Royal Doors

Nov

23

2016

Luke 20:1-8 Post-Truth

Faithtruth

Glory be to Jesus Christ! I was watching a debate recently on a very important issue currently before the government legislative bodies and the word "post-truth" was used to describe someone's position. In many ways, our culture embodies a "post-truth" stance, either through relativism or fear. The temple leaders in our reading today show their true intentions through their avoidance of Jesus' question; they are not seeking the truth. The leaders come to the Lord seeking for Him to identify the authority by which He is preaching because their authority as temple leaders has been threatened. Our Lord asks them…

Nov

22

2016

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Luke 19:45-48 Purify your Temple

Faithchalice, Communion, temple

Glory be to Jesus Christ! This year, the day after celebrating Mary's entrance into the temple as a small child, we recall the Lord's purification of that temple when He drives out the money changers and merchants. Unknown to the people, the Lord visited His temple, and found that the worship of His people in the temple, the "place of prayer for all the nations," had become a place of self-worship through idolatry and greed. We might be tempted to shake our fingers and heads at these people, but the Scriptures were not written for them, but for us! The…

Nov

18

2016

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Luke 19:12-27- Keep Your Eyes on the Kingdom

Faithgifts, Jerusalem, Kingdom

Glory be to Jesus Christ! In our reading today, the disciples are excited to enter Jerusalem and take the Kingdom! Our Lord tells them that the Kingdom and the possession of it will be quite different than they imagine it through the telling of a parable. How frequently do we sell ourselves short, or suffer from a similar spiritual shortsightedness brothers and sisters? The disciples (and we can't blame them!) are interested in Jerusalem being conquered through the military campaign of the Messiah in their interpretation of the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesy. Instead, Christ gives them another focus- working with…

Nov

17

2016

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Luke 18:31-34 – We (Should) Know Better

FaithJerusalem, Suffering

Glory be to Jesus Christ! As we continue our reading of the Gospel of Luke, we see the ultimate trajectory of the Son of Man. He must enter Jerusalem to be mocked, tortured and killed. The disciples do not understand what is happening as these events are "hidden from them," and we can't really hold that against them, as the Messiah was supposed to usher in a time of political and military triumph for the Chosen People, or so they thought. Things become clearer only after those three days Our Lord mentions, and this is their legacy to us- we…

Nov

16

2016

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Luke 18:15-17, 26-30- It’s Worth It!

Faith

Glory be to Jesus Christ! In our reading today Our Lord tells His disciples that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child won't enter it. Why children? What's so special about children? Children are completely dependent on their parents. They cannot work, pay back debts, construct webs of social influence, establish partnerships or grow businesses. They make no money. In fact, they are radically dependent. This is the image our Lord gives us for the kingdom and our need to understand how much we must rely on Him. Without becoming like children, we will not be…

Nov

15

2016

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Luke 17:26-37- The Lord is Coming…Look Busy!

Faith

Glory be to Jesus Christ! I remember a sign that hung over a fellow priest's office door which read "Jesus is coming, look busy!" In our Gospel today we are reminded of the return of our Lord and our need to be prepared for it. The disciples receive instruction from our Lord today about the coming of the Son of Man and what that will be like. As people were caught unaware by the destruction of their well-laid plans (people in Noah's time, etc.) throughout history, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. But this reading does not simply…

Nov

11

2016

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Luke 16:14-18, 17:1-4- War, Remembrance and Peace

FaithForgiveness, Peace, Remembrance Day, War

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Today, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month we remember our soldiers who heroically gave their lives for our freedom, who paid the ultimate price for our peace. In our world which is so often confused over means and ends, intentions and outcomes, we sometimes forget that the end or purpose of war is peace. People fight for all sorts of reasons, war needs to be discerned in the most serious manner, but ultimately just war is never waged to prolong or inflict suffering, but to end war- to bring peace. In our reading…

Nov

11

2016

By Brent Kostyniuk

Christ – Our Pascha – A Review

Both Lungs, Featured Articles

by Brent Kostyniuk Those who are old enough will remember the Baltimore Catechism. We spent religion class after religion class memorizing the commandments, the prayers, and those concise statements which defined our relationship with God. At the time, that Catechism, more than anything, seemed to encapsulate the Catholic faith. However, as importance as it was, the Catechism did not address the spiritual needs of Eastern Catholics. While reliance might today seem to have been over emphasized, the need for a catechism, in whatever form it takes, is essential to any religion. In that light, publication of the Catechism of the…

Nov

10

2016

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Luke 16:1-9: Hurry Up and Spend that Cash…on the Poor!

Faithalmsgiving, avarice, Greed, Money

Glory be to Jesus Christ! At first glance this is a very confusing reading in that it looks as though Jesus is commending theft and dishonesty! It looks as though our Lord encourages us to rip off our employer. This is an easy mistake to fall into for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is important to realize that unlike many of similar parables in the New Testament, the Lord is not symbolized by the master of the house. Jesus is not trying to teach us the lesson that God the Father would like you to rip others off for…

Nov

09

2016

By Fr. Michael Bombak

Get Dirty- and Rejoice!

Faith

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Sometimes it's easy to fall into the idea that God is sitting on His throne in heaven being perfect and waiting for us to find Him, that this whole life is a giant game of hide and seek and God is hiding and we are seeking. Make no mistake, God is perfect and He is enthroned in Glory. We also need to seek Him- but only to discover that He found us first! Our reading today (Luke 15:1-10) shows us a God who is seeking and searching for those who are lost, and His joy is…