This has gotten way off topic from the initial post and is not very kind at all. With the Blood of Jesus shed upon the Cross for us, is this conversation glorying him?

Pani Rose

Dear SPDundas,

On a positive note, I am glad that my fellow Greek Orthodox are treating you well!

We are generally a pretty hospitable bunch! Hospitality is considered a great virtue in the Greek culture. (philoxenia and philotimo: love of the stranger, and love of honoring the other)

I am also happy that we are feeding you well!!!

God bless,
In Christ,
Alice

Pani -

Your point is well made. I wasn't following the origin of this thread, so I apologize for contributing to the off-topic track.

In the interest of fair and balanced reporting on my part, I have experienced nothing but CHRISTIAN HOSPITALITY in all of my interactions with the AOC, OCA (Rusyn and Romanian), ROCOR and GOA. Even my friends who were RC's and who became AOC priests were very kind to me during my visits with them. (With one, he shared with me that heaven was closed to me if I did not become a card carrying member of the Orthodox Church.) To me, such a fact is the strongest witness to the truth of Orthodoxy, as it should be also to the truth of Catholicism.

I remember a great quote from one of my favorite modern writers, + Henri DeLubac, that he desired to learn and deepen his faith as it was positively expressed, instead of learning his faith in opposition to other faiths (paraphrased, of course).

Anti-Catholicsm should have no place within Orthodoxy, nor should anti-Orthodoxy have a place within Catholicism (Eastern or Western), especially among the clergy, IMHO.

Pray for me a sinner,

Gordo

God spare us from such "witnesses" to the Orthodox Faith. There are MANY better examples to Orthodoxy then telling other Christians they cannot enter heaven if they are not Orthodox!!!
I remember one of the great examples of Orthodoxy to me was a 78 yr old babushka at an OCA parish in San Diego who when introduced to me said with a loving smile "ah, you are Catholic!! So close, so close!!!" She NEVER said anything like "let me bring you out of error" as some Orthodox converts can do but showed me by her example what it meant to be an Orthodox Christian. Seeing this frail lady prostrate herself during the Holy Services of Great and Holy Week drew me closer to Orthodoxy then any priest ranting at me that I was not "saved" if I did not become Orthodox.
Coming to Orthodoxy is not about such polemics!!!!

Dear brother in Christ, Brian,

Thank you for sharing that lovely post.
Indeed, that babushka is witness to what Orthodoxy is and should be about: love.

God bless you.

In Christ,
Alice

Brian,

Thank you for your post. I think I created some confusion by placing my statement in parentheses so close to my sentence on witness. The "witness" to which I was referring was the witness of Christian Hospitality - NOT the witness of my friend who told me I couldn't be saved!

My apologies for the confusion...and I agree with your post.

Gordo

Dear Gordo,

I recall how often I mentioned something like this on an Orthodox forum. It was this opposition to the Latin Church that made Protestantism what it is today. Luther believed in the sacraments, and the saints. It was only after 100 years or so, that everything was thrown out because they were part of the Roman Church.

Too many times I have heard in the past years, certain 'Protestantisms', especially by priests in the Greek Orthodox Church. But they stopped. I can't help but feel it was my postings of the writings of Saint Gregory Palamas.

Oh, thank heavens for him and the writer and the translator of the book Saint Gregory Palamas as a Hagiorite. Of course that was not the writers intent, because he alludes to our differences with the RCC many times, even to the point of relating the Latins as being one and the same as the heresy of Barlaam that Saint Gregory was fighting..But the exact translations of our dear Saint Gregory Palamas, show differently. It seems the author did not realize how Protestanized our theology had become, (because of our opposition to the Latin Church), and what a benefit he was doing...Yet he himself was giving opinions that were in opposition to the Latin Church.

God works in mysterious ways.

Taking all the above into account, it would not have been too long before we would have thrown out everything, including the sacraments and our devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Zenovia

Dear Alice,

It is not only the converts. I can't help but feel it is the sentiments of some self-serving married priests, that want to become bishops... not to mention the 'triumphalism' that seems to be part of our sinful human nature. But then I am suspicious by nature, (or maybe by exprience).

Most Greeks though, those that are devout and neither political nor fundamentalists, do want union with the RCC. Unfortunatly, their voice is rarely heard above the loud 'clang' of the others.

Zenovia

Gordo,

I am so sorry for "flying off the handle like that" I can't wait until Great Lent starts and a break from the forums!!!

Peace,
Brian

No worries, mate. I'm sorry my posting wasn't clear.

See? Lent has already begun!

Pray for me a sinner -

Gordo

Alice,
I like the Greeks, off all the Orthodox I think they are the least hostile.
The local Greek parish was thrilled and overjoyed at my visit when I first arrived in this city.
Stephanos I

I like the Greeks, too. When we were first having Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgies some years ago, the local Greek Orthodox Church provided us with vestments. The Greeks are comfortable and secure in their Orthodoxy, so they don't feel threatened. They are great people and I love them.