2017 – Page 5 – Royal Doors

Mar

11

2017

Anointing of the Sick

Both Lungs

by Brent Kostyniuk While Jesus lived on earth, one of His great ministries was healing the sick. The Gospels are filled with accounts of these miracles which teach us of His merciful love and compassion. So often, however, physical healing was linked to spiritual healing. Indeed, His primary concern was the salvation of souls. Jesus’ mission of healing was carried on by the Apostles and remains with us today in the Holy Mystery (Sacrament) of Anointing of the Sick. Like the miracles of Jesus, it can bring both physical and spiritual healing. The Holy Mystery of Anointing may be traced…

Mar

10

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Proverbs 6:20-7:1- Light the Hearth

Faithheath, love, lust, marriage

Glory be to Jesus Christ! This is the "sex-ed" talk which we often find lacking in some of our families and schools. We can picture here a concerned and wise father, sitting down with his son to counsel him on living a God-pleasing and successful life. Often times we make a big fuss about how normative sexual promiscuity has become in our culture (and we should!) and we think that somehow it has gotten much worse than in previous generations. Certainly it has gotten worse in some ways, especially with how easily we can beam pornography into our minds and…

Mar

09

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Isaiah 6:1-12- Can’t Get Used to It

Faithboredom, prophesy, vision

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Have you ever heard of the Law of Diminishing Effect? It basically states that after your peak experience of something the following ones will have less of an effect on you and therefore if you want that same high (which you will actually never really achieve) you need more of it or a different version of it. In other words, we get bored of things and they don't satisfy. Driving is exciting, until you have to drive to work every morning and then you don't even think about it. God can never get boring. The…

Mar

08

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Proverbs 5:15-6:3- The Woman of Your Youth

Faithidolatry, marriage, mr right

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Today, and on International Woman's Day no less, we read about the woman that Solomon, the writer of Proverbs according to Tradition, would council his son to take as his bride. It is very interesting to note the characteristics which he should chose her for because he doesn't state...well...anything. When counseling his son, he reminds him not of "why he should choose this specific person" but of his fidelity to her. Many people who continue day in and day out "waiting for Mr. or Mrs. right" to walk into their lives may be waiting a…

Mar

07

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Genesis 4:8-15- Where’s Your Heart At?

Faithabel, cain, fall, sin

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Well, we are already four three whole chapters into Genesis, and there are four people accounted for in the creation of the world, so it's about time for the first murder, right? Following the Fall, we see the consequences of sin "echo through" humanity from generation to generation. Our relationships with God and with each other have been damaged and we live in a world where in many cases it is easier to do the wrong thing than it is to do the right thing. Cain, whose sacrifice was not accepted by God, looks upon…

Mar

06

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Desert Wanderings | February 19, 2017

News

"What did you come out into the desert to see?" (Matthew 11:8) The Jordan River is not half as impressive as it must have been when Jesus went there to be baptized by John. It stretches about 10 feet wide now, and acts as the natural border between Israel and Jordan. We were reminded about this fact as soon as we arrived to see armed soldiers standing guard on our side of the River, as well as when we descended down to the banks to see their Jordanian counterparts on the other side patrolling as well. Although I was struck…

Mar

04

2017

By Pilgrim - On the Road to Pascha

On the Road to Pascha! | A New Royal Doors Blog

News

A pilgrimage is different than a tour. While on a tour a person might witness things they have never seen before, learn many new things and gain new experiences, the purpose of a pilgrimage is to encounter the Lord in a deeper way. A pilgrimage involves a change of physical location, but is an invitation to a changed spiritual relationship. The pilgrimage is an exterior and interior one. From February 12-22, 2017, a group of thirty-two pilgrims set out from Edmonton and Toronto to the Holy Land to deepen their relationship with the Lord through seeking an encounter with Him…

Mar

03

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Genesis 2:20-3:20- Where Are You?

Faithadam and eve, fall, fruit, relationship

Glory be to Jesus Christ! "Where are you?" This is the question that the All-knowing God asks Adam as Adam cowers for fear of being discovered in the Garden. It is a tragic question indeed. We see the result of the eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is one of ruptured relationship which echoes throughout the created world. The ground will no longer easily produce food for the man: he will have to work hard and even then weeds will come out of some of his work. His relationship with Eve will…

Mar

02

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Isaiah 2:11-21- Idolatry

Faithidolatry

Glory be to Jesus Christ! I don't think I have ever seen an episode of "American Idol" all the way through, and yet I must confess I am very familiar with idolatry. We often throw the word idol around when trying to describe someone we admire or believe to be gifted etc. Often times children will have posters of their idols hanging in their rooms. In our extremely visual world where our attention is constantly attacked and our integrity of thought constantly threatened we can see the sense in the prohibition not to make graven images. And this ultimately is…

Mar

01

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Gen 1:24-2:3- Image and Likeness

Faithecology, environment, garden, image and likeness

Glory be to Jesus Christ! A lot of abuses have happened over the "dominion" of man over nature that we read about in Genesis today. Many ecologically-minded people find fault and scandal over this supposed licence to do with nature as humanity sees fit. And I don't really blame them. Abuses have happened, but this is not God's fault. Human beings are special. We are made in the Image and Likeness of God, on a journey to become more and more godlike by the Lord's grace. It is for this reason, that we have been endowed with the gift of…