After having first cancelled all weekday services, baptisms and weddings, and reduced the Sunday Divine Liturgies to one hour, the Greek Orthodox Church has apparently been overruled by the government.
Greek Orthodox Church Declares Coronavirus Not Transmitted by Communion
- Thread starter PeterT
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adamhovey1988
Guest
They did not have a great argument anyway, Paul says flat out that you can get sick from Holy Communion. (1 Corinthians 11:23-32 is a good place to look with regards to this).
Only if one partakes of Holy Communion unworthily. Those who partake of Holy Communion in a worthy manner aren’t at risk of illness (according to St. Paul).
St. Paul was writing about the abuses that were occurring during the liturgy.
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ConcernedConvert
Guest
What St. Paul says here has nothing to do with illness or disease and everything to do with receiving the body/blood of our lord unworthily (while in mortal sin). The Bible consistently points to faith as a measure for not only spiritual healing but also physical healing.
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phil19034
Guest
In the Roman Rite, offering the Chalice to the laity is OPTIONAL. In my opinion, any Roman Rite priest who is currently offering the Chalice to the laity is not looking out for this flock.
God Bless
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We all love Eastern Christianity, but I’m sorry, these bishops are just plain wrong, or at least willing to take a chance that I do not believe Our Lord would want us to take.
This is just too close to the mentality of “communion has a miraculous aspect (which it does) that will prevent you from getting sick”. There is no reason they cannot celebrate Divine Liturgy with only a small congregation, to allow the graces of the liturgy to flow down upon the faithful. Orthodox do not routinely receive anyway.
This is just too close to the mentality of “communion has a miraculous aspect (which it does) that will prevent you from getting sick”. There is no reason they cannot celebrate Divine Liturgy with only a small congregation, to allow the graces of the liturgy to flow down upon the faithful. Orthodox do not routinely receive anyway.
How, then, do they administer both species? I have visited St Ignatios of Antioch in Augusta (20+ years ago when Fr Munn was pastor) and IIRC he used the spoon.
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This just in:
Well, thank God!
That is one beautiful prayer. Orthodox prayers tend to be.
And Divine Liturgies without a congregation are not an Orthodox “thing”, but these are not ordinary circumstances. I might have to check out their livestream.
Well, thank God!
That is one beautiful prayer. Orthodox prayers tend to be.
And Divine Liturgies without a congregation are not an Orthodox “thing”, but these are not ordinary circumstances. I might have to check out their livestream.
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ziapueblo
Guest
I could be wrong, but I believe that all that is needed for Divine Liturgy is an alter server and reader?
ZP
ZP
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George720
Guest
Some of us believe in germs…
Some of us believe in God…
Our parish has her share of unbelieving sissies too…
Emulating the Three Holy Children is a good thing…
geo
Some of us believe in God…
Our parish has her share of unbelieving sissies too…
Emulating the Three Holy Children is a good thing…
geo
I
Isaac14
Guest
Strictly speaking, I think a reader would be the bare minimum. Someone that can say “Amen.”
An altar server certainly makes things easier to manage for the Priest, but I’ve seen plenty of instances where a Priest is the sole person in the Altar.
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PilgrimMichelangelo
Guest
O ye of little faith…
"Wherein God doth wish it, therein the order of nature is overturned”
–St Gregory the Wonderworker
The Orthodox Church has weathered many plagues in the past 2,000 years of her life and has always maintained that Holy Communion is a medicine for the soul and body of the communicant (so long as it is received worthily), and therefore cannot be a cause of disease, for it is the Life-Giving Body and Precious Blood of Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ. To say that the Eucharist can cause disease is a subtle form of blasphemy.
If anything the faithful need more services of repentance, more Liturgies, more visits to Confession, processions with the Holy Icons and Aspersions with Holy Water as penance for our sins and the sins of the world for which Almighty God is visiting us with this trial as a wake up call ere greater tribulation befall us.
The Lord has given us the Saints as intercessors, the Angels as protectors, the Church as our Mother, and Himself as our Father, Brother and King, shall we then fear death, us who profess believe in His Resurrection and the resurrection of the dead?
May God strengthen our Faith and chase away our fear of death in the light of His Glorious Third-Day Resurrection!
Holy Archangel Michael, St. Nikephoros the Leper and St. Edmund the Martyr King of East Anglia, pray to God for us!
"Wherein God doth wish it, therein the order of nature is overturned”
–St Gregory the Wonderworker
The Orthodox Church has weathered many plagues in the past 2,000 years of her life and has always maintained that Holy Communion is a medicine for the soul and body of the communicant (so long as it is received worthily), and therefore cannot be a cause of disease, for it is the Life-Giving Body and Precious Blood of Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ. To say that the Eucharist can cause disease is a subtle form of blasphemy.
If anything the faithful need more services of repentance, more Liturgies, more visits to Confession, processions with the Holy Icons and Aspersions with Holy Water as penance for our sins and the sins of the world for which Almighty God is visiting us with this trial as a wake up call ere greater tribulation befall us.
The Lord has given us the Saints as intercessors, the Angels as protectors, the Church as our Mother, and Himself as our Father, Brother and King, shall we then fear death, us who profess believe in His Resurrection and the resurrection of the dead?
May God strengthen our Faith and chase away our fear of death in the light of His Glorious Third-Day Resurrection!
Holy Archangel Michael, St. Nikephoros the Leper and St. Edmund the Martyr King of East Anglia, pray to God for us!
E
EricPH
Guest
Jesus and many of his disciples faced incredible risks that ended in death. We will all die at some point. But the death of Jesus gives us hope in the resurrection.
