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Holygirl1992
Guest
is it wrong to be interested in eastern orthodoxy???
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Jon_Mallory
Guest
Are you talking about an academic interest or an interest in possibly converting? Both are not wrong. Their sacraments are valid. Their priesthood is valid. They have a venerable tradition. You can learn a lot more about it by listening to podcasts on ancientfaithradio.com.
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Holygirl1992
Guest
academic interest
Why would you not explore/study Eastern Catholicism then?
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Art321
Guest
Not at all! They have the authentic Faith after all! They are awesome and I have great respect for our Eastern brothers and sisters! Of course, the only thing they lack is Peter himself. I know many of them would say that we are wrong but that is something to discuss for another thread, I suppose.
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Ite_ad_Ioseph
Guest
I was very interested in orthodoxy before and I went to a Sunday liturgy finally and left at the epistle. I felt that there was so much choral singing, I was just standing in a foreign church listening to a foreign song. It’s not for everyone. But also it might be for someone.
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Art321
Guest
I would love to go to a Divine Liturgy someday! It definitely is on my to do list!
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Trad_Catholic27
Guest
If you are interested in Eastern Christianity check out the Byzantine Rite of the Catholic Church or the other eastern rites of Our Faith.
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brittrossiter
Guest
As someone who myself left the Catholic Church to become Orthodox, but who is now in the process of returning to Rome, I can say that while there is indeed much to be learned from the Christians of the East - most notably, their focus on the interior life and constant struggle against the passions - that learning is best done from a well grounded perspective and with a bit of direction, most likely from your own priest or another trusted director. It can also be done (as others have noted) by visiting Melkite, Byzantine, Maronite, or other Eastern Catholic parishes, experiencing their Liturgies, and speaking with their priests and their faithful.
If you are up for a good read on the subject, you might start with Fr. Aidan Nichols’ outstanding book Rome and the Eastern Churches, which does a fantastic job of explaining the history, the doctrinal differences (both real and imagined), and the current status of discussions between the churches.
If you are up for a good read on the subject, you might start with Fr. Aidan Nichols’ outstanding book Rome and the Eastern Churches, which does a fantastic job of explaining the history, the doctrinal differences (both real and imagined), and the current status of discussions between the churches.
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Peter_J
Guest
Wrong in what way?
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Phillip_Rolfes
Guest
It is most certainly not wrong for you to be interested in Holy Orthodoxy. Pope St. John Paul II himself said that all Catholics ought to become intimately familiar with the so-called “Eastern Lung” of the Catholic Church, by which he actually meant Orthodoxy. Learning the various theologies, traditions, spiritualities, liturgies, etc. of the Christian East will give you a deeper appreciation and experience of your own tradition in the Christian West.
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tomarin
Guest
I don’t think it’s wrong, no.
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Peter_J
Guest
Agree with you both.
And, for that matter, I would say that it is not wrong for an Orthodox to be interested in Roman Catholicism.
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multitude
Guest
Don’t see why it would be wrong. Have been reading about the Orthodox lately and the supposed reasons for the split myself. It’s interesting enough. But personally, I won’t be converting.
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outremer
Guest
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Cavaradossi
Guest
I hardly think the ordinaries of the liturgy and the psalms qualify as ‘foreign songs’. They are hymns which should always dwell within the heart, no matter the language.
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Bishop_Gavrilo
Guest
And many would not, take it from an Orthodox bishop.
Please do not make the mistake that many Catholics do (and God forbid I make the same vice versa), believeing we are all the same. Orthodoxy is very colourful, has many streams. Obviously, or else when the door of the Unia opened, no one would have passed through that door.
There are many among us, like me, who have been praying since childhood that one day we may be in communion again. We do know it is what our beloved Lord wanted.
And no, there is nothing wrong with feeling genuine interest in All Things Orthodox, my dear child.
Our icons, our contemplative prayers, our chants, our rich liturgical life, our great, great, great reverence of Holy Mysteries (i.e. “scraments” in Catholic language), simply all our traditions are a great treasure gathered for two thousand years and often paid for by blood of our martyrs (many of which are Catholic martyrs as well).
I give you all an episcopal blessing of peace.
In Christ,
+Gavrilo
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