www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Top 10 Reasons to Become Byzantine Catholic

Slava Isusu Christu!

In the spirit of evangelization I wanted to put together a Top 10 why someone should become Byzantine Catholic.

I found the following reasons:

Number 10: Because You want meaning in life.
In the hustle of today's busy lifestyles, lots of people suddenly realize that their lives have lost a sense of meaning or purpose. They begin to ask themselves, "What is my life all about?" Why do I do what I do?" There is widespread confusion in our culture with regard to morality and truth. The Byzantine Catholic Church offers a beacon of light that gives meaning to our existence and leads to eternal life if we persevere.

Number 9: Because you want to experience a church that speaks to contemporary society while worshipping as the earliest Christians did, discovering more about the early Church, and being firmly centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The Byzantine Catholic Church traces its foundation to the 12 Apostles of Christ who were the companions of Jesus as he walked on this earth some 2000 years ago. The spiritual heritage of the Byzantine Catholic Church is the same given to us by the Apostles and which matured in the Christian East, during the period of the Byzantine Empire. This heritage includes the doctrines, liturgical practices and underlying theology and spirituality which come to us from the Christian Church of the Byzantine Empire. This heritage is shared among all of the Christian peoples, regardless of ethnicity or nationality, who trace their spiritual roots to the Great Church of Constantinople, and the Byzantine religious culture which grew from that Church. From the First Millennium, Christians of the Byzantine tradition have referred to themselves as "Orthodox Christians". Byzantine Catholics are Orthodox Christians who embrace full communion with the Church of Rome and its primate, Pope Benedict XVI, the successor of St. Peter, the first among the Apostles.

Number 8: You are looking for a Christian path to God more mystical than legalistic.
The mysticism of Byzantine Catholicism consists in the union between man and God through faith and love. This mysticism tends toward a lasting - though a constantly growing - state of inner sanctification. Byzantines, in proportion to their spiritual development, share in the life of Our Lord, of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Saints. The Byzantine services are based on this mystical realism. This concept of mysticism has nothing of the "ecstasy" by which later mysticism, in both East and West, is dominated. The mysticism of the Byzantine Catholic is based on the underlying urge of the human soul to escape its profane confines and dwell in another world befitting its non material nature.


Regarding theology and doctrine: Early Christianity did not like to analyze revealed truths by means of scholastic methods, nor did it make use of philosophy for the explanation and exposition of particular mysteries. Therefore, the Byzantine Catholic humbly inclines himself before the mystery. Refusing the effort to penetrate it, he safeguards himself from serious errors. His theology is a singing of "hymns" before God, hidden in mysteries, rather than an attempt to solve the mysteries, which attempt inevitably brings its own punishment.



Number 7: You are looking for a style of worship service that reflects the presence of the risen Christ among you in glory and joy.
Byzantine Catholic use all the senses to express this glory visually through icons, vestments, candles; by scent with incense and perfumes; by sound through continual singing; by taste with blessed foods and by physical gestures such as bowing, prostrating and crossing ourselves to express wonder at the glory of God. Our Divine Liturgy is a bridge between earth and heaven which draws us closer to God not out of obligation, but by a genuine desire to be made worthy.

Number 6: Because you are looking for a challenging Faith, a Faith that expects more from you than just attending service on Sunday.
Byzantine Catholicism is not a way of life, it is life itself, it is not a superficial feel good religion. Byzantine Catholics are expected to take an active role in public worship, fellowship and service. Byzantine Catholics are expected to have a private life of prayer, fasting, and sharing. The road to Byzantine Catholicism can be bumpy, since most of us in the United States were born and raised quite differently. The sights, sounds, scent, and even the vocabulary of the Byzantine Catholic Church is much different than that most of us have experienced in our upbringing.


Number 5: Because you need to forgive others.
Some times people hold on to anger and resentment toward individuals who have hurt them deeply. Maybe it was a family member or friend. Maybe it was someone: a sister, priest or something, in the Church.

"Will God ever forgive me?"

Our modern culture condones and encourages anger and revenge. But hatred and bitterness are spiritual cancers that eat at the heart of a person. The Byzantine Catholic Church provides the opportunity to seek God's help in forgiving others, even when the other person does not ask for forgiveness or does not deserve it. The ability to forgive is a gift that opens a person's heart more fully to God's love and peace.



