www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Latinn Rite attendance at Byzantine Rite Church

Some talk in here as if they were american soldiers Abu Ghraib!

JimG the moderator should have stopped you commenting like that against Haydukovich! It's ugly, I'm sorry!

You mean this



?

Ok, yes, that is it! Nevertheless, as we all know, the Gold metal is to be won by americans and chinese! Hayduke is a serb!

Really, I dont really understand why people should get offended in this site, which is a roman latin - byzantine - orthodox site?

Hayduke wants to convert eastern catholics into orthodox! Fine, let him do that!

Oh. Perhaps I took your post more seriously than you intended it.

In regard to my original post, I enjoy attending eastern Catholic churches when possible. I really haven't had any concerns in going to them and folks have been wonderful. I have received communion and taken part in the worship. I'm comfortable with that. My questions arise more from many of the opinions I have seen on the forum through the yrs. Among forum readers, there appears to be a wide range of understanding or acceptance of what the eastern churches teach. Sometimes it is difficult to sort through what is the position of the byzantine churches and those of individuals. In other words, is this a personal perspective or they are they actually reflecting the position of the Church.

For me, I don't want to mold the churches directives to fit me. I'm just looking for a definitive position of the church to help me better understand it.

With that being said, it is very interesting to see individuals view of the Church. I appreciate everyone's opinion who has posted and enjoy reading their perspectives. I know that most of us are just trying to understand and follow whatever call God places before us.

Good luck with that. When the Church has a coherent answer, it will get back to you.

JW55,

Regarding your original post, any conflict you might have would be whether or not you can reconcile the churches within the Catholic communion having different traditions, practices and theology. Perhaps I will always deal with that one myself. Perhaps it is simply a mystery how churches so different from one another can be in communion!

Well, even though I was born, baptized, confirmed, and made first communion in the Roman Rite, I did serve as an altar boy for 3 years in the Byzantine Rite. However, I recently made the decision to return to the Eastern Catholic church, and have been attending St. Josaphat Ukrainian Byzantine and Holy Spirit Ruthenian Byzantine parishes in my area. Although I do spend SOME time back at St. Charles for holy days and major celebrations like Christmas and Easter, most of my weekend worships are in the Eastern Church.

Now I know that there are differences in receiving communion, the Byzantine is from a spoon directly in the mouth, and the Roman, you receive a wafer in your hands, etc...but I think I'm good enough to know the differences. Also, even with the new Roman Missal translations, which are closer to the Byzantine wordings, the Divine Liturgy is just much more theological, and more in depth.

Not really. All it takes is mutual respect and a willingness to agree on the variability of expressing the inexpressible in human language. Not to mention setting aside the notion that somebody always has to be right and someone else has to be wrong.

Stuart, well said.

But that is the truth, is it not? That is the dogma of the Catholic Church. As I recall, there are no suspension or exemptions to that. Even if Eastern Catholics are not bound to believe or accept Pastor Aeternus, how can Roman Catholics be in communion with Churches who do not believe an essential dogma of their Church?


But is that not the truth? That is a dogma, it is there. Are infallible dogmas negotiable? If we want to be 100% Orthodox plus in communion with Rome plus reject Pastor Aeternus, then why aren't we just Orthodox? Why insist on being in communion with someone who thinks he is something that we do not agree with?



Heheheheh

Lol...

Firstly, let me compliment both Stuart and Bob on their excellent observations.

Secondly, given that I feel as though I know both Constantine and John/haydukovich pretty well, I feel relatively secure in suggesting that my brothers are actually of pretty much the same mindset when it comes to feeling conflicted by some of the doctrinal understandings that emanate from the West.

Such is a not uncommon reaction by the many Eastern Catholics who are very committed to fulfilling the charge that we return to our roots, would like to do so while remaining within the ecclesiastical confines of Catholicism, but find themselves regularly challenged (sometimes by their own hierarchs) in their quest to do both.

That John and Constantine seem to be coming from different perspectives is actually more a function of how each approaches his respective frustrations than it is reflective of any significant differences between them. John no more wants to convert Eastern Catholics to Orthodoxy than Constantine wants Eastern Catholics to wholeheartedly embrace Latin doctrinal understandings. Each wants to be able to return to authentic Eastern understanding and praxis, within the confines of Catholicism, without having to defend his way of thinking.

If it, God willing, were to become possible to do this on a universal scale, it would represent a major step on the path to possible reunification between the separated Churches.

Many years,

Neil

Thank you. I believe you nailed my concern, that I was unable to find the words to express. That is, how is one able to practice an Orthodox faith while trying to remain in the graces of the Catholic Church. Obviously, there is much difference in thought on how that is to be done.

I'm just saying, if one wants to be in communion with Rome then one has to agree to all the important doctrines and dogmas Rome has. Can you imagine the Russian Orthodox Church having an essential belief required to all its members, and the Greek Orthodox Church outwardly denying it? It is easy and alright to disagree on non-doctrinal or non-dogmatic matters, but if it is a doctrine or dogma, how can you be in communion if you don't agree on it? It is like saying we can be in communion with Arians or Iconoclasts.