Hi, I was just wondering what exactly is the difference between the Eastern Liturgy and the Western Mass? And I read something about the Presanctified Liturgy instead of Stations of the Cross. What is this Presanctified Liturgy? Does the Eastern Church not have the stations of the cross then at all? Are there any other differences in what are common prayers or what not?

Come and see! Your questions can take whole books to answer. You might want to start by reading a book like "The Way of the Pilgrim", or one of the books on Orthodoxy by Kallistos Ware.

Because it's not just that certain things are not practiced in the east that are common in the west. It's also how that came about over centuries that will eventually explain the differences for you.

'The Orthodox Church' by Timothy Ware (Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia) is a good book. It flows nicely and has a lot of explanations. Pengiun Books publishes this book. It can be found in many bookstores.
And come and see like Jim said. Orthodoxy and Byzantine Catholicism is best experienced at the church.

Huntress,

My husband is Fr. Deacon Stan at St Georges Melkite Greek Catholic Chruch in Birmingham Al.

We would love to have you attend Divine Liturgy anytime you like.
We have Liturgy at 5pm on Saturdays. Then Sunday Orthros starts at 9am with Divine Liturgy at 10:30am

There is also a professor and his wife who come every Sunday who teaches at UA.

Let us know if there is any way we can help you.

Pani Rose

"Eastern liturgy" could refer to any number of liturgical rites, but the one that is most widely used and identified as such are the liturgies use in the Byzantine tradition. These would primarily be the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. During Lent, the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is used.

As for the differences: in substance they are identical. What I mean by that is that from a theological and supernatural point of view, the liturgy is the liturgy. In terms of the form of the liturgy, they are quite different in a number of ways (there are still similarities, but what you will particularly note is that the texts of the liturgy are quite different). For example, in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, there are a great number of litanies. In the Latin rite, our litany is mainly "Lord have Mercy. Christ have Mercy. Lord have Mercy" (the Kyrie).

The Byzantine liturgy is also completely sung from start to finish. This can be done in the Latin rite as well, but often isn't. In the East, it is pretty much an aberration if it isn't.

The vestment style, colors, when those colors are worn, etc. are different. There is an icon screen (or iconostasis) which seperates the sanctuary and clergy from the main body of the church. This screen has particular icons over it. Incense is used as a norm as well (which it can be in the Latin rite, but isn't very often anymore).

I hope that gives you at least some sense of some of the differences.

as much as I'd like to attend a Liturgy, I have no car and I dont' even have a license yet (complain to my dad about that one, lol). Man, I hate incense! lol. I don't like the way it smells and it makes me want to cough.

Incense issues are the least of your worries. It is used a lot. But mostly so little is put into the censor that you can smell it, but it isn't going to cloud the church over. And you'll be so caught up in prayer that incense won't bother you.
Also, the censors have twelve bells on them to represnt the twelve apostles, so you'll get to hear pretty bells while the deacon/priest incenses you, the church, the altar, just about everything many times during the Liturgy.

Well Liturgical incense is different from the incense that some people burn at home too.

yeah, Im' alking about the incense used in my church occasionally.

Dear Huntress,

Here is a link on an incense discusion in Town Hall. Yeah some of the it does really get people, myself included, but I love it. However, incense is such an important part of worship. It not only represents our prayers rising before God, but also it is purification. http://www.byzcath.org/bboard/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=002540

A simple place to start might be an encyclopaedia. Your question is very broad and some basic research might help to give you some idea where the various traditions come from. Happy reading!