Both Lungs

by Brent Kostyniuk It is often said we should save the best for the last. I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. These words, which come at the end of the Nicene Creed, express the best, the greatest, belief we hold as Christians. They remind us that Jesus has conquered death by death and to those in the grave He granted life. Our greatest fear – death – has no hold over us. We live with the certainty that Jesus has, indeed, prepared a way for us and that a beautiful…

Imagine St. Nicholas – jolly Old St. Nick – becoming so agitated with someone that the holy man stormed across a room and slapped that person on the face. That is what supposedly happened at the First Council of Nicaea held in 325, exactly 1700 years ago. According to ancient church historians, the Council was convened by Emperor Constantine I. The Council itself was to settle, for all time, the relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father. He was motivated by the heresy of Arianism, which stemmed from the teaching of the Alexandrian priest, Arius (c250-336). Arius taught that…

by Brent Kostyniuk The year 2025 is being celebrated by Catholics throughout the world as a Jubilee Year, an event which generally takes place once every 25 years. The custom of Jubilee stems from the Old Testament when, once every 50 years, a holy year was announced with the sounding of a ram’s horn, known in Hebrew as yovel. From this the term jubilee is derived. The Jubilee was a time of liberation and restoration, underscoring the covenantal relationship between God and the Israelites. The custom of a Jubilee Year was revived by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300. Although uncertain,…

by Brent Kostyniuk It goes without saying that language is central to any society. It allows the members of that society to exchange thoughts and ideas and, in turn, prosper. While the language of a particular society may not be totally unique, it will have developed individual characteristics. Often this takes the form of slang, understood only by members of the society. For example, during the Second World War, Royal Air Force pilots referred to the aeroplanes as “kites.” In other cases, a society will have developed specific meanings for otherwise common words or have invented words unique to itself.…

by Brent Kostyniuk “Wow!” That was the reaction of a friend of mine when she first stepped into a Ukrainian Catholic church. Although a life-long Catholic, and, indeed, a religion teacher in our city’s Catholic school system, this was her first encounter with the Byzantine tradition. She had not yet heeded St. John Paul II’s admonition that the Church should breathe through Both Lungs – East and West. Moreover, he proclaimed it was the duty of Catholics of the West, that is Roman Catholics, to learn about their Eastern brethren. “It’s so big inside!” Her eyes were drawn upwards to…

by Brent Kostyniuk Ukrainians have a deep devotion and love for the Mother of God. In fact, along with other Byzantine traditions, they have a unique title for her – Theotokos. The term Theotokos is a compound of two Greek words: Θεός (Theo) meaning God, and τόκος (tokos) meaning childbirth or offspring. A literal translation would be “God-bearing one” although a customary English translation is “Mother of God.” The use of the term Theotokos is very ancient. As early as the third century, Christians were turning to the Theotokos as evidenced in this Coptic prayer of that time: “Under your…