Orthodox Catholic Reversion

[JohnVIII]

That’s definitely one of the biggest reasons I joined the Catholic communion - understanding by the grace of the Holy Spirit that the differences were not big enough to be in schism from the bishop of Rome. In my studies, I took to heart the examples of Pope St. Victor and St. Irenaeus, and Popes St. Cyril and St. Athanasius, and St. Maximus the Confessor.

There’s something in what you said that hits home for me.

I came into this whole Catholic and/or Orthodox picture from far left field - I originally was a Mormon; I even served a mission for the Mormon Church for 2 years in Idaho. One day I learned that Mormonism was not the “true church” it claimed to be. I tried to educate myself about the historical churches (Coptic, Orthodox, Armenian) to see if I could believe in a “true church” again and not be deceived. The reason I went in the Orthodox direction is because, to me, it seemed more universal. A group of churches, self-governing since the time of the apostles, and yet because they have not changed from the same faith that they held from apostolic times until today they remain in communion with each other. Later on I learned that many of the traditional Orthodox actually broke communion with most of the national churches. I tried to be a traditionalist for many years because I wanted the “pure” version of Orthodoxy. But, the end result of all this ended me up in very, very small jurisdiction that was in communion with nobody! I realized that by trying to be “pure” I lost the universality which was the reason I choose Orthodoxy in the first place. So I left that very, very small jurisdiction and joined the Antiochian Orthodox; which is of course in communion with most all of the canonical Orthodox jurisdictions.

In a way it would be like taking one more step in the direction of a more universal catholic communion if there were some way to remain Orthodox and yet attain to communion with Rome, since Rome seems to have a pretty solid claim to be the Chair of St. Peter, somehow Orthodoxy cannot be totally complete without the communion of St. Peter.

The problem for me, of course, is that I would have to brake communion with most of the canonical Orthodox Churches again, just as I once before did, in order to unite with Rome. The only difference is that instead of braking communion to be in a very, very small jurisdiction I would be braking communion to be in a very, very large jurisdiction (Rome). It seems like it should be “all for one and one for all”, but that choice is not available.

You say “ … the differences were not big enough to be in schism from the bishop of Rome”. I also ask “are the differences big enough to be in schism from the 15 canonical Orthodox Churches”? Becoming an Eastern Catholic comes close to this ideal, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. :crutches:

 

[Timothy_Capps]

A battle flag is there to be seen from anywhere in the fight. It is a soldier’s duty to rally around that flag. Even if you believe that flag has been captured by the enemy, it is still your duty to make your way to it, no matter how difficult, and rescue it.

This is how I came to view the matter. Except, I do not believe the flag – the visible, historical church of Peter and his successors – has been captured by the enemy. I believe it has been threatened with capture many times, even to our own lifetimes. Why not? It is the prize. The enemy does not fight for something without value or dangerousness. I am convinced that my place is as close to that flag as I can get, because it is the one earthly thing all Christians can rally around.

Our nationalisms, our separate communions, our local traditions, are little banners, and honorable. When they set themselves up as the actual battle flag of the Church, however, there can be only confusion. Here are fifteen flags that are inspiring in their own right. There are a another two-thousand, each attractive to its followers, and beyond those, uncounted more.

But if they are not leading the march to rally around the Captain, it is time for those that follow them to stop following, and to fix their eyes on the one flag that is clearly different: the oldest, most visible, handed to Peter by Christ Himself and beneath which saints of all nations are fighting.

The banner of the double-headed eagle is majestic, of course. How much more beautiful would it be flying next to that gold and white flag bearing the crossed keys of Peter, the flag beforet which the gates of Hell still tremble?