www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy The Revised Divine Liturgy Help!

Robert, you are right that someone should not leave because of negative reasons. But also the Church allows and even blesses someone to transfer to another Church sui iuris if it is of genuine spiritual benefit. Often the Holy Spirit leads one to other pastures.

Is there any real hope that the revisions will be undone in the near future? I am a Latin in the process of switching to the Ruthenian, I have spoken with a priest who gave me assurances that the changes (though he found some of them to be unnecessary and distasteful) were not as bad as many on these forums would have them seem. I felt reassured but not that feeling is fleeting. I have tired of the liturgical abuse within the Latin Rite Novus Ordo, and the incessant backbiting and Latin Rite superiority complex found among Tridentine circles. I am bent on switching my rite to a Byzantine rite, but am now unsure of where to go. I am not near a Ukrainian Church, have no transportation to the Melkite Church and am not sure I would be welcomed in the Melkite because it seems to be a very ethnic parish. I am left with the Ruthenian where I have felt most at peace. The priest there (I have not spoken to him on the liturgy yet) is very kind and in my opinion a saint, the Church is gorgeous and the congregation warm and welcoming, so I am very reluctant to look elsewhere. What should I do?

Hersch,

Let me understand, the priest is kind and holy, the church is beautiful, the parishioners welcoming? What is the problem? Some internet grumblings? Why would you let posts of those you don't even no disturb what you have experienced first hand?

Fr. Deacon Lance

Well, being as how I am Irish-German descent, but Melkite Greek Catholic, you can imagine my recommendation.

However, I think Father Deacon Lance makes an excellent point: go where God is calling you. Internet grumblings or not, the decision is your and should be based on your own criteria.

Also, every Church has problems, Roman, Eastern Catholic, Orthodox. Don't think for one minute that any Church is not plagied by the constant disease of "in-fighting".

Thank you for your kind words and assurances. I pretty much flew into a panic after reading all these discussions on the RDL and didn't think or reason things out clearly. I will continue my switch into the Ruthenian. Please pray for me.

An internet forum is generally not the best place to seek discernment - this should be done inwardly with prayer, patience, and seeking the advice of others (especially a spiritual father if you have one, if not those you trust and know well with spiritual matters). A change of Church sui iuris is a serious thing and should be discerned with patience. Prayers for the journery.

AGREED! This advice and counsel is repeated all too often not only in this section but in all sections of this forum. Our prayers go out to you as you discern your path, but seek the advice and counsel of a spiritual father or director.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+
Administrator

If I may add to the excellent advice of Father Anthony and Diak, it seems to me that much more time praying and listening for God to speak to you in and through your spiritual father, your pastor, and other trusted souls is a far better way to move along in spiritual discernment than spending time on the internet trying to articulate your deepest thoughts about eternal things.

When I want to get into these areas, a walk in a park near home with few people around and no lawn mowers going is the ticket. Then an appointment with my spiritual father is in order.

It's also wise to understand that these decisions are NOT the kind one makes in the same manner one decides on a cup of coffee. These have eternal consequences and one ought first to understand what this last phrase means: something like "irrevocable"--you may not have the chance to take it back.

In Christ,

BOB

I understand the choice is irrevocable and I seem to have acted in a way that makes me seem to treat this decision as something lightly. That could not be farther from the truth. I have attended a Byzantine parish regularly for a good time now, I have consulted with my confessor and my pastor. I have sought to educate myself in all matters pertaining to such a change. I have unfortunately fallen victim to my own fault of panicking when I see something the least bit negative about an occurrence going on in the Church. Such discussions on liturgical changes affect me deeply as I come from a family who regularly attends the Latin Tridentine and have served it for close to eight years. In our family there was constant infighting due to the liturgical divide, one side was involved with the Indult Mass, others like my parents and I attended both the Indult and Novus Ordo, and then finally a good portion of the family was Society of Saint Pius X. An after affect of being around such constant heated discussions was the resulting panic you've witnessed on these message boards from me over the last couple of days. Liturgical change can make me feel uncomfortable and some of the rhetoric I saw made me feel like I was entering a situation much like that of my Tridentine attending parents. However I have found that after consulting two very good priests, talking to a very good and knowledgable friend, and spending some time in prayer that such fears are unfounded and that I should have more of a backbone in these regards. I thank you all your your advice and ask you for continued prayers as I move on from this display of panic and once more place my trust in God and follow His path for me into the Ruthenian Rite. I would also greatly appreciate it if any discussion as to my panicked postings would stop as it is something I would like to move on from and forget.

Christ With US!

Hersch Green

With that request this thread will now be closed.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+
Administrator