful times of prayer beyond
comparison. I love the Holy Eucharist in all of its dimensions—from offering
the Mass to the reception of Holy Communion to adoring and
worshiping Jesus’ Real Presence in the tabernacle / monstrance. Jesus is
present throughout—Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
Those that I know (and have
known) who have prayed in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament have
overwhelmingly come to appreciate what a most precious gift we have. The Mass is so much more meaningful. The reading of the Sacred
Scriptures becomes alive and motivating. The inspiration
and wisdom that comes from sitting at the feet of the Master is
beyond price!
I invite you to come to Mass
and to spend some time during these days—June 19th to June 21st—with
our Eucharistic Lord. Please sign up so that all the time slots are
filled! Our Lord deserves nothing less.
Fr. Ed
Namiotka
Monday, May 19, 2025
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
2025: A Jubilee Year of Hope
Dear
Parishioners,
Let me begin
my writing by expressing my total surprise at the election of Pope Leo XIV. Something I thought absolutely
certain was that there would never be an American-born pope in my
lifetime. Like so many others, I was completely wrong. With his missionary
experience, worldwide perspective, Augustinian spirit, devotion to the Blessed
Mother, love of the poor, proven intellect, leadership skills, grasp of
languages and gentle, humble demeanor, he appears to be a great choice by the
cardinals. The passing of time will truly tell the whole story.
Additionally,
our relatively new Bishop Joseph A. Williams is guiding the Camden
diocese with an emphasis on prayer
as the center of all things, including the search for a Vicar for Prayer. This newly established position shows the
priority our bishop has on prayer in the lives of the clergy and the faithful.
I am proud to say that we, at St. Thomas
More Parish, have a solid group of daily Mass attendees who also pray the
rosary afterward and regularly spend time in Eucharistic adoration. I think
this is an important step in the right direction and a core group upon which we can
certainly build. Moreover, the bishop's concern for vocations to the
priesthood and religious life needs to grounded in prayer to the master of the harvest to send out workers (Mt. 9:38) as
Jesus taught.
A few weeks
ago I mentioned that we are currently in a Jubilee
Year of Hope in the Catholic Church. Such a Jubilee Year has its origin in
Sacred Scripture, specifically the Book
of Leviticus, chapter 25. The ram's horn would sound announcing the Day of Atonement beginning a sacred 50th
year of Jubilee for the Jewish people. Characteristic of the year, according to
jubilee and biblical scholar Dr. John Bergsma, is the forgiveness of sin, freedom
from debt (and slavery), reunion and restoration of family lands leading to the fullness
of all prophetic expectations. What is emphasized at this time of jubilee is redemption by God, release from bondage, restoration
of family and rest form work.
Think of
what Jesus says when He begins his public ministry according to the Gospel of
St. Luke:
[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4: 16-21)
Ultimately,
Jesus fulfilled all ancient Jewish jubilee and prophetic expectations by redeeming
us on the cross, releasing us from
our slavery to sin and death, restoring
our spiritual family relationship through the Catholic Church and providing eternal
rest for body and soul.
To benefit
from the special graces offered us during this Jubilee Year of Hope we should, first of all, participate in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
frequently. We should become aware and partake in the various recommended
actions granting an indulgence to alleviate the temporal punishment for sin—both
for ourselves and our deceased loved ones. We can make a spiritual pilgrimage to
a designated church or shrine (holy sites). We should engage more fully in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Active
participation rather than passive observation should be our goal for this
extraordinary year of hope.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
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