To all former Orthodox, who are now Catholics in the Latin tradition, what has been the hardest part of adjusting to Latin praxis after years of Byzantine praxis? Given the the more involved ascetic practices of the Byzantine tradition, does the more lax asceticism in the Latin Church easily convey the same seriousness, or does it take considerable adjustment to “acquire a Latin phronema?” Nothing bad meant on my part. (I know the wording is not perfect.
) I have honestly been wondering about this issue for a while. I often see discussed the transition from Latin to Byzantine, but I don’t think I’ve even seen someone talk about their experience going from Byzantine to Latin. I would be VERY interesting on any information you all can provide.
So long as you don’t work heavy manual labor like landscaping where you typically need to eat a lot to keep up your strength. In modern culture, there is a lot less leisure time and more work to do in our fast paced environment. Also, there is a danger of going too far with the fasting regimen. An orthodox priest told me that a diabetic woman tried to follow the fast and ended up dying because of it.ni agree though that Western spirituality is definitely flabby compared to Orthodox spirituality. It is also more sentimental and relies too much on the imagination in my opinion.
As mentioned by a poster above, the ascetical practices of Orthodoxy are adjusted to meet the specific need of each person, when appropriate. Economia is nothing new.
Also, your post seems to suggest that the modern has presented men with an overall more taxing workload, which makes fasting more difficult for the modern man.
Life wasn’t a nice leisurely cakewalk in the ancient and medieval worlds. Most people lived an agrarian life of subsistence, in which they laboured hard to eke out a living. Agrarian life is hard. Both my parents grew up in a rural, agrarian environment. Trust me, ask anyone from such an environment if it was less taxing. They will get a good laugh.
Strictly following xerophagy would be very strenuous. Few Eastern Christians practice anything so strict. Some might skip breakfast or eat a little less during meals, but the physical focus of the fasting regimen for most people is the abstinence from certain types of food. If prepared with thought, one can easily have two or three fasting meals per day and still receive the necessary sustenance for back-breaking labour. People de facto did it for ages, when things like meat and dairy were luxuries. In Orthodox regions, centuries of Christian praxis have led to the creation of a healthy and functional “fasting cuisine” that can serve the needs of the everyday workingman. From my experience, at least in the United States, Westerners are often confused by the notion of a meal with meat or dairy. We’ve lived a life a luxurious compared to most of our ancestors and are now spoilt.
Problems occurring during fasting often result from over-scrupulous adherence to the “letter of the law” or a lack of discernment regarding how to live a healthy life.
Is it too much to ask for us to be simply believers in Christ and followers of his word? A.k.a. Christians?
Let me ask you this question?
You are from Nebraska. You believe in the U.S. Constitution, I suppose? Do you think believing in the constitution warrants learning literacy, some political philosophy, some judicial history, the American worldview, critical thinking, etc., even when you must submit to disciplines of rigourous study, testing, etc.? I hope you think so, and I assume you probably do think so.
Christ came, and He handing down to the Church His teachings. They are the Constitution of the Church. We have a spiritual duty to have disciplined formation in the Gospels, just as we have a civic duty to have disciplined formation in the Constitution. Just as the secular government, when working well, should school and train us to acquire a mindset/lifestyle consistent with the Constitution, likewise the Church should school and train us to acquire a mindset/lifestyle consistent with the teachings of Christ. All the customs, liturgies, etc., which you see as asking us for something more than just being Christians, as actually just the training given to make sure we are fully formed Christians.
Not that there’s a lack of spiritual readings out there, but sometimes I wish Orthodox spirituality would be more widely distributed in the West. There’s a distinct characteristic to Orthodox prayer life and asceticism that seem helpful, even if one is Catholic, Protestant, etc. (I don’t think I can withstand the rigor of Orthodox asceticism and fasting…)
I am curious to know something from Catholics that like Orthodox prayer life and ascetism: are they any movements to resurrect old ascetic practices from medieval Catholicism? It seems that such practices would add a distinctive ascetical nature to an individual Catholic’s praxis, while not being as overwhelming (as I believe Western praxis was always less stringent, but correct me if I am wrong). Wouldn’t such a resurrection provide many Latin Catholics looking east with exactly what they feel they are missing, without them feeling a need to abandon the liturgical tradition they are accustomed to?
**Random aside: many Protestants practice a “Daniel’s Fast” for a few weeks per year, often in a way that is more strict than how many (most?) Orthodox laity fast.
