Does attending an Eastern Orthodox Liturgy count as the obligation for Sundays?

  • Thread starter Thread starter In_Hoc_Signo312
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I’m not catholic, so I don’t follow what the Pope says.
For example, Catholic Churches would not commune say Lutherans for example, even though they have so many similarities to catholicism.
 
I’m sorry, Kts1816, but you are absolutely wrong. I am a graduate of St. Vladimir’s Seminary with two masters degrees and my principal area of study was liturgics. As a subdeacon, I am absolutely bound to alert the priest if I know of anyone approaching the chalice who is not Orthodox. I also have no doubt that any priest I know would politely deny a non-Orthodox person, and that if he didn’t he would be suspended by the bishop. It is a very serious issue, not only on the Orthodox side, but at least in theory, on the Catholic side as well. While I was in seminary I visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan on several occasions. There is (or was in the 1990s) a sign explaining that only Roman Catholics may receive the Eucharist in a Catholic Church. Both churches hold firmly to the understanding that the Eucharist is the realization of ecclesial unity, not a path toward it. Sadly, since the Middle Ages there has been no communion between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. One might hope that the differences that arose can be overcome in our age in which communication has been much more frequent and generally much more positive. Nonetheless, at present that is not possible. From the Orthodox side, this is not an expression of judgement of the person’s salvation, or God’s love for the person, it is simply a honest recognition of historical realities of sharp theological differences. Ecumenism as a word has negative connotations for many, suggesting an attitude in which theological differences, understandings of the nature of God, man, creation, the Church, and more, are unimportant. Both the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches believe that they are and there are many on both sides who wish to see a realistic reunion, but it cannot come from pretending. For myself, I have had friends among the clergy and religious of the Roman Catholic Church. We have rejoiced together over the heritage we have in common, lament the differences that arose, and respect the integrity of each side by not communing in each other’s churches.
 
Last edited:
In Hoc Signo 312:

The Roman Rite of the Eucharist (Mass/Divine Liturgy) and the Byzantine Rite vary greatly in the details, but they share a common core. As a seminary student I did an independent student specifically on the Roman Rite. I have attended and view videos of the Tridentine (Extradordinary form) Latin Mass and of the Novus Ordo Missae that is used in most Roman Catholic parishes in our day. In some ways the Latin Mass is more like the Byzantine Liturgy with the regular use of incense, the use of chant and fixed hymns, the sense of reverence expressed by little details like servers kissing the hand of the priest when handing him something or taking something from him (like palm branches on Palm Sunday), and the orientation of the priest facing east like the people do. In other ways, the Novus Ordo is more similar, like the use of a full responsorial psalm, which, when sung, is very similar to the prokeimenon in the Byzantine Liturgy, sung just before the Epistle reading. Although Orthodox priests always face East, the altar is actually free standing like it is in modern Catholic churches.

At the core, the Roman Rite and the Byzantine Rite share in common a basic order of hymns and prayers, epistle, gospel, creed, offertory, eucharistic prayer, and participation in Holy Communion. In the Byzantine Rite, the Creed comes after the offertory, which is called the Great Entrance and is done more elaborately than in the Roman Rite. The Byzantine Rite, whether served in a great cathedral or in a small village church in Greece, Russia, or America, is a scaled-down version of the Liturgy served in Constantinople in the 900s, with relatively few changes. I say relatively because there certainly are some. Even today, though, liturgical practice in the Orthodox Church even today is informed by the rubrics we have from the 10th century.

See next
 
Cont.

While hymns devoted to the Theotokos (Dei Genetrix in Latin = "birth-giver of God), are often different from those used in the Latin Rite, some are very similar. For example, the Latin hymn Sub Tuum Praesidium is very ancient and has a Greek counterpart that is almost identical. There is also a hymn that is almost identical to the Ave Maria. The primary difference between Orthodox and Roman Catholic devotion to Mary is that almost all depictions of the Theotokos in Orthodox churches show her with Christ in her arms. There is no direct equivalent to the office of the Rosary, but the Akathist hymn is a superb contemplation of Mary’s role in the Incarnation.

Visitors to Orthodox churches will quickly notice several things: 1) lots of ikonography; 2) the sanctuary is separated from the nave by an ikon screen; 3) especially in Russian parishes, people stand a lot; in fact, in Russian churches, there are usually no pews, just chairs around the sides. Don’t be afraid to sit if you need to. You’re a visitor. 4) There are litanies throughout the service, instead of just one in the middle.

Visiting an Orthodox church for Vespers can be a more comfortable introduction than a Divine Liturgy. Like Vespers in Catholic monasteries, the service is structured around the Psalms with accompanying hymns. There is no Communion, so the fact that Orthodox do not offer communion to non-Orthodox won’t be an issue. Visitors in America will often find Antiochian and OCA (Orthodox Church in America) parishes more inviting as they tend to use a lot more English and have many converts who understand what it’s like to visit the first time.

I hope this helps if you decide to visit an Orthodox church.
 
Last edited:
Better yet, take up the question with your spiritual director. I am an Eastern Catholic and when I travel to an area without an Eastern Catholic church, I have zero issues attending an Orthodox Divine Liturgy. I will not receive communion as that is not permitted. Orthodox churches have valid orders, valid sacraments and Jesus is present in the Mystery of Communion. Somehow I find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that I am not “fulfilling my Sunday obligation” by attending an Orthodox DL, yet I could attend a clown mass and that “fulfills it”.
 
There is some intercommunion going on, in particular on any given Sunday at a Melkite or Antiochian Orthodox Church. I think it’s more common when an Orthodox Church has a “uniate” (I’m not using it in a derogatory sense) counterpart. I know for a fact, however, that at the local GOA the priest wouldn’t even dream of communing a Catholic.

ZP
 
MarkAndersH said:
The primary difference between Orthodox and Roman Catholic devotion to Mary is that almost all depictions of the Theotokos in Orthodox churches show her with Christ in her arms.
Click to expand...
Thanks for It is saying “almost all”. Some American Orthodox suggest that this is to guard against excessive veneration of Mary. But familiarity with her magnified position evidenced in Eastern hymnody makes it clear that this is really an expression of her exalted status - closest to Christ…
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top