Thoughts and opinions from a Priest in the PNCC
For those who like stats and numbers, and for the sake of reflection:
First reading: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
Psalm: Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9,13-15
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She’s annoying:
What an absolutely annoying woman. Jesus is on His way to the bedside of a dying child and this woman shows up, with her problem, and holds up the works. Jesus is rushing, Jarius is leading the way, the crowd is massive, and there’s this woman.
After she gums everything up we find out that the child has died. In this day and age the government would arrest the woman for interfering, for contributing to the death of a child. The newspapers would ridicule her, online pundits would call for the death penalty, a Grand Jury would be convened, and the child’s parents would be shown, distraught on TV. Grief counselors would be assigned to the neighborhood.
What was Jesus’ point?
Did Jesus have a point here? Did this woman’s healing serve a purpose? Homilist pundits have explored this woman’s situation for centuries. They’ve cited:
We could choose any of these points and have an interesting discussion about it. Each of the points is instructive in showing us another aspect of Jesus. I am going to ignore all of them. What this woman’s healing teaches us is that we matter, that we more than matter because we have the fullness of life.
Context:
If we read this Gospel passage in light of the other scripture readings assigned for the day we see a different aspect to everything Jesus said and did. In Wisdom we read:
God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being
Further on:
For God formed man to be imperishable
St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians says:
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
These passages provide the context for today’s Gospel, the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage and the raising of Jarius’ daughter. They tell us that God is a God of life and that by His grace we have become rich.
Jesus came to bring life:
In Jesus’ presence people are brought back to life. Jesus isn’t just acting out His power, His contact with people brings life that they couldn’t have imagined before. Certainly the woman is cured, but more than that she is brought back to life, as part of her community, as part of the body of Christ. The healed woman is a member of those who profess faith in Jesus. Jarius’ daughter is certainly raised, but more than that, she walks about and is fed. Whatever her sickness, she is now whole, and living a rich and full life.
In John 10:10 we read:
I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
Jesus came to bring new life; a full, whole, and abundant life; life to the fullest. As wisdom says: God did not make death, nor destruction, but made life and the fullness of being.
This Gospel in this context teaches us that contact with Jesus, faith in Jesus, courage, and Jesus’ power are not ends in themselves, but the path to the new life we possess in the body of Christ. The life we possess is life to the fullest.
Jesus came to give us a better life:
In the Letter to the Corinthian’s Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to charity. This was part of Paul’s charity mission on behalf of the Church in Jerusalem. Again, we could focus on an obligation of charity, but that’s not what this is about.
Life in Christ, that full life I just described, is better life. As St. Paul recounts, it is life in which we take care of each other, a life where no need is unmet, where equality prevails (and no, not the modern notion of equality).
Jesus came to give us life to the fullest:
Both the woman and Jarius’ daughter received the gift of life. They received full life, glorious life, joyous life, a life free from the constraints the rest of the onlookers lived with.
The woman and Jarius’ daughter didn’t get a life of theater, of riches, of granted wishes. Rather, they received the life of the Christ.
We often speak of our lives, especially as Christians in this age, as a life of suffering, as life mocked. We are oddballs. The world says that we believe in ghosts in the sky, in magic, in silly superstition. We may feel like we’ve entered the company of the Church’s confessors, those who suffered for their belief. We need to turn that thought pattern on its head.
We, the people who bear Christ to the world, do not place our trust in the opinions of the world. Rather, we know that we are living life to the fullest, a life that is without end. We don’t pick and choose convenient belief, but believe fully. We do not teach the teaching that are no-brainers, we teach the truth that is everlasting. In the fullness of the Church, in all we profess, believe, and proclaim we have life to the fullest. That is the life Jesus brought, that is the life that the woman and Jarius’ daughter encountered.
Every life counts:
God did not make death and life is imperishable. Jesus came to give us that, to make us rich in life, a life that is full and beautiful in keeping with God’s design. Close your eyes and imagine that life, where each person loves, where there is no conflict or strife, where peace abounds, where people can stand in the fullness of what they were meant to be, without pretense, without masks. Imagine that life, where we join together in praise and worship of God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the life where nothing is lacking.