Number 4: Because you want to be healed.
You may carry deep spiritual wounds. You may struggle with anger at God over bad things that happen -- a terminal illness, a debilitating injury, a broken relationship, mental or emotional problems, an act of violence against an innocent person, an unexplainable accident, some natural disaster, the death of a loved one or some other deep disappointment. The Byzantine Catholic Church cannot change these situations or explain why they happened. But there are people in the Church who can assist in the process of spiritual healing and help you get on with your life.



Number 3: Because you want your children to have a faith foundation.
You may want to join the Byzantine Catholic Church because you recognize that raising children in a culture that promotes "doing your own thing" can lead to disaster. Children need to experience the spiritual dimensions of life. They need a structured system of belief and a firm moral foundation that goes beyond human logic and reasoning. You may want to join because you want a solid foundation upon which your children can build their lives.



Number 2: Because you want to be part of a faith community.
You may be seeking a sense of belonging. But community is more than just friendly people, good sermons, and interesting activities. A Byzantine Catholic Christian community is a group of people who gather around the person of Jesus Christ to worship God and live in the light of the Holy Spirit. Byzantine Catholics come together at Divine Liturgy, in the Holy Mysteries, and in parish activities to pray, to celebrate joys,, to mourn losses, to serve others, to provide support, and to receive strength for daily life. A Byzantine Catholic parish offers all of this - and much more - to people who recognize the importance of walking with others toward union with God.



Number 1: Because you want to experience Jesus Christ�s Presence in the Holy Mysteries especially in the Eucharist.
The Byzantine Catholic Church celebrates seven Holy Mysteries, known as Sacraments in Western Christianity, which confer God�s Grace through the presence of Christ. They Holy Mysteries are: Baptism, Eucharist, Holy Chismation, Holy Penance, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Holy Unction. It is the Mystery of the Eucharist that people will experience most often. The Byzantine Catholic Church believes in the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Bread and Wine. This Mystery was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper. Through the Eucharist we receive the Lord�s body into our physical body that we may become him whom we receive!

What would make you top 10 list?

Excerpts were taken from:
Lorene Hanley of Our Sunday Visitor
Basil Shereghy - Author of �The Byzantine Catholics�

in ICXC

W. Mike Lillie
www.byzantinetucson.com [byzantinetucson.com]

Under Reason 8 - "The mysticism of the Byzantine Catholic is based on the underlying urge of the human soul to escape its profane confines and dwell in another world befitting its non material nature."

This sounds rather Gnostic... can you clear up what this means. We are both Body and Soul, are we not? I am sure Paradise is great, but the Ages of Ages must have something on it...

PS: I went to your website: http://www.byzantinetucson.com

Very cool, but Catholicism is spelled wrong on the main page just so you know...

But most of these "ten reasons" apply equally as well to the Roman Catholic Church.

Re: Number 9: this applies as well to the Traditional Roman Rite of the Mass, with its roots in the Rome of SS. Leo the Great, Gelasius and Gregory the Great. While the TLM does not have the comparatively gorgeous ceremonial of the Byzantine Rite (except in rare instances such as Pontifical Masses), and while it is missing communion under both species, the TLM certainly keeps the archaic and simple structure of the early Mass much better than other rites. (This, of course, is not about which rite is superior, but simply about the comparative characteristics of the Eastern and Western rites)

Re: Number 8: I hope I'm wrong, but I see this as a not-so-disguised critique of the Latin Church as being predominantly "scholastic" and "legalistic", which are some of the classic misunderstandings of Latin Catholicism. Granted, of course, that the critique contains a very large kernel of truth, I think that a strongly liturgical Latin Catholicism combined with a keen knowledge of the Western Fathers and the Carmelite and Franciscan mystics is also strongly mystical in its own way.

As for numbers 1-6 and 10, these are perfectly applicable to the Latin Church.

All told, I think number 7 is the strongest reason for becoming Byzantine Catholic. Numbers 8 and 9 -- keeping in mind certain major caveats -- are also good reasons.

