www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West simple questions

I'm still new on this site, and I (uh, um) I (it's like this, er) I don't know some of the (ahem) basics of Eastern vocabulary and practice.

Could you please answer a few simple questions?

1. What does FrDeacon mean? I know what Father usually means, and I know what a Deacon is (I think, if it's the same as it is in the Latin rite), but what about the combined title?

2. Advent in the Latin Rite (at least where I live)is a gently penitental season, not as distinctly penitential as the Lent before Easter. What is it like over there?

3. This is (um) very (er) ignorant of me, but (um)
I'm wondering if genuflection is only a
Western practice.....

4. Fill me in, please....then maybe I won't have to keep (um) asking these simple questions.

Thanks

i'm only going to answer, one of your questions. There are many others who are more educated on Eastern practices than I wo can give you better answers on the rest.

Question 3- The Western church geneflucts due to it being a Roman practice in ancient times, when the people geneflucted to Roman nobles.

Thank you....

Unity In Christ

"Fr. Deacon" is, strictly speaking, a solecism and therefore bad English prose. It is a compound noun masquerading as a title. Nonetheless, it bespeaks both a respect and an affection for deacons as being in major orders and therefore expected to be spiritual fathers. Or at least that's how I understand it.

Advent in the Byzantine tradition (cf. other threads about this on here, including a recent one inquiring what practices we are undertaking) is much like you describe in the Roman: penitential, but not as much as Great Lent properly so called. There is a fast, beginning 40 days before Christmas, but it is usually not observed with as much rigour as the Great Fast. That is to say, I, for example, abstain from meat (but not dairy and all animal products, as in Great Lent) and fast, but generally not a lot more, except on the eve of the feast.

Unity,

1. In the Byzantine Tradition the title Father is not reserved to priests alone but is given to all who hold spiritual fatherhood. This includes deacons and non-ordained solemnly professed monks (stavrophores).

2. The Christmas Fast or St . Phillip's Fast (because it starts Nov 15 the day after the Feast of St. Phillip) is the Byzantine preparation for Christmas. The Liturgical texts are not as pronounced as the Latin Churches. There are only two prepatory Sundays preceding the Feast, the Sunday of the Forefathers, the Patriarchs (2nd Sunday before Christmas) and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (Sunday before Christmas). The prefeast starts Dec 20 and this is when texts become anticipatory.

3. Yes, in the East we bow or make a prostration but do not genuflect.

In Christ,
Fr. Deacon Lance

Thank you both. I'm learning a little at a time.

Father Deacon Lance, would you mind also telling me a little about the function of Deacons in the Byzantine Rite? And anything else you might wish a Latin Rite Catholic would ask about Eastern Catholicism....

Dear Unity in Christ (and everyone! ),

I'm SO thankful you opened up this topic-- I've been too chicken to ask my similar questions! Now that you've given me courage, here goes:

1) What is the proper way to enter the Church itself as well as the pew? (No, thankfully I have not genuflected-- yet! I almost do every time though out of habit!)

2) Our Church looks Eastern in every way-- except there are confessionals built into the wall. How does one receive the Mystery of Confession in the Eastern Church (does one begin, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been _____ since my last confession..." like in the West???)

3) Where is the holy water? Is there any holy water? If not, that's fine. I just don't want to look like an idiot searching for it if it's not there!

4) Is it okay to ask your Priest to bless your icons-- like folks do in the Orthodox Church?

5) When I was a girl, my Baba would have her Priest come over occasionally to bless the house. This was in the Roman Rite, though. Do Byzantine Priests do that?

Well, that's it for now! Thanks for bearing with me!

Your friend in Jesus,
Donna ><>

My dear Lady,

"1) What is the proper way to enter the Church itself as well as the pew?"

Depends on where you go. The general rule of thumb is to enter, and venerate the Festal Ikon on the Tetrapod (a type of table) at the center of the Nave, or the veration ikons before the Ikonstas (Greek Temples do not have Tetrapodia all of the time, but instead have verantional Ikons). Veneration is three small metania (sign self and bow with hand extended) and kiss the Ikon, saying "God, be merciful to me a sinner" each time. This is all that is necessary.

