Royal Doors

Mar

22

2017

Genesis 9:18–10:1- Do We Cover Nakedness?

Faithcanaan, clothing, ham, nakedness, noah, shem

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Think back to the first time you heard about nakedness in the Bible. Not very far in right? After Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they discovered they were naked. Not because they had become more sophisticated, educated or "civilized" from their choice, but because they realized what they had done- they had traded their dignity for a half-truth, and were now exposed. Nakedness in the Bible is often used to show vulnerability and a lack of dignity. In our reading today from Genesis we see the…

Mar

21

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Isaiah 25:1-9- Who are you Waiting For?

Faithredeemed, savior, superheroes

Glory be to Jesus Christ! I enjoy superhero stories very much. When I was a boy I wanted very much to be Spiderman and use my powers to make the world a better place. The idea of someone who cares and "saves the day" simply because it is the right thing to do seems to be an idea which is both inspiring and yet one which is becoming more and more difficult to trust in our world. Like everything else in our culture, superheros may be becoming more advanced, amazing, powerful and more super, but they are becoming less heroic.…

Mar

20

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Genesis 8:21-9:7- My Brother’s Keeper

Faithbrothers keeper, heaven, hell, lewis

Glory be to Jesus Christ! What do you think Hell is like? There have been many different analogies used for Hell throughout the Scriptures and by contemporary authors. Our Lord used the garbage dump just outside the city of Jerusalem, Gehenna, where trash was burned day and night as an example of what Hell is like. Some people have seen Hell as a cold place and lonely place, where others have seen it as a place of intense physical and spiritual suffering. The analogy which I have always found very terrifying and yet very telling comes from C.S. Lewis' The…

Mar

18

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Unto Us a Son is Given | February 17, 2017

NewsBethlehem, Cave, Christmas, Nativity

Feb. 17, Friday: Bethlehem – Ein Karem This morning we drive to Bethlehem to visit the place of birth of our Lord, The Basilica of the Nativity. We will visit the Grotto of Nativity and the Church of St. Catherine where the Midnight Mass is celebrated and the Caves of St. Joseph and St. Jerome underneath the church. Visit Shepherd's Fields, where the Angels appeared to the shepherds who were watching over their flocks during the night. Lunch at Tent Restaurant in Bethlehem. This afternoon drive to nearby village of Ein – Karem to visit the birth place of St.…

Mar

17

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Genesis 8:4-21- A New Creation

Faithcreation, flood, noah

Glory be to Jesus Christ! God made a reboot of creation. Having seen the wickedness that the world had descended into, and regretting His creation of the world, God begins again. We often focus on the death and destruction which ensues in this story, and sometimes forget the saving message of the story as well: Noah and his family (and their families) are saved by God. What is happening here is not simply the annihilation of sinful humanity, but the recreation of the world. Noah and his family, in a very special way, will cooperate with the Lord's plan through…

Mar

15

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Isaiah 10:12-20- It’s All Gift

Faithgift, humility, job, Suffering

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Any teacher will tell you that the most difficult student to teach isn't the one who doesn't know anything, but the one who thinks he already knows everything. You might have an important message to transmit but he's heard it. He knows it. Until he accepts that he is a student and you the teacher you will never get through. This is the problem with pride brothers and sisters. What do we have which was not given to us? Even when we cultivate our gifts, they still remain that, gifts which the Lord has endowed…

Mar

13

2017

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Genesis 6:9-22 A Desert Boat

Faithark, flood, noah

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Ever seen a boat in the middle of the desert? Noah's contemporaries hadn't either. In the midst of the confusion, chaos and moral degradation which is described in the book of Genesis, the Lord comes to Noah and tells him he needs to build a giant boat...in the desert. Imagine the kind of trust that Noah would have had to have. I'm sure it wasn't made any easier by those of Noah's time passing by "the boat guy" day in and day out while the Ark was being constructed. We see here an incredible counter-cultural…

Mar

11

2017

By Brent Kostyniuk

Anointing of the Sick

Both Lungs, Featured Articles

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…