Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear friends,
I must agree that the Orthodox faith has a certain sense of sublimity and beauty. Personally, I love eastern iconography and architecture. Our choice of faith, however, should neither be determined by aesthetic taste nor by the warm and fuzzy feeling that you describe as sublimity. Our choice of faith should be determined by truth alone.
That is what is making this such a hard thing to do. I am starting to think that the Orthodox have held to the Apostolic faith. I, in good conscience, do not think that I can remain a Catholic any longer due to certain doctrines such as Papal Infallibility, the filioque and the Immaculate Conception. I used to gloss over them and downplay them in comparison to the Orthodox. Now, I see that they are a rather big deal when looking at the whole of the history of the Church and the Fathers. Believe me or not, this is the conclusion I seem to be coming to.
The fulness of Christianity has been preserved in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church led by St. Peter and his 265 successors throughout history. Please note that the true Church has four marks, two of which are lacking in the Orthodox churches. Note that I say “Orthodox churches” and not “Orthodox Church”, as there is no one “Orthodox Church”, but rather a loose conglomeration of autonomous and nationalistic churches. So oneness is lacking in the Orthodox faith.
There is a real unity of faith present, which is fully Catholic.
Also lacking is catholicity, as implied by the fact that the churches are nationalistic. More will be said about this in the articles I will post.
I will have to let one of our more knowledgeable Orthodox members answer this. However, from what I have noticed in reading history the churches were in areas before there were any boundaries drawn, in some cases within the past hundred years. Cyprus has been autocephalous since the mid 5th century, if memory serves.
I found this quote from Aleksey Khomyakov who said the Orthodox Church is one “because she belongs to the whole world, and not to any particular locality; because by her all mankind and all the earth, and not any particular nation or country, are sanctified; because her very essence consists in the agreement and unity of the spirit and life of all the members who acknowledge her, throughout the world.”
In leaving the Catholic Church for the Orthodox faith you will be participating in schism, which is a serious sin. If you have eastern sensibilities, consider attending an Eastern-rite Catholic Church. These are similar in liturgy and aesthetics to the Orthodox churches, but remain united to the one Body of Christ.
The correct term is Eastern Catholic Church. Rite refers to a ritual, or tradition. They are Christians with living traditions in union with Rome. I have been attending one for over a year now. The Eastern Catholic Churches are not given any respect in the Catholic Church. Their traditions are balked at and suppressed and are told to “submit to Rome” which is NOT how the Church was set up in the first millenium. They cannot express their true theology and spirituality because of Rome imposing dogmatic proclamations on them that they are forced to believe. It’s really rather sad, actually.
If it is sublimity that you seek, read the writings of St. Teresa of Avila so that you may realize that sublimity is not restricted to the territories east of the Bosphorous. Also, do not forget that such sublime eastern Church Fathers as St. Basil and St. Gregory were Catholics, in unity with the bishop of Rome.
I feel everyone should read both Eastern and Western Church Fathers. Yet, there is this notion in the Latin Church (in my experience anyway) that St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas are the only teachers of the faith and Saints that matter. This is simply not the case.
Here are some articles, which I hope will show you that the Orthodox faith, although holy and apostolic, was made defective by their schism from the successors of the Rock upon which Christ Jesus built his Church:
I pray that you may remain in the true Church, and that we Christians may be one as Jesus and the Father are one (John 17:11).
The Catholic Church recognizes that the Orthodox have everything the Catholics do before the schism and final break after the Council of Florence.
This is all I have to say on the matter right now. I do not want there to be any animosity between myself and other members on this forum. I am still discerning where God wants me, but I truly feel God calling me to become Orthodox. Please pray I follow God’s will.
Alloho minokhoun,
Andrew