"2" This is fine. there really is not set way that the Mystery of Divine Repentence is celebrated, as far as I can tell, though I did see one from a Greek manual that was replete with Litanies and Psalms and long prayers. There is a couple of versions, one based on the Latin model, the other based on a common Slavic model, that is in the Byzantine Catholic Prayerbook that others may want to expand upon.

3. There should be Holy Water that is blessed at Theophany somewhere, either at the front or in the Narthex of the Temple. This Water is usually kept in a large container or pool.

4. Yes. Ikons ought to be blessed for 40 days by being stored under the Holy Table.

5. Most certainly. Sign up for the blessing at Theophany. This is always fun, as there is usually a big party afterwards.

Adam

Dear Adam,
This was SO helpful!!! Thanks for taking the time to answer my many questions!

I still am not certain, however, how one enters the pew? Could you tell me what to do instead of genuflecting?

Thanks again for all this great information!!!

Your friend in Jesus,
Donna ><>

I've heard this many times but can't picture it. How/where do you extend your hand?

Logos Teen

Dear Donna,

One does not do anything prior to entering the pew. One merely takes his place. There is no ritual, as pews are a rather recent intrusion into our architecture.

TotIL,

This is simple, and exactly how it sounds. When one is bowed (at the waist, 90 degrees, as it were), the arm is fully extended, no bend in the elbow. In Greek practice, one touches the ground with his right hand. In our practice, one never touches the ground with his right hand, so as to not soil the hand with which we bless. The hand then ought to be at least at the level of the knees or lower, without touching the ground.


Returning to entrance bows, there is a longer form, preserved by the Old Orthodox. Here is the form:

God be merciful to me a sinner. (bow)
Thou hast created me; Lord, have mercy on me. (bow)
I have sinned immeasurably; Lord, forgive me. (bow)

It is meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, the ever-blessed and most immaculate, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the cherubim, and truly more glorious than the seraphim; thee who without defilement gavest birth to God the Word, the true Mother of God, thee do we magnify. (prostration, always)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. (bow)
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (bow)
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, bless. (bow)

Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, through the prayers of my holy Guardian Angel, and of all the saints, have mercy on me and save me a sinner, for Thou art good and lovest mankind. (prostration)

Of course, one can replace the translation above (from the Erie prayerbook) with the translation one knows best, but this ought to give you the idea.

In Christ,
Adam

Dear Adam,

Thank you for such a comprehensive explanation!

The blessing of icons for forty days - I understand this is a Greek tradition involving Holy Chrism for the "Aghia." but that Peter Mohyla's rules allowed the use of Holy Water only.

In East Slavic Churches one may place Crosses and Icons to be blessed on the Tetrapod for the duration of a Divine Liturgy or even the full cycle of the Horologion.

Also, is it all right for Ukie Catholics to bless themselves in the Old Rite way, with two fingers?

Alex

Thanks a lot, Adam! This was very helpful!

Well, We in Our Modesty do try. Don't think yourselves indebted to Us, but if you should send boxes of delicate, hand-made French pastries as a reward, they would not be refused!

Donna -
Our Byzantine Book of Prayer has two forms of Confession. The first goes:

I confess to Almighty God, One in the Holy Trinity, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, to all the Saints, and to you, Father, all my sins. It has been � since my last confession and these are my sins.

The second is the Latin rite version you mentioned.
There are two Acts of Contrition at the end to choose from, too. The one I use is:

For these and all my other sins which I remember or cannot call to mind, I am very sorry. I have offended God and have angered Him against me. I am sincerely repentant and promise with the help of God to better my life. For this, I humbly ask of you, Father, salutary penance and absolution.

It's kind of weird because in the Latin Rite (which I attend because Eastern Rite churches are too far away), the priest has already told me what my penance is before I say the Act of Contrition which asks him for a penance!

I don't have my prayer book with me to tell you what the other Act of Contrition is.