Why be an Eastern Catholic and not an Orthodox Christian?

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Ghosty said:
I am indeed referring to Transcendental Meditation. I don’t mean to speak ill of Hesychasm, because the spirituality of it is entirely sound and Holy, and nothing like TM. The mechanics of Hesychastic prayer, however, is identical to TM, and both produce a similar “effect” in their practitioners which I know from personal experience. That is why I’m suspicious of the claims that the “light” is truly Divine, but I am not doubting that Hesychastic prayer will bring you closer to God and allow for a greater participation in Grace.

So, to be clear, I don’t doubt the Holiness at all, I just don’t think the light effect is necessarily the Divine Light. Look up TM and Hesychastic prayer and I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Peace and God bless!
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You quoted some yoga writings earlier, so I expect you know that the techniques are to attain a state of interiorization as a prerequisite to samyana, which with development of detachment, yields knowledge of the infinite.
 
Some western scholars believe that St. Gregory Palamas is compatible with Catholic dogma, for example:
  1. G. Philips says the Palamas taught no objective distinction because he “declares that the energies are really identical to the essence” of God, and could be “comparable to the formalis-ex-natura-rei distinction dear to Duns Scotus”.
  2. Also Jurgen Kuhlmann says that energeia “is not God in himself, but God for us, in so far as he is the being of creatures. Since the essence of God neither can be this nor is this, the operation si obviously in some way truly differenct from the essence.”
Ref: Partakers of the divine nature: the history and development of deificiation by Michael J. Christensen, Jeffery A. Wittung, p. 243.

St. Palamas affirms that God is infinitely knowable and communicable while also infinitely transcendent and incomprehensible, which is also the constant faith of western Church.
 
dvdjs said:
I suppose that it can be said that there is a “set formula” for mortal sin. The Catechism of the Catholic church puts it this way:

But this “definition” leaves it to an informed conscience not only to discern grave matter, but, more personally, full knowledge and deliberate consent. I don’t have any indication that Orthodox, in the main, think significantly differently about sin which moves them to go to confession before receiving the Eucharist.

Moreover, that personal need to go to confession can be a chiseled in EO parishes as anywhere else. I have heard, during the liturgy, the general admonition not to approach if you had not confessed within the past month.
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The individual can rely upon the Church definition of grave matter, so it is not left to an informed conscience to discern. With full knowledge one does not have to understand all the issues of the matter, only that is it gravely wrong act that is not to be done because it offends God and can result in Hell.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” (1 Cor 6:9).

There are innumerable acts and thoughts through which we can offend God, so we must always be vigilant.
 
tdgesq said:
I have never seen it compared to Hesychasm before.
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That is because it should not be. Hesychastic prayer has nothing to do with demonic practices such as TM. Very few saints have been graced with the experience of the uncreated light (see Sr Seraphim of Sarov). The Jesus prayer helps us to pray continuously. It is not a prayer for acheivement of the uncreated light.
 
Mickey said:
That is because it should not be. Hesychastic prayer has nothing to do with demonic practices such as TM. Very few saints have been graced with the experience of the uncreated light (see Sr Seraphim of Sarov). The Jesus prayer helps us to pray continuously. It is not a prayer for acheivement of the uncreated light.
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It is not achieved.

peace
 
“Pope John XXIII, during his sickness, showed his faith, kindness and fatherhood for the world. He said at the time, ‘my bed is like an altar and an altar needs a victim. I offer myself to the Lord and I do it voluntarily.’”

Pope John offered much of that suffering for the unity of Christians, said Cardinal Comastri.

“Because he really lived the drama of the division which was against the prayer to Jesus, against the desire of Jesus. And Pope John XXIII, even though he was dying, prayed to Jesus that the day of reconciliation of all Christians would be ‘anticipato’ or moved forward.”

When he died on June 3, 1963 the world mourned.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

peace
 
The visions of the untreated light shouldn’t be a cause of concern over hesychastic prayer, since many Latin mystics have also had similar experiences as well (Thomas Aquinas for example).
 
Formosus said:
The visions of the untreated light shouldn’t be a cause of concern over hesychastic prayer, since many Latin mystics have also had similar experiences as well (Thomas Aquinas for example).
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it is not a concern. your link is a beautiful webpage.

peace
 
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