www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West We love Orthodoxy.

At the risk of sounding naive or childish, I would like to express my disgust at the remarks of vile bigotry and contempt that were made against Holy Orthodoxy in a recently closed thread. I happened to read it for the first time this afternoon, and I was appalled by some of the things I read.

I would also like to say that I and most of the Catholics who attend this Forum have respect and love for Orthodoxy.

I'm saying this so that our Orthodox brothers and sisters at this Forum (especially newcomers and visitors) do not take silence for concurrence.

May God bless the Orthodox and the Catholics (and all others), and may God bless our ongoing efforts at repentance and reconciliation.

-- John

Amen to that!!!

I'll defend the Orthodox Church if she's attacked by bigots esp. by ignorant RCC and Protestants.

But I hope that the Orthodox do the same for us...since we're really family.

SPDundas
Deaf Byzantine

Amin, amin, amin. John, you can't imagine what kinds of constant defense I had to make of the Orthodox when I taught at an SSPX school. Almost daily. Unfortunately, sticking up for Orthodoxy has become old hat for some of us with some of our ultramontane RC brethren.
FDD

I think this encounter makes me think that the any discussion of reunion with the likes of them is not likely to happen in our lifetime. There were too many issues raised in this forum in that exercise that show how divided we are from them.

Keep the good work lads...you all did very well

ICXC
NIKA

ok, at the academic institution I attend (Catholic ran) I found the Ecumenical Church Directory pamphlet.
I'm not by any means attempting to create an argument, rather to show you the respect the sisters give when printing the pamphlet.
They list
Orthodox Catholic (Russian), name the church.. It's an OCA parish.
I am not theorizing the correctness or whatnot of the title they list. I find it very nice and respectful.
This is how Catholic and Orthodox relations are around here, with so many families having some in the Roman or Byzantine Catholic church and some in the Orthodox church.
There is no reason to fight, it isn't what Jesus would want us to do.

Let us Pray again, and again, again for all the Pius and Orthodox Christians.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

I'm with you. Being a "BC", it's really easy to feel caught in the middle between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy... someone here analogized being a BC to being the child of divorced parents. And the last think we want