We are body mind and soul(spirit). The above point is not to mean that we are to try and seperate them. However, our bodies are not always the best friend to our Souls. We as Eastern Christians are called to life of spiritual warfare to control the passions of our bodies and minds by keeping our soul centered on God. As we know, God is not of this world, therefore we must focus our attention on the world to come.

See the following excerpts from the Byzantine Catholic Catechism.

Do not be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2)- As we study the Tradition, it becomes clear that, when the Scrptures refer to "the world" as godless, they are not speaking of the material creation, which comes from God, or humanity in general. Rather "The world" is a value system which sees the creation, rather than the Creator, as the giver of all good things. Things exist without reference to God as their Author and the One to whom they tend. In this "world," real life has nothing to do with serving God. It may be directly opposed to Him or may simply igmore Hom, but in either case He is not the center of it.

Do not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16) In the Tradition "flesh" does not simply refer to the body, nor even to human nature. Rather, beginning with the New Testament, the tradition uses this term to mean whatever within us is broken, seperated from god functioning apart from Him and therefore deep-seated and universal disorder in the human condition by which body and mind are often at war with the spirit. That which is meant to serve our growing in likeness of God, is now determined to rule, direct or control. When we follow the desires of the body or the mind in revolt against the spirit, we become carnal, living in "the passions of out flesh."

W. Mike Lillie

Many of these reasons would diffently apply to Roman Catholicsm as well!

I'm not saying that the "scholastic" and "legalistic" appoach to theology is wrong. I am just saying that I have a preference for the Byzantine thoelogical and spritual expression, and I believe there are many others that might find the Byzantine approach more attractive as well.

Dr. Anthony Dragani writes: "We (Byzantine Catholics) possess a unique spiritual tradition, as well as a unique theological approach. While we agree with the Latin Church on fundamental matters of doctrine, we approach doctrine in a very different way - from the Eastern perspective. While the Western Church has traditionally formulated doctrine in terms of scholastic Latin theology, we rely almost exclusively on the theology of the Eastern Church Fathers. This difference, rather than rupturing the unity of the Church, further expresses the true UNIVERSALITY of Christ's Church."

W. Mike Lillie

Dear Mike:

I perfectly agree!

Thanks Mike - I am not disagreeing with what you said in your response - just from the way it sounded originally it was like the soul wants to be liberated from its body - aka "profane confines" - which seems illogical as we want to be resurrected in the body (both body and soul), one indivisible unit, united like the Trinity, etc. The gnostics as you will recall had a notion that matter was evil and that we needed to be liberated from it, which sounded a lot like that quote I took above. That's all, thanks.

1. Because when I walk out Divine Liturgy, I know that I have prayed and praised to the best of my human ability.

This reason may not apply to many people but almost the only reason I'm Byzantine Cahtolic and not Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox is because I don't believe the two should be separate. I believe I could be content in an Eastern Orthodox Church except for their stubbor resistance to the pope and could be content in a TLM except for the missing beauty of the Liturgy. I can't imagine being anything else. The rest of the reasons may apply to others but I find them all present in both the RCC (TLM) and in most EOs I've encountered.

CDL

Here, here, I'm with Carson on this one.

A parishioner raised this question recently, so I do have a question about calling ourselves Orthodox Christians,#9.

Byzantine Catholics are Orthodox Christians who embrace full communion with the Church of Rome and its primate, Pope Benedict XVI, the successor of St. Peter, the first among the Apostles.

If we woke up tomorrow and the RC and Orthodox churches were in communion, the Orthodox would be in communion with Rome, Eastern Catholics would still be Catholics, because we'd be under Rome's jurisdiction,for want of a better word. We would not automatically become Orthodox unless we were returned to Orthodox jurisdictions...right?

I'm not judging either option,just wondering if we can truly call ourselves Orthodox in communion with Rome.

Indigo

Hmmm.... maybe Rome would be in communion with the Orthodox?

There's a thought! In this case wouldn't Eastern Catholics still be Catholic?

No. We all would be Eastern Christians! The O and C words would finally mesh!

After your viewing comments, I think that added to the list should be:

Bonus Reason: Because you want to be a bridge for the reunification of the True Church!

Mike