Dear Reader Andrew,

I'm not at all convinced I'm entirely free of a psychosis, now that you mention it . . .

Perhaps it's just me.

If given a chance to struggle as an Eastern Catholic, or to have an easy church life as an Orthodox Christian, I choose the former!

Do you give psychological treatments over the internet?

Alex

Dear Alex,

Usually, no. But for you, especially.


Truly He is risen!
Andrew

EASY Church life as an Orthodox Christian???????? You don't know them very well, Alex!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nope, not well at all, Alex. Having been where you are now many years ago, I can tell you from personal experience that even the atmosphere is different in Orthodoxy.

OrthodoxEast

Do we really have to come up with a new "program" or embrace the model we have already? Isn't "revitalization" the "end" of Pascha, while being "reawakened" by the "means" of the Great Fast?

Fr. Deacon John,

Good point. We don't have to come up with a new program or give ourselves and the movement a new name or title. We should just simply BE Church. We need to awaken from our deep slumber, open the liturgy books that are already there and open the curtains to let the light of Christ shine in. We don't need to look here and there for a gimmick or a colorful banner; we already have, as you say, the Great Fast and Pascha to embrace. What we need is to accept it and it seriously.

Joe

Do you all know the story about the two fellows who knew each others jokes so well that they eventually numbered them. All they had to do then was to say a number and the other fellow would have a great laugh. Of course no one else knew why they were laughing.

I feel like the outsider among the flying numbers.

All of what you say is true but how is any of it more than just platitudes? Help us who are life long insiders understand why doing the liturgy will address our problems. I'm in a congregation that is renewing. We use the liturgy and follow the fasts, etc. I suppose that all of our Churches do the same. Why are some in the midst of profound reawakening and others are not? Why is the entire eparchy on "red alert" if we are all following the liturgy?

Dan Lauffer

Alex,
You do not have a psychosis!

You just happen to know that we are formed by our
struggles, not by an easy time. Jesus did not send his apostles out to a life of ease. He sent them out to great struggles.

******
Orthodox East,
what do you mean by "even the atmosphere is different in Orthodoxy"?

Christ is Risen!
denise

Christ is Risen!

Our "Byzantine Reawakening" seems to hinge in part on the rediscovery of the Church Fathers.

Are parishes in the Metropolia studying the Fathers again?

How can we help bring the insight of the Fathers to life for today's typical Eastern Catholic?

John, a sinner

Are you suggesting that our prayers, vocation molebens and vocation icons aren't working?

Joe

Joe,

"Are you suggesting that our prayers, vocation molebens and vocation icons aren't working?"

I guess St. Paul would say, "Faith without works is dead." I do like the prayers, etc. But there seems to be some resistance to actually following through on the answers to those prayers.

Dan Lauffer