Why I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic? :-)

[ronyodish]

Brethren,

There is another thread floating in this sub-forum called “Why I Didn’t Convert to Eastern Orthodoxy”, but I’m creating this alternate thread to ask my fellow Eastern/Oriental Catholics to give reasons for why we choose to remain as Eastern/Oriental Catholics.

I believe it is more positive and more affirming to ask “why am I something, rather than, why am I not something else?”. Besides, why increase the blood pressure of our fellow Eastern Orthodox posters… unnecessarily?

Ok, I’ll start by saying that there many reasons for why I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic, but here is one:

I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic because I love the fact that I am allowed to be in full communion with Christians of all the various distinct and beautiful Apostolic traditions, so much so, that I, of the Assyrian-Chaldean tradition, am allowed to respect and enjoy the tradition of the Alexandrians!.. a peculiar and unthinkable situation, which only exists because of the peace and bond that exists between the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Coptic Catholic Church in the Catholic Communion.

So now, what is(are) your reason(s) for choosing to remain an Eastern/Oriental Catholic?

God bless,

Rony

 

[Lancer]

Brethren,

There is another thread floating in this sub-forum called “Why I Didn’t Convert to Eastern Orthodoxy”, but I’m creating this alternate thread to ask my fellow Eastern/Oriental Catholics to give reasons for why we choose to remain as Eastern/Oriental Catholics.

I believe it is more positive and more affirming to ask “why am I something, rather than, why am I not something else?”. Besides, why increase the blood pressure of our fellow Eastern Orthodox posters… unnecessarily?

Ok, I’ll start by saying that there many reasons for why I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic, but here is one:

**I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic because I love the fact that I am allowed to be in full communion with Christians of all the various distinct and beautiful Apostolic traditions, so much so, that I, of the Assyrian-Chaldean tradition, am allowed to respect and enjoy the tradition of the Alexandrians!.. a peculiar and unthinkable situation, which only exists because of the peace and bond that exists between the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Coptic Catholic Church in the Catholic Communion. **

So now, what is(are) your reason(s) for choosing to remain an Eastern/Oriental Catholic?

God bless,

Rony

I would just like to say that I too remain a Western (Latin Rite) Catholic for all the same reasons you listed…I too get to be a Christian that can “breath with two lungs’” instead of one…and be in full communion…as Blessed Pope John Paul II said in such a beautiful and concrete way some years ago about the Unity of the Body of Christ. What a blessing to be Catholic.

Pax Christi

 

[KnightofSilence]

***Why I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic? ***

Why, it isn’t because you would rather listen to Schismatic’s and heretics who formed this religion some 1,000 years after Gods Original and True church?

This would imply that you think Jesus was wrong in the first place…

Put simply:

God and his church does not err.

 

[ConstantineTG]

***Why I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic? ***

Why, it isn’t because you would rather listen to Schismatic’s and heretics who formed this religion some 1,000 years after Gods Original and True church?

This would imply that you think Jesus was wrong in the first place…

Put simply:

God and his church does not err.

You forgot “apostates”

 

[Denho]

***Why I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic? ***

Why, it isn’t because you would rather listen to Schismatic’s and heretics who formed this religion some 1,000 years after Gods Original and True church?

This would imply that you think Jesus was wrong in the first place…

Put simply:

God and his church does not err.

This type of rhetoric is unacceptable in this forum.

 

[PennyinCanada]

I came into the Church (eastern) because of a conversion that happened in my 20’s and God lead me to a particular church to speak to a particular priest. A holy man, a servant of God. I came under his wing and loved for the first minute, the Divine Liturgy and the hymnology. I found it ‘engaging’ with the sights, smells, sounds. I love how the Liturgy seems to be like ascending a spiral staircase upward to the gate of Heaven. Vespers is intoxicating.

 

[Lester_S]

I came into the Church (eastern) because of a conversion that happened in my 20’s and God lead me to a particular church to speak to a particular priest. A holy man, a servant of God. I came under his wing and loved for the first minute, the Divine Liturgy and the hymnology. I found it ‘engaging’ with the sights, smells, sounds. I love how the Liturgy seems to be like ascending a spiral staircase upward to the gate of Heaven. Vespers is intoxicating.

Love this description; and had me at hymnology…something SORELY missing in the Novus Ordo parishes.

 

[Daniel_Lysinger]

***Why I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic? ***

Why, it isn’t because you would rather listen to Schismatic’s and heretics who formed this religion some 1,000 years after Gods Original and True church?

This would imply that you think Jesus was wrong in the first place…

Put simply:

God and his church does not err.

No, the Catholic Church has respected their rite, and allowed them to go to the Eastern Catholic form. They acknowledge the pope, as all Catholics do, and the Church recognizes them as part of the Catholic Church. It’s fine to go to this rite, and I personally like to hear their reasons, because I plan on seeing how it is done soon

 

[dzheremi]

I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic because I love the fact that I am allowed to be in full communion with Christians of all the various distinct and beautiful Apostolic traditions, so much so, that I, of the Assyrian-Chaldean tradition, am allowed to respect and enjoy the tradition of the Alexandrians!.. a peculiar and unthinkable situation, which only exists because of the peace and bond that exists between the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Coptic Catholic Church in the Catholic Communion.

Oh my stars!



I don’t know…am I wrong to find this a little overblown and/or silly? I’m Coptic Orthodox, and I’ve enjoyed and appreciated what little exposure I’ve had to the Chaldean liturgy via Kaldu TV, and nobody’s ever tried to tell me that that’s wrong. The rebuke of the Assyrians at the failed talks between the Copts and the CoE at Deir Anba Bishoy back in the 1990s doesn’t really mean anything with regard to our ability to respect the East Syrians as people. We just think you’re wrong, and from what I’ve seen the feeling is mutual. And yet at the church in which I was baptized, one of the deacons openly identifies as Assyro-Chaldean (even though he has a Coptic name and everything). Go figure. I’m not sure things are quite as simple as they would have to be to make this something amazing. Besides, why shouldn’t you enjoy the Alexandrian liturgy? I enjoy some Chalcedonian liturgies, though we were rarely on the good side of those people, historically-speaking (some would say today, too, given some of the rhetoric that comes out of places like Mt. Athos or even St. Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai).

 

[Lester_S]

Oh my stars!

http://media.tumblr.com/61c40c702ebe5380986a13aeec3bce58/tumblr_inline_mmsm8e1Lmk1qz4rgp.gif

I don’t know…am I wrong to find this a little overblown and/or silly? I’m Coptic Orthodox, and I’ve enjoyed and appreciated what little exposure I’ve had to the Chaldean liturgy via Kaldu TV, and nobody’s ever tried to tell me that that’s wrong. The rebuke of the Assyrians at the failed talks between the Copts and the CoE at Deir Anba Bishoy back in the 1990s doesn’t really mean anything with regard to our ability to respect the East Syrians as people. We just think you’re wrong, and from what I’ve seen the feeling is mutual. And yet at the church in which I was baptized, one of the deacons openly identifies as Assyro-Chaldean (even though he has a Coptic name and everything). Go figure. I’m not sure things are quite as simple as they would have to be to make this something amazing. Besides, why shouldn’t you enjoy the Alexandrian liturgy? I enjoy some Chalcedonian liturgies, though we were rarely on the good side of those people, historically-speaking (some would say today, too, given some of the rhetoric that comes out of places like Mt. Athos or even St. Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai).

love the animated gif, there, brother.

 

[ronyodish]

Why, it isn’t because you would rather listen to Schismatic’s and heretics who formed this religion some 1,000 years after Gods Original and True church?

This would imply that you think Jesus was wrong in the first place…

Put simply:

God and his church does not err.

KnightofSilence,

The Catholic Church recognizes the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Assyrian Apostolic churches to be true particular churches, built upon orthodox faith, and apostolic succession. From the Catholic perspective, the issue with these churches is not their orthodoxy, rather, it is their lack of full communion with the Catholic Church that is the issue.

Also, I’m not sure if what you wrote was directed specifically at me… if that’s the case, then I would like you to know that I am a Catholic, of an Eastern Church called the Chaldean Catholic Church, that is in full communion with the Holy Father, Pope Francis of Rome.

I don’t know…am I wrong to find this a little overblown and/or silly? I’m Coptic Orthodox, and I’ve enjoyed and appreciated what little exposure I’ve had to the Chaldean liturgy via Kaldu TV, and nobody’s ever tried to tell me that that’s wrong. The rebuke of the Assyrians at the failed talks between the Copts and the CoE at Deir Anba Bishoy back in the 1990s doesn’t really mean anything with regard to our ability to respect the East Syrians as people. We just think you’re wrong, and from what I’ve seen the feeling is mutual. And yet at the church in which I was baptized, one of the deacons openly identifies as Assyro-Chaldean (even though he has a Coptic name and everything). Go figure. I’m not sure things are quite as simple as they would have to be to make this something amazing. Besides, why shouldn’t you enjoy the Alexandrian liturgy? I enjoy some Chalcedonian liturgies, though we were rarely on the good side of those people, historically-speaking (some would say today, too, given some of the rhetoric that comes out of places like Mt. Athos or even St. Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai).

dzheremi,

Thank you for your post. The centuries old issue between the Alexandrians and Assyrians still remains to this day a bone of contention, despite our ecumenical age, this squabble over Christology is still lingering.

Your Coptic Orthodox Church still considers the Assyrian Church of the East to be nestorian heretics, even though the Assyrian Church considers being labeled nestorian to be quite offensive. In turn, many Assyrian lay people continue to label your church a monophysite heretical church, despite the fact the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church having unilaterally decided in 1997 to remove all curses and harmful references in regards to both Cyril and Severus from the liturgical books and official publications.

As a Catholic, of the Assyrian-Chaldean tradition, I reject both the Coptic Orthodox position of continued labeling of the Assyrian tradition as nestorian heresy, and I reject the position of those Assyrians who continue to label the Alexandrian tradition as monophysite heresy. I don’t have to subscribe to this bitter ancient squabble, because in the Catholic Communion, I am free to accept the Alexandrian tradition as orthodox in faith, her Christology as orthodox.

And by the way, I too liked your pic…

To everyone else:

This thread is for our Eastern/Oriental Catholics to display their love and reasons for remaining in Eastern/Oriental Catholicism. This is not a battleground thread for Latins and Orthodox to fight with one another, as it sometimes happens with some of the threads in this sub-forum.

God bless,

Rony

 

[Catherine_Grant]

Note from Moderator:

This thread is for our Eastern and Oriental Catholics posters to display their love for their churches and reasons for being Eastern or Oriental Catholics. This is not a debate thread where those reasons may be criticized.

The focus of this forum is to provide a community for Eastern Catholics and to help Latin Catholics better appreciate the Church’s Eastern heritage. Non-Catholics are welcome to participate in compliance with the stated purpose of the forum.

If you want to discuss a tangential topic that arises from this thread, please start a new thread in the appropriate forum. You may post a link to the new discussion in this thread.

Thank you for your assistance!

May God Bless You Abundantly,
Catherine Grant
Eastern Catholicism Moderator

 

[Peter_J]

Good post, Rony. I’d like to visit a Chaldean Catholic parish (or an ACoE parish for that matter), but unfortunately the nearest one is hundreds of miles away.

 

[GospodiPomiluj]

I love the sacredness of the Divine Liturgy. I attend a Ukrainian Catholic mission that holds services twice a month and I love it. The whole service is sung, their is so much reverence towards our Lord unceasingly throughout the Liturgy, and the distribution of Holy Communion with the Body and Blood put together and given like a mother to a child is wonderfully beautiful. With the incense being used so much you truly feel like you are somewhere Holy. The tradition of using only human voices without distracting instruments is awe-inspiring. (BTW, it would be wonderful to hear a Latin Mass using only Gregorian chant) We bow and kiss an Icon of our Lord to venerate Him before taking Holy Communion, and kiss a cross in veneration after the Liturgy is over. At the end of the service I feel a true sense of reverence, by not only me, but on all the faces of those around me.

