Faith – Page 6 – Royal Doors

Mar

02

2017

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…

Feb

28

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Proverbs 1:20–33- Not a Tame Lion

Faithaslan, fear, prayer of st Ephraim, wisdom

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Some of the most amazing books that I have read (and reread...) are CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, an adventure about four children who stumble upon a magical world fighting for freedom against the forces of darkness. Although currently in the clutches of the White Witch who makes it always winter and never Christmas, good news reaches the children when secret agents of Aslan, the true King of Wood, intercept them and usher them to his camp. Confused by this Susan asks Aslan's agents, who happen to be talking beavers, if Aslan is a…

Feb

27

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Gen 1: 1-13- Back to Basics

Faithclean week, Lent, order

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Brothers and sisters we have arrived at the Great and Holy Fast, the training ground of our souls, and the desert through which we travel to witness the Lord's Resurrection! Let us enter the Fast with joy! Lent is many things, but one very important element of the fast is that it is a school of love. When things get too difficult or complicated or too technical in any discipline, we must return to the basics. Our choice of reading Genesis during this time is just that- remedial lessons in who God is, who we are,…

Feb

13

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Mark 11:1-11- Donkeys

Faithdonkey, humility, triumphal entry

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Have you ever seen the cross on the back of a donkey? The Nubian burro is the species that carried our Lord into Jerusalem, and also most likely carried Him in the womb of His mother on their trip to Bethlehem. These donkeys each have a unique darker "shadow of the cross" on their backs whose size and shape are unique to each animal. In some cases they are even used as a form of identification in their registration papers! The donkey is a humble animal. Our Lord did not ride into Jerusalem on a war…

Feb

12

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Luke 15:11-32- Running out to Meet Him

FaithForgiveness, prodigal son

Glory be to Jesus Christ! When was the last time you felt overjoyed enough to run out to meet someone? Running was something that grown men did not do in Jesus' time (unless they were athletes of course.) When we hear of grown men running in the Gospels we are meant as readers to roll our eyes in response to the silliness. The parable of the Prodigal Son shows the love of the Father for us in such a deep way that it is sometimes referred to as "The Gospel within the Gospel." This story has been one which has…

Feb

10

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Mark 14:3-9- Antisocial

Faithgiving, poor, Social gospel

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Have you ever heard of "The Social Gospel Movement" of the early 20th Century? Although it had some very good things to remind us of (the corporal works of mercy are really good after all!) it essentially tried to teach the message that Christ would not come back until poverty was eliminated here on earth. In fact, what ultimately happened was the blur between this world and the next. Heaven on earth through human effort. This, brothers and sisters was never the Gospel. Christ fed many people when He multiplied the loaves and the fishes- but…

Feb

09

2017

By Fr. Michael Winn

UGCC Catechism Excerpts for Bulletins

Faith

Here's a great resource for catechetical programs and parish bulletins - the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat (Parma, Ohio) has been publishing excerpts of the Catechism in a bulletin format. And they are all available to you. Visit here to see more.

Feb

09

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Mark 13:31-14:2- Hypothermic World

Faithawake, sleep, Vigilance

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Did you ever take first aid training? When I was younger I was a lifeguard and swim instructor and one of the most prevalent worries that we were trained to be on guard against was hypothermia. As your body gets colder your internal body temperature can't be regulated and there is a great danger of falling asleep. In many cases this is the most dangerous time as it is very possible to slip silently into a sleep which many do not wake from. In treating a hypothermic victim it is essential to keep them awake.…

Feb

08

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Mark 13:24-31- “Ill be Back!”

Faithjudge, second coming, terminator

Glory be to Jesus Christ! "I'll be back." This phrase as made popular by the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie The Terminator (and even more in the second movie, called "Judgement Day" no less.) The story promises a dystopoian future and a war with evil machines sent to kill the small remaining society of people. People love "end of the world" movies, books, stories, you name it. It is part of the human condition to realize that there is an end to which we are headed, that life on this planet is vectorial- it has a purpose or destination. In the Gospel…