www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Rite Reasons

If you were limited to identifying only 2 reasons why you prefer your particular Rite over all others, what would they be?

Do you mean which Particular Church Tradition?

Ung

yes

I have one reason:

1)The Sanctity of the Liturgy. Even with the implementation of the RDL, our Liturgy means something more to me than the Novus Ordo. At the risk of offending any Roman Catholics, I apologize, but every time I enter a RCC with my wife, it seems that people don't know what they're doing, the organ drowns out voices, and the Mass is trite. People often leave right after communion, the sign of peace disrupts Mass, and people are regularly holding hands during the Lord's Prayer. GRRRR.
I think a lot of Roman Catholics could benefit from a Tridentine Mass.

....In essence, I think Liturgy/Mass should also be a personal meditation on God. It should not just be an obligation. The Divine Liturgy helps me to focus on prayer. "Now set aside all earthly cares...all earthly cares."

I agree with this statement entirely.

I prefer the Byzantine Rite because of its stark simplicity and uncomplicated Liturgy.

I also like the fact that you need so few books to say the Daily Office.

Fr David Straut

And of course the few books that you do have are all very inexpensive.

I wholeheartedly agree

I can narrow it down to ONE reason- Beauty! As the tag line on my blog says, "The world will be saved by beauty..." - Doestoevsky.

I have have felt tears trickling out the corner of my eye when I have heard the Rachmoninoff Vespers, or contemporary Serbian Orthodox singer Divna.

I love our Byzantine Rite!


Blessings,

Lance

A Byzantine Christian in a Postmodern World [byzantinechristian.blogspot.com]

Слава Ісусу Христу!

It is said the Greeks were persuaded by philosophy, the Romans complied to the law while the Slavs were beguiled by the beauty. Personally I say it is the domestic church. Even my cosmopolitan children who moved to the “big” cities and only know where one of our churches are to pick up a dozen “pyrohy” (dumplings) for dinner, love to pack and take a basket of decorated Easter foods down for it’s Pascal blessing. As my youngest once told a suitor “I can only cook “kutya” (honey gruel) for Holy Supper and bake “pascha” (bread) for Easter”. He responded “What else do you need? God made take out for the rest”. As a parent I love the guilt in handing them a piece of “Bozhu” (God’s) bread Sunday mornings when they’re visiting and sleep in. They cross themselves and eat, and I need not say a word. Then.

Well, I'm technically still Roman... However, I attended an All Saint's Vigil Mass earlier today in Perth City and after having attended Divine Liturgy for 4 months, I honestly find myself feeling very awkward during a Novus Ordo Mass.

I will take the liberty of listing more than two reasons, because this question is one which can be answered in myriad ways.

I prefer the Byzantine Rite because of

(1.) Strong sense of the Sacred in Liturgy. Even in the least desirable jurisdictions, the Byzantine Rite has not been burdened with trendy, tacky, and profane music, nor with activistic busy-ness. I have yet to see middle-aged women wearing raincoats plodding into the sanctuary from the nave in order to disribute the Holy Eucharist (I did see this in a Latin-Rite church, at my cousin's funeral!).
(2.) Theological orthodoxy & clarity of the classical liturgical texts (some regression noted in the Ruthenian English-language RDL, i.e. the ambiguous language of "for us and our salvation" , and inappropriate use of "horizontal inclusive" language-but this only concerns one jurisdiction out of many).
(3.) The beauty of Byzantine Iconography.
(4.) The beauty of the music employed (whether plain chant or polyphonic choir music).
(5.) Liturgical stability-a lack of the "optionitis" which plagues the "Novus Ordo".
(6.) Beauty of the vestments. There was never this trend toward plain-looking vestments with trite ornamentation ( I know an ACROD "Pani" who makes vestments for a source of income. She tells me she also makes and sells modern Latin-Rite vestments. She says tht all you have to do is get a piece of fabric and cut a hole in it, and you can sell it for more than you would get for Greek or Russian-style vestments), or, worse, profane ornamentation. In the latter category, I once saw a picture of an RC priest wearing a chasuble with the logo of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team on it (they had just won the Stanley Cup).

I am saying this as a former Latin Rite Catholic who is still "grossed out" by a lot of the post-conciliar innovations, from the 60's on, in the Western Church. Happily, we have a reigning Pope who is equally "grossed out", and is trying to purge the Church of all of these undesirable elements.

In Christ,
Dn. Robert

Get the tongue out of the cheek!

Dn. Robert

I would say the Traditional Roman Rite is, likewise, anything but simple. Roman "sobriety" only goes so far with a Solemn High Mass and all those intricate little movements, etc.

Alexis

No argument from me on that!

Dn. Robert