Both Lungs – Page 3 – Royal Doors

Jul

27

2019

Fortunate

Both Lungs, Liturgy

by Brent Kostyniuk Some years ago there was a popular film titled My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It followed the daughter of a Greek immigrant family in her romance with a very non-ethnic boyfriend. Eventually, romance led to marriage. However, before that could take place, the boyfriend had to be baptized. The girl’s father proudly told the boyfriend, “It is your lucky day to be baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church.” Similarly, it might be said that many of us are fortunate to have been baptized into the Ukrainian Catholic Church. For most, the decision to be baptized was taken…

Jul

04

2019

By Brent Kostyniuk

Ditpych

Both Lungs

Brent Kostyniuk For Ukrainian Catholics, and indeed all Byzantine Christians, icons are a vital part of their prayer life. So closely linked are the two, some faithful find it difficult to pray without being able to gaze on an icon. Often referred to as windows to heaven, icons are not meant to be realistic images of Jesus, the Theotokos, or the saints as they were on earth. Rather they portray theological truths. For this reason, icons are said to be written, rather than painted. We see the holy person as they are now, glorified in heaven. Praying before an icon…

Mar

07

2019

By Brent Kostyniuk

Physician of Souls and Bodies

Both Lungs, News

by Brent Kostyniuk “Cure the sick, O physician of our souls and bodies.” So we pray at each Divine Liturgy. This petition reminds us not only of our need for healing but helps us to recall the many miracles of healing which Jesus performed during his public ministry. During those three years, our Lord showed His compassion for the sick, the suffering, the destitute, and even the dead. In performing these miracles, Jesus revealed both his divinity and his humanity. In like manner, when we show love towards others, we reflect the compassion which ultimately comes from God. In His…

Nov

28

2018

By Brent Kostyniuk

New Religion Resource – Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ

Both Lungs

by Brent Kostyniuk Breathing through both lungs is the expression St. John Paul II used on many occasions to express his great desire for the Church—both East and West—to be united in our common faith in the Triune God. In order to be united, however, we must first know and understand each other. Looking at the Catholic Church, the vast majority, some 1.2 billion faithful, are aligned with the West—the Latin Church. A mere 16 million Catholics, or 1.5 %, belong to one of 23 Eastern Catholic Churches. Clearly, the task of learning about the other lung is more difficult…

Oct

30

2018

By Brent Kostyniuk

Minor Orders

Both Lungs, News

by Brent Kostyniuk Each time we participate in the Divine Liturgy, we pray the Nicene Creed, the profession of our Faith, our faith in the Triune God, our faith in the Church and our faith in the next world. Among the articles we profess are the marks or signs of the Church—one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. By apostolic, we mean there is a direct succession from the Apostles to the clergy who serve. Of those clerics, we are most familiar with the major orders: deacon, priest, and bishop. Along with these, however, are the lesser known minor orders. According to…

May

14

2018

By Brent Kostyniuk

A Journey Together

Both Lungs

by Brent Kostyniuk When you are on a journey, it’s good to stop once in a while to check not only where you are going, but where you have been. Not that long ago every car had a glove compartment full of road maps, now replaced by GPS . However, there was something intriguing about looking at a map. By finding your current location, you could see how far you had come and how much further you had to go. Our Christian journey is a bit like that. Every now and then it is good to take stock of your…

Apr

02

2018

By Brent Kostyniuk

Bread of Life

Both LungsCommunion, Divine Liturgy, eucharist, prosphora

by Brent Kostyniuk As we all know, at the Last Supper, Jesus gave humanity the most precious gift it would ever receive, when He changed bread and wine into His Body and Blood. Since that time, those who follow Him have continuously heeded His exhortation to “...do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). Jesus’ institution of the Holy Eucharist most likely came in the context of a traditional Passover meal. It recalls the night of the tenth and final plague when lamb’s blood was spread on doorframes to protect the Israelite’s firstborn children. According to custom, early in the…

Feb

20

2018

By Brent Kostyniuk

Our Precious Monasteries

Both Lungs

by Brent Kostyniuk When the pioneer settlers came to the Prairies, they brought with them precious possessions that would remind them of the lives they had left behind; keepsakes that would help see them through the challenges and hardships that would be inevitable in the new land. While material goods were essential, they also brought with them a more valuable intangible possession—their faith. Settling on homesteads in the vast wilderness, the pioneers had little to support their efforts to build new homes and raise children. Neighbours were few and far between, stores and doctors often dozens of miles away. Yet…

Jan

18

2018

By Brent Kostyniuk

Sharing Jordan

Both Lungsepiphany, theophany

by Brent Kostyniuk Today the darkness of the world vanishes with the appearance of our God. Today the celestials celebrate with the terrestrials, and the terrestrials commune with the celestials. The Great Service for the Sanctification of the Water Christians both East and West are united in their celebration of feast days, or holy days, which commemorate significant events in our salvation history. Christmas and Easter are universally recognized as momentous events in re-establishing our relationship with God. Perhaps equally significant is the feast celebrated January 6. Although the moment chosen to celebrate differs between East and West as does…

Dec

04

2017

By Brent Kostyniuk

Holodomor

Both Lungs, News

by Brent Kostyniuk During 1932 and 1933, an estimated seven to ten million people starved to death in Soviet controlled Ukraine because of a man-made famine, the Holodomor—death by starvation—even though the country was producing bumper crops of grain. Recently, 340 elementary children at St. Theresa of Calcutta Catholic School in Edmonton gathered for a Memorial Divine Liturgy to honour victims of the Holodomor. The Liturgy was celebrated by Edmonton Eparchial Bishop David Motiuk along with Edmonton Catholic Schools Chaplain, Fr. Julian Bilyj. Bishop David's Words In speaking to the children, Bishop David explained this little known atrocity. “Imagine living…