www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology What makes a person's spirituality Eastern?

What traits would you say would show up in, say... a Roman Catholic... that would classify their spirituality as more Eastern than Western?

The Orthodox have started writing their books in a way they delineate what is "Western" and what is "Orthodox". My two cents here is a departure from a "Western" approach to the faith would make you more Eastern. That is, you rely less on legalisms (like Canons) and more on Patristic teachings.

The sense of beauty is different as well, which may seem obvious. The East is more mystical in that one might never hear a Roman Catholic priest say "the deepest and greatest sense of truth is mysticism". (I could be wrong in my absolute statement.) Whereas I would be surprised to find an Eastern priest reject that statement. Westerner tend to see their spirituality as stretching upward toward God through reason whereas an Easterner would tend to receive the truth. There is a somewhat different approach to evangelization, though that is not absolute. Easterners tend to say come see the beauty. Westerners might say let us help you change your life and then invite them to Mass.

A good test if you are Eastern or Western, someone asks a theological question. When you answer, who or what do you cite as your source?

a. Church Father, Liturgy
b. Canon Law, Vatican documents, CCC

I tend to think about Macro, vs. Micro aspects of spirituality. Macro identifies the ideals, and stresses it. While micro deals with how to channel, or arrive at the Macro. This is just based on my long time exposure to general Eastern thought, like Taoism, Zen, etc.

In my own experience there is actually little practical difference between Eastern/Byzantine and Western spirituality. The main difference is in devotional emphasis. I find that Westerners tend to focus on the Crucifixion of Christ and its consequences in our lives, whereas Easterners/Byzantine tend to focus on the Resurrection (and the Transfiguration as a prelude to the Resurrection) and its consequences. As far as the overall goal of the spiritual life, however, it is the same East and West, unity with God through cooperation with Him in our lives.

Now if you want to talk difference in theological emphasis, that is a whole different matter. Most people like to claim that the difference between Eastern/Byzantine theology and Western theology is that the East is "mystical" and the West is "rational." I heartily disagree. Anyone who's read the Fathers knows that even when dealing with spiritual matters they can often be extremely rational (not rationalistic). The main difference in emphasis that I've found is that the East tends to focus on the poetic nature of Revelation, whereas the West tends to focus on the logic of Revelation.

Carson,

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say, "one would be much less likely to hear ..."

The Latin Fathers were much more influenced by Neo-Platonism than their Greek counterparts, and this influence likewise affected the Scholastics.

In a nutshell, they exalted reason to the extent that all spirituality and every good were seen as somehow belonging to reason, while all vice and every evil were due to passion and concupiscence (an extremely simplistic way of looking at things IMHO).

This is an interesting insight. Thanks.


Peace,
Deacon Richard

Phillip,

As I understand it, the mainstream of Western spirituality is epitomized in St. Alphonsus' Way of the Cross, with all its emphasis on: "it was not Pilate, but my sins that condemned You to death ...", "it was not the weight of the cross, but the weight of my sins that caused You to fall ...", "it was not the nails, but my sins that fastened You to the cross ...", etc. It isn't that the concept of the Victory of the Cross is completely obscured, but ISTM they sure come close.

The East, on the other hand, emphasizes and highlights the Victory of the Cross: we are happy to share in the Cross of Christ because it is the only way for us to share in that Victory.

I would argue here that mysticism in no way implies the abandonment of reason, but that Western thought looked on it with suspicion for many centuries, precisely because it could not be reduced to a subset of reason.


Peace,
Deacon Richard

I'm a bit surprised that no one has suggested that Eastern spirituality is more Trinitarian, while Western spirituality is Christological. This difference is repeated over and over in our prayers and rites. We "glorify You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" while the West prays "through Jesus Christ, Our Lord."

This would be even more noticeable if we weren't so Westernized and Protestantized here in the USA. Our rites and prayers should inspire us to realize the Holy Spirt dwells in us, is everywhere present, and the Treasurer of Blessings. I think we have lost our Pneumatological roots. Also, rather than making Scripture our first source, we (perhaps) overemphasize the Eastern Church Fathers. These westernized concepts are blurring the East and West distinction.

While we overemphasize and agonize over whether we should have pews or kneel, we are losing our spirituality and don't even know it.

Does anyone else agree?

There's a little something to this, but not too much. The Eastern Church certainly prays over and over again "Lord, have mercy." and "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner," which make no explicit reference to the Holy Spirit.

The prayer conclusion, "...per Christum Dominum nostrum," is today used as an abbreviation of the longer conclusion form, "Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum."

I wish someone would try to answer this question -and all the other ones- without mentioning RCism.

I guess I wish for unicorns and rainbows too.

Well in this case, that would make the question nonsensical.

Allow me to use the analogy I use for what it is we do in the Divine Liturgy. We enter the place where time, space, distance, and eternity all become one present experience when we enter into the Divine Liturgy: it's the Greek term "anamnesis." We are present at the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, stand in the doorway of the Empty Tomb to view it all, and experience the Lord returning. The Liturgy is the doorway. And this doorway repeats so that we can gain nourishment now from the eternal one-time series of events that we are "plunged into" at Baptism.

Spirituality is similar. There are three main spiritual traditions: Latin, Byzantine, and Syriac. Each uses different methods for teaching the novice and guiding the more advanced believer, but the goal is the same: a deep abiding relationship with Jesus Christ in this world so that when He calls us at the end of our pilgrimage He may know (Old English, have a deep, intimate relationship) us and greet us with "Well done, good and faithful servant . . ."

I think we miss the point when we get caught up in the externals and start to pose one against the other or get caught in the trap that thinks one gets us there faster. I have known holy men and women who have used the first two of the traditions mentioned. Most have never heard of the others. But each person has used the methods God has provided in his/her life to penetrate beyond the surface.

There is a book I have entitled "Beginning to Pray" by Orthdoox Metropolitan Anthony. He recommends that a person persevere in a prayer rule for 30 years to really begin to absorb the sentiments, change one's life, and begin (BEGIN) to understand what a relationship with the Lord ought to be.

Jumping around and always beginning is not the road. Doing it oneself is not the road. Ultimately there is the struggle with the spiritual life where one has to spend some time pondering the quiet and wondering if God is present. It's the place where faith gets tested to see if it's real or if it's just a passing fad.

Ultimately spirituality is neither Eastern nor Western. It is the Divine Life that we can enter now because of the Covenant of Baptism. There are different paths, but the goal is the same.

Bob

True. I guess I was expressing a wish in general and looking specifically at the subject line of the topic thread.

I'm a Canadian. Every discussion of our national identity begins "well, the Americans...".

I consider this unfortunate and unproductive, and I see a parallel in the forum lately. I wish it were otherwise.

JDC,

So, what is your opinion regarding the OP?