That is the world of God — the world in which every life counts. That is the life where no one is an enemy, where no one is inconvenient, where no one is cast aside, where no one is unforgiven, where no life is destroyed for any reason.
The woman and Jarius’ daughter met Jesus and found life fulfilled and rich. They met the richness of God who is among us. The woman, she wasn’t annoying and she wasn’t an unclean outcast, but fully part of life in Jesus. Jarius’ daughter found life restored, because Jesus shows us that life is eternal. That is the promise and we are the recipients and the bearers of the promise. Tell everyone — you count, you matter, you can be rich and fulfilled, you can live at peace, and best of all you can have eternal life. It is here, in this parish, this Holy Church, and in the company of all who profess the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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New blog post: Daily Digest for June 26th http://bit.ly/11cqYs [#]
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New blog post: New Ordinary for the Western Diocese leaves Stratford, Connecticut http://bit.ly/YxKyI [#]
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New blog post: Upcoming PNCC events http://bit.ly/ZDAAo [#]
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New blog post: June 26 – Trees by Joyce Kilmer http://bit.ly/4vpNmr [#]
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New blog post: June 27 – I Am Too Near by Wisława Szymborska http://bit.ly/VFyyJ [#]
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New blog post: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B http://bit.ly/1ayd9x [#]
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I am too near to be dreamt of by him.
I do not fly over him, do not escape from him
under the roots of a tree. I am too near.
Not in my voice sings the fish in the net,
not from my finger rolls the ring.
I am too near. A big house is on fire
without me, calling for help. Too near
for a bell dangling from my hair to chime.
Too near to enter as a guest
before whom walls glide apart by themselves.
Never again will I die so lightly,
so much beyond my flesh, so inadvertently
as once in his dream. Too near.
I taste the sound, I see the glittering husk of this word
as I lie immobile in his embrace. He sleeps,
more accessible now to her, seen but once
a cashier of a wandering circus with one lion,
than to me, who am at his side.
For her now in him a valley grows,
russet-leaved, closed by a snowy mountain
in the bright blue air. I am too near
to fall to him from the sky. My scream
could wake him up. Poor thing
I am, limited to my shape,
I who was a birch, who was a lizard,
who would come out of my cocoons
shimmering the colors of my skins. Who possessed
the grace of disappearing from astonished eyes,
which is a wealth of wealths. I am near,
too near for him to dream of me.
I slide my arm from under the sleeper’s head
and it is numb, full of swarming pins,
on the tip of each, waiting to be counted,
the fallen angels sit.
Translation is unattributed
Jestem za blisko, żeby mu się śnić.
Nie fruwam nad nim, nie uciekam mu
pod korzeniami drzew. Jestem za blisko.
Nie moim głosem śpiewa ryba w sieci.
Nie z mego palca toczy się pierścionek.
Jestem za blisko. Wielki dom się pali
beze mnie wołającej ratunku. Za blisko,
żeby na moim włosie dzwonił dzwon.
Za blisko, żebym mogła wejść jak gość,
przed którym rozsuwają się ściany.
Już nigdy po raz drugi nie umrę tak lekko,
tak bardzo poza ciałem, tak bezwiednie,
jak niegdyś w jego śnie. Jestem za blisko,
za blisko. Słyszę syk
i widzę połyskliwą łuskę tego słowa,
znieruchomiała w objęciu. On śpi,
w tej chwili dostępniejszy widzianej raz w życiu
kasjerce wędrownego cyrku z jednym lwem
niż mnie leżącej obok.
Teraz dla niej rośnie w nim dolina
rudolistna, zamknięta ośnieżoną górą
w lazurowym powietrzu. Ja jestem za blisko,
żeby mu z nieba spaść. Mój krzyk
mógłby go tylko zbudzić. Biedna,
ograniczona do własnej postaci,
a byłam brzozą, a byłam jaszczurką,
a wychodziłam z czasów i atłasów
mieniąc się kolorami skór. A miałam
łaskę znikania sprzed zdumionych oczu,
co jest bogactwem bogactw. Jestem blisko,
za blisko, żeby mu się śnić.
