Ed Namiotka

The thoughts and writings of Fr. Ed Namiotka as taken from his weekly parish bulletin columns. . . . I can be stubborn. . . . My sense of humor can, at times, be sarcastic and biting. . . . I struggle with prayer. . . . I am not as generous as I probably should be. Need I go on? This could develop into a pretty big list if I let it. Only my confess... or knows all the details. Yes, I do go to confession . . . regularly. The beginning step in any healing process, I think, is being right with God. I base this on the story of Jesus healing of the paralytic. (See Mk. 2: 1-12; Mt. 9:1-8; or Lk. 5:17-26) Before He began any type of physical healing on the paralytic, Jesus first forgave himspiritual healing before the physical healing. Thats why I continue to sing the praises of regular, integral confession in which sins are forgivenspiritual healing takes place. I am no fraudulent faith healer. You wont find me peddling any snake oil either. Do I believe that Jesus can heal? Absolutely. I think that He (through His apostolic Church) gave us sacraments of healing like Penance and Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick for a reason. Sometimes the healing process involves overcoming our own pride and asking for helpadmitting humbly that I cannot forgive or heal myself without God's grace. Forgiveness of sins is not something that can accurately be portrayed in some self-help book. We need the personal forgiveness of Christ which is offered to us freely in the sacraments of the Church. We can receive forgiveness of sins, anointing when we are seriously ill, the Holy Eucharist to fill the depths of our spiritual hungers, all completely free of charge upon asking! Yet we must continue to do battle with those who will disagree and tell us how we are wrong: Father, you dont have to go to a priest. You can confess directly to God. Why should I pray? God doesnt answer my prayers. I am too far gone. Theres no hope for me at this point. Religion is a bunch of nonsense and fairy tales. Ill take my chances. These and arguments ...Read More