 

[ronyodish]

Good post, Rony. I’d like to visit a Chaldean Catholic parish (or an ACoE parish for that matter), but unfortunately the nearest one is hundreds of miles away.

Peter J,

The Chaldean and Assyrian churches are found in only a handful of states in the US, mainly California in the west coast, and Michigan/Illinois in the mid-west, with very few parishes found elsewhere. In the future, as more of us spread out further across the US, more missions can be established elsewhere, God willing.

God bless,

Rony

 

[CopticChristian]

Brethren,

There is another thread floating in this sub-forum called “Why I Didn’t Convert to Eastern Orthodoxy”, but I’m creating this alternate thread to ask my fellow Eastern/Oriental Catholics to give reasons for why we choose to remain as Eastern/Oriental Catholics.



Ok, I’ll start by saying that there many reasons for why I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic, but here is one:

I choose to remain an Eastern Catholic because I love the fact that I am allowed to be in full communion with Christians of all the various distinct and beautiful Apostolic traditions, so much so, that I, of the Assyrian-Chaldean tradition, am allowed to respect and enjoy the tradition of the Alexandrians!.. a peculiar and unthinkable situation, which only exists because of the peace and bond that exists between the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Coptic Catholic Church in the Catholic Communion.

So now, what is(are) your reason(s) for choosing to remain an Eastern/Oriental Catholic?

God bless,

Rony

I believe it is more positive and more affirming to ask “why am I something, rather than, why am I not something else?”. Besides, why increase the blood pressure of our fellow Eastern Orthodox posters… unnecessarily?

I have done as you are doing here with an attempt to try an affirming post. My experience is that controversy is what attracts. I pray your thread goes to 1000 postings. The culture that is associated with Eastern Catholicism is attractive.

 

[malphono]

I’d like to visit a Chaldean Catholic parish (or an ACoE parish for that matter), but unfortunately the nearest one is hundreds of miles away.

It’s still not “next door” to you, but I think there is an ACoE church in Yonkers. I’ve not been there but from what I heard, and IIRC, the congregation is mainly from Persia although the priest is from Iraq.

 

[Nestor_kea]

Reading what is above I am afraid that my point of view will seem to be strange. And hopefully will not be against the Note from Moderator.

So me personally - simplified scheme: I think there is God and amongst religions I know Christianity seems to me as the best candidate to be the true religion. I think Protestant theology is mistaken and many other reasons and past a way like this I am led to the question Catholics / Orthodoxes / Orientals. So the question for me is which faith is the right one and the rites do not matter. Many rites in Catholic communion may be indication but…

Before the “Unions’ age” and after the Great Schism there were some western rites, Maronites, and Italo-Greeks what is not so many in real diversity. Now there are a few Western faithful under Orthodox Antiochean patriarchate. But if there is just one catholic rite and plenty orthodox ones… the question of mine is still which denomination is the right one? In this way I think that the important thing is Catholic, not Eastern. And (fortunately) there are many rites within Catholic Church so we can choose. I am sorry but I see it from this opposite side.

 

[CopticChristian]

Reading what is above I am afraid that my point of view will seem to be strange. And hopefully will not be against the Note from Moderator.

So me personally - simplified scheme: I think there is God and amongst religions I know Christianity seems to me as the best candidate to be the true religion. I think Protestant theology is mistaken and many other reasons and past a way like this I am led to the question Catholics / Orthodoxes / Orientals. So the question for me is which faith is the right one and the rites do not matter. Many rites in Catholic communion may be indication but…

Before the “Unions’ age” and after the Great Schism there were some western rites, Maronites, and Italo-Greeks what is not so many in real diversity. Now there are a few Western faithful under Orthodox Antiochean patriarchate. In this way I think that the important thing is Catholic, not Eastern. And (fortunately) there are many rites within Catholic Church so we can choose. I am sorry but I see it from this opposite side.

But if there is just one catholic rite and plenty orthodox ones… the question of mine is still which denomination is the right one?

as you think this through, denomination is a Protestant thing…