Wysuwam ramię spod głowy śpiącego,
zdrętwiałe, pełne wyrojonych szpilek.
Na czubku każdej z nich, do przeliczenia,
strąceni siedli anieli.
Annual Prayer Services at the Cathedral of the Pines
The annual Eastern Diocese Prayer Service [pdf] will be held at the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, NH on Sunday, July 12th beginning at 3:30pm. This year’s Service coincides with the centenary of the Sacrament of the Word of God. This year’s Service will focus on this momentous anniversary. The Rt. Rev. Thomas Gnat will be the celebrant of the Service and the Very Rev. Joseph Soltysiak will offer the homily.
A chicken barbecue dinner will be catered on the Cathedral grounds for us. The cost is $12 for adults and $6 for children 7 and under. Reservations for the dinner need to be made by June 30th. Reservations should be made through Fr. Sen. Joseph Soltysiak by calling 413-562-4403.
The Service will include a special collection on behalf of the Military Child Education Coalition. This is a non-profit organization whose objective is self-explanatory. Our theme of the Word of God and the Cathedral’s orientation as a memorial to our American war dead have inspired the choice of this charity. You may make your donation on the day of the Prayer Service, or if you wish you may do so in advance.
KURS Encampment
The annual summer camp wil be held at the Bishop Hodur Retreat and Recreation Center at Spojnia Farm in Waymrt, PA from Friday, July 3, 2009 to Saturday, July 11, 2009. The camp program includes exciting activities such as dances, lectures on current events, sports, and games to advance our children’s knowledge of their Church. The fee, which includes a T-shirt is only $180 for PNCC members ($250 for non-members). Members should check with their local YMSofR President as Parish organizations frequently underwrite the cost of attendance. For further information please contact Nick Kazinetz.
2009 National Women’s Retreat
The National United Women’s Societies for the Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament invites all women to this retreat, which will be held at the Bishop Hodur Retreat and Recreation Center in Waymart, PA. The dates of the Retreat are Thursday, August 13th —“ Saturday, August 15th. The registration deadline is July 31st. The presenter will be Leslie Vernick. Leslie is a diplomat in clinical social work and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. She is an adjunct professor at Philadelphia Biblical University. Her seminars are filled with practical application of God’s word. Leslie will present “How to Find Selfless Joy in a Me-First World.” Another one of her topics is: “Becoming The Best Possible You!”
The registration fee is $100.00 for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Space is limited. Commuter Fee: $80.00. Registration begins on Thursday at 3 pm with a light supper and optional activities Accommodations include: Thursday & Friday overnight in a semi- private room. Thursday dinner, 3 meals on Friday and breakfast and an optional lunch on Saturday. The center is handicap accessible, no air conditioning in rooms, dorm style bath and shower. Bring your own twin size linen, towels, pillow and blanket. For additional information contact: Jean Macionus at 203-339-1350 or Sherry Mack at 412-519-8732.
YMS of R Track & Field Meet (Złot)
The annual YMS of R Track and Field Meet – Złot – will be held Saturday, September 5, 2009 at the YMS of R Park on Kane Street in Scranton, PA. Rain date is Sunday, September 6, 2009. For further information please contact Nick Kazinetz.
From the Connecticut Post: Kopka leaving Stratford parish to head West
Kopka Named Diocean Bishop of the Western Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church in Chicago, covering eight states
STRATFORD — Bishop Anthony Kopka and many of his parishioners at St. Joseph’s Polish National Catholic Church still recall his first sermon on Father’s Day in 1982, when the congregation was in Bridgeport and the 26-year-old priest came strolling into the church carrying his clergy shirt and collar on a hangar, with a few dozen people in attendance.
It will be far different for Kopka when he delivers his final sermon Sunday at 4 p.m. in front of an expected crowd of 400 people at St. Joseph’s parish, 1300 Stratford Road, before departing for his new job in Chicago on Tuesday.
He won’t be carrying his clothing on a hanger this time, and there will be plenty of tears from those who eagerly awaited his arrival 27 years ago after being without a priest for more than a year.
Kopka will be adorned in the full black Bishop’s Cassock and floor-length robes, with red trim, and a brass headdress of miter and crosier — centuries-old symbols of regalia for bishops.
Kopka, now 53, has been named Bishop of the Western Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church in Chicago, which covers eight Midwestern and southern states and 30 parishes. He’ll also be pastor of All Saints Cathedral in Chicago. It’s a big change from overseeing a couple of hundred people for most of his time at St. Joseph’s, before being named auxiliary bishop of the Eastern Diocese in November 2006 that covers four New England states, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Manchester.
“It’s a very emotional time. I have loved every minute of my 27 years here and it’s not easy to leave,” said Kopka, getting uncharacteristically choked up several times during an interview this week. “I grew up in New Castle, Pennsylvania, but after all my wonderful experiences here — being part of the community and raising a family — I will now forever say I’m from Stratford.”
Kopka said he is ready for the new challenge.
“I believe God has been preparing me for this for a long time,” Kopka said. “I want to help take our church into a new era that goes beyond just (Polish) ethnicity and appeals to all those searching for an alternative. Our church tends to be more liberal in its doctrine as priests and bishops are allowed to marry and have families, which I think is important because we can relate to the same everyday problems that face other people.”
Dolores Smith, 68, who has been a church member her entire life and is chairwoman of a gala party Sunday that will celebrate Kopka’s tenure, said the party will include 20 members of the clergy from the area, as well as Mayor James R. Miron, State Rep. Terry Backer, D-Stratford, and Supt. of Schools Irene Cornish.
Smith said it will be tough to replace a pastor who has led the congregation for nearly three decades, including the move from Bridgeport in 1989, “who has made such an impact on the community with his outreach and leadership.
“I still remember that first sermon he gave like it was yesterday,” Smith said. “Bishop Anthony was so young and hopeful, and had this wonderful big smile that has been comforting us all these years. It’s very bittersweet to see him go, but we know God will send us the right person to replace him, just like when he was sent to us all those years ago.”
When Kopka arrived church membership was dwindling, as parishioners were becoming scared to come to Barnum Avenue and Harriet Street on the east side of Bridgeport. He said car break-ins, muggings, threats to churchgoers and women being accosted resulted in the congregation voting overwhelmingly in 1988 to move to the Lordship section of Stratford, where the church owned a parcel of land.
A new church was built and opened in January of 1989. “It was the right decision and turning point in helping to revive church membership, which has more than doubled to over 200 since that time,” said Smith. “We now have members in more than 20 communities and much of the credit for that has to go to Bishop Kopka, who has been a sparkling presence in the area and made our church a community center where so many events have taken place.”
While Kopka didn’t want to give away too much about his final sermon, he said the theme would be uplifting and hopeful.
“I’m going to talk about how much we have grown together, how we all have gifts from God and because we’ve shared them with each other we have all grown in our faith and relationships,” Kopka said, again having a hard time holding back the tears. ” I hope to use that same theme as a model in all the parishes I’ll be overseeing.”
Kopka’s new assignment, which covers the largest geographic area of the church’s five regions in the country, includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri, Florida and a mission in the State of Washington. Bishop Kopka replaces Bishop Jan Dawidziuk, who is retiring on June 30.
The Polish National Catholic Church was established in 1897 in Scranton, Pa., with members breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church. Today, there are more than 25,000 members in America.
Among the many local boards Kopka has served on include a stint as chairman of the Ethics Commission and president of the Stratford Clergy Association, chaplain for the Stratford Police Department, and coordinator of youth groups of Stratford congregations for the Bridge Building Initiative of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport.
Kopka and his wife Darlene, have two grown daughters, Kristen, 25 and Lauren, 23, who both live in Stratford and plan to remain here. “It’s great because when I come back and visit, we know we have a place to stay,” Kopka said.