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George720
Guest
Priest just needs one other person in order to do the Divine Liturgy…
Any other person will do…
A Deacon is best…
But a sinner like me is ok too…
“Wherever two or more are gathered…”
geo
Any other person will do…
A Deacon is best…
But a sinner like me is ok too…
“Wherever two or more are gathered…”
geo
G
George720
Guest
I dunno…
Does he believe in germs?
Or does he believe in God?
I think many of the Bishops are simply ducking, as this is a temporary matter…
Virus flu kills people each year around this time…
I have one now and many think I am at great risk…
They are right - Sin is always pounding at the door, I say!
Flu is not even a thing -
We get it each spring - a flu or a cold or both, we suffer it - pretty miserable, granted - And we either survive or we die…
Worrying adds nothing, nor does not worrying…
Prayer and repentance to the end…
Peace be upon you…
You have been Blessed in the Name of the Lord!
geo
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PilgrimMichelangelo
Guest
Catholics may also wish to consider the words of Bp. Athanasius Schneider (a Latin-Rite bishop in Kazakhstan) who rightly points out that many Eastern Christians are scandalized by the lack of faith of Western Christians during this pandemic:
"Then there is also the fact that during the Church’s 2,000-year history there were no proven cases of contagion due to the reception of Holy Communion. In the Byzantine Church the priest gives Communion to the faithful even with a spoon, the same spoon for everyone. And then, the priest or deacon drinks the wine and water with which he purified the spoon, which was sometimes even touched with the tongue of a faithful during the reception of Holy Communion. Many faithful of the Eastern churches are scandalized, when they see the lack of faith of bishops and priests of the Latin Rite, as they introduce the ban on receiving Communion in the mouth, a ban made ultimately for lack of faith in the sacred and Divine character of the Body and Blood of the Eucharistic Christ.
If the Church in our day does not endeavor again with the utmost zeal to increase the faith, reverence and security measures for the Body of Christ, all security measures for humans will be in vain. If the Church in our day will not convert and turn to Christ, giving primacy to Jesus, and namely to Eucharistic Jesus, God will show the truth of His Word which says: “Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watches in vain that keeps it” (Psalm 126:1-2)."
"Then there is also the fact that during the Church’s 2,000-year history there were no proven cases of contagion due to the reception of Holy Communion. In the Byzantine Church the priest gives Communion to the faithful even with a spoon, the same spoon for everyone. And then, the priest or deacon drinks the wine and water with which he purified the spoon, which was sometimes even touched with the tongue of a faithful during the reception of Holy Communion. Many faithful of the Eastern churches are scandalized, when they see the lack of faith of bishops and priests of the Latin Rite, as they introduce the ban on receiving Communion in the mouth, a ban made ultimately for lack of faith in the sacred and Divine character of the Body and Blood of the Eucharistic Christ.
If the Church in our day does not endeavor again with the utmost zeal to increase the faith, reverence and security measures for the Body of Christ, all security measures for humans will be in vain. If the Church in our day will not convert and turn to Christ, giving primacy to Jesus, and namely to Eucharistic Jesus, God will show the truth of His Word which says: “Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watches in vain that keeps it” (Psalm 126:1-2)."
I hope you stay well.HomeschoolDad:
I dunno…
Does he believe in germs?
Or does he believe in God?
I think many of the Bishops are simply ducking, as this is a temporary matter…
Virus flu kills people each year around this time…
I have one now and many think I am at great risk…
They are right - Sin is always pounding at the door, I say!
Flu is not even a thing -
We get it each spring - a flu or a cold or both, we suffer it - pretty miserable, granted - And we either survive or we die…
Worrying adds nothing, nor does not worrying…
Prayer and repentance to the end…
Peace be upon you…
You have been Blessed in the Name of the Lord!
geo
P
PilgrimMichelangelo
Guest
Finally, the Church has not had to react to this kind of trial in a very long time and She has forgotten the proper way to conduct Herself in times of plague.
The Georgian Patriarchate whose Patriarch Ilia is considered a living saint also had this vision: Patriarch Ilia of Georgia: I had a vision that man can defeat the coronavirus / OrthoChristian.Com and has called for more prayer, services, etc: Georgian Church on coronavirus: ring church bells, sprinkle churches and streets with holy water, increase prayer / OrthoChristian.Com
Peace be to all.
The Georgian Patriarchate whose Patriarch Ilia is considered a living saint also had this vision: Patriarch Ilia of Georgia: I had a vision that man can defeat the coronavirus / OrthoChristian.Com and has called for more prayer, services, etc: Georgian Church on coronavirus: ring church bells, sprinkle churches and streets with holy water, increase prayer / OrthoChristian.Com
Peace be to all.
G
George720
Guest
Well, it turns out that our faith in the immaculate nature of Christ’s Body and Blood in these times is seen as scandalous by more than just some even our own faithful, as well as many who believe in science ruling the Divine Mysteries…
And this is the problem - Carnal man can only understand the virus as carnal, and its transmission as physical, and the Chalice and the Spoon and the Body and Blood as instruments of transmission of the evils of the virus… So the problem is, do we scandalize the unbelievers by receiving the Holy and Immaculate Gifts? Or do we duck and close the Churches… If we stand firm, we risk engendering persecutions… If we duck, we risk offending God…
Wisdom is always found in the Love of God, however we choose…
Foolishness is always found in the council of our fears…
@HomeschoolDad, Thank you for your well wishes for me…
geo
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