I am torn two ways on female ministers. One part of me does not see merit in the proposition. The other part of me knew a wonderful religious woman that ministered and died young. My friends death was the first time I cried and her husband was at a loss. Then i recalled the meaning of the word Apostole ti Greek; "has seen the risen" and I thought didn't Mary M and the other mary discover the risen Lord?

Prayer with our Protestant Brother is an easy idea. Rather than focus on our few differences we should see that our Brothers share nearly all our faith with us! They to are children of the Lord and pray to our Jesus.

The blood of Christ changes the world.

Dear Alex,
You and whoever this Orthodox bishop should no better than to break the rules. The Orthodox Communion is a closed communion. As much as we would love to have you you must become chrismated(that's better than being re-baptized). Communion in the Orthodox Church is based upon four criteria- doctrine, morality, worship, and obedience. You and this Orthodox bishop are at fault for the lack of obedience and disregard for doctrine. There is no such thing as having a diversity of doctrines and obediences. I know situations like yours happen from time to time. Don't get me wrong I would love to accept at our communion but you must be chrismated and forget about communion with Rome. Of course you did the right thing by consulting this Orthodox bishop. However, this bishop is at fault. What's his name if you don't mind telling me?

I would love to see more Catholics entering Orthodoxy so we can use names like yours,Orthodox Catholic. But at this time there is no communion with Rome, and all non-Orthodox should refrain from receiving Communion in the Orthodox Church(the exceptions are but exceptions and should not be tampered with).

Also, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and an Orthodox New Year.

Yours in Christ,
Rob

P.S. Merry Christmas to all of you people that post here.

Robert, canonically speaking of course you're right.

all non-Orthodox should refrain from receiving Communion in the Orthodox Church (the exceptions are but exceptions and should not be tampered with).

Yes, exceptions do exist, including (especially?) in your Middle Eastern ancestral home. It seems this Orthodox bishop, who has authority in such matters, was offering our good friend Alex such an exception. I will agree with you, however, Robert, that such arrangements should be kept quiet to avoid scandal.

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Hi Serge,
I think scandals can be blessings in disguises which tend to straigten out the corrupt & the careless. I am not from Syria or Lebanon where intercommunion happens. In Jordan, where I am originally from, I am not aware of intercommunions. I think the Christians there abide by the rules of their respective Churches. I may be wrong but I know the rules. The next time I go to Jordan I will do research and consult with the Bishops and priests under the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Merry Christmas!!!

Dear Rob and Serge,

I only told you what the bishop said and I appreciated his candor.

However, and in all honesty, I would NEVER take him up on his offer.

From the Orthodox point of view, I'm a heretic.

From the Catholic point of view, he's a separated brother (an improvement on "schismatic" don't you think?).

But, frankly, that Orthodox bishop's emphasis on the use of honey, rather than vinegar, is something that I find entirely endearing about him.

No criticism, Rob, but I find your "convert you heretic approach" a bit, well, off-putting . . .

Perhaps you might want to wait with any plans you might have with respect to working in the outreach department of your jurisdiction?

I guess some of us are more strident than other in their approach.

Nevertheless, please be assured that this "heretic" would not dare approach the Mysteries in the Orthodox Church, even if invited to do so.

The bishop in question is a real cool guy, though. He looks a bit like Serge in that picture Serge shared with us. I don't want to get him in trouble and so I won't share his name. Let' forget this even happened.

He has such a serene look. His father, an Orthodox priest, was helped by Metropolitan Andrew Sheptytsky.

I won't write about this again, I promise. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

(By the way, which Calendar do you go by? That way I'll know whether your REALLY Orthodox ! Kidding, kidding . . .)

Alex

[ 12-21-2001: Message edited by: Orthodox Catholic ]

Hi Alex,
Please take no offense to my post. You know me by now(I hope). Thank you for your honesty in regards to approaching the Mysteries in the Orthodox Church. I likewise do not approach the Catholic's when I am in their churches.

Being a heretic does not mean you are a bad person. Some early Church Father's were heretics (Origen & Arius). It's a decision in your case. If you chose to abide and to agree with the consensus within the Orthodox Church which unfortunately excludes Rome then there is no reason to be a heretic. My decision is Orthodoxy. Yours is Catholicism + Orthodoxy. You can counter by saying that you believe in Orthodoxy but as you know Orthodoxy is far from any sort of compromises with Catholicism & Uniatism.

If I had the time and I pray one day, I will become very involved with the Missions & Evangelism department. Do I scare you(LOL)?

Also, I currently do follow the New Calendar and when I am overseas I follow the Old Calendar. The Calendar is not an issue as it may be for others. The Calendar does not save. It's a spiritual guiding tool.

As far as praying with "outsiders" is concerned, I'm just grateful to have the opportunity to pray with anybody who is willing. I have a wonderful colleague, an African-American woman, mother of two, who is very active in her Evangelical church. When our colleague, Marilu, was hit by a car and killed down in North Carolina, we were all in shock. My colleague and I just stood in the aisle ourside our cubicles; we just touched hands together and prayed together quietly. We each know the other to be practicing Christians, and we took advantage of the fact that we could both pray together, quietly and in our sorrow. Our supervisor is a non-religious Jew; he'd have had no clue. But I found my 'sister in Christ' and we just wept and prayed together.

Prayer with outsiders? Is there really a question?

As for Eucharist, I have served at the sanctuary of a Greek Orthodox Church with a bunch of Orthodox and Catholic seminarians at Pascha. The celebrating priest communicated all of us, with tears in his eyes. I think he was overcome with the presence of 8 young men who were stepping forward to serve God's people. An exception? Certainly. Grace-giving? No question.

The priest's and bishop's mandate is to examine the souls of the baptized, to guide them on the path to Christ, the "Omega" point of human existence, and to do whatever is necessary for the betterment and salvation of any soul who comes into his presence. If he's doing his job, then the canonical stuff becomes less than secondary. The priest is first and foremost a spiritual father to any and all of the baptized. A lawyer? Don't think so.

Thank God for warm and loving "Fathers" who love all their baptized children and who sacrifice their time, talents and energy to reflect the love of Christ. No matter what jurisdiction. It's not a canonical thing, it's one priest caring for one individual person.

May the Lord bless all our priests; may He grant them peace and solace in their work and may He grant us many more who will work in His service.

Blessings!

There's a little something I posted on a thread started by Dr. John regarding a possible service opportunity that I think has something to add to this thread as well...in fact, I probably should've put it here rather than there...but since I'm at home and without my T3 internet connection, I will hope you read it there (since this computer is slooooow) and offer your thoughts either there or here...God bless!

In a similar vein, is it appropriate for a Protestant relative of mine, who occasionally attends Divine Liturgy with me, to make the sign of the Cross? Am I wrong to feel a bit uncomfortable when it occurs? Opinions?

Blessings,
Barbara

Hi, RusynGrl, welcome back!

In a similar vein, is it appropriate for a Protestant relative of mine, who occasionally attends Divine Liturgy with me, to make the sign of the Cross?

Of course! At the very least this person is a friend of the Church; at the most learning this act may bring this person into the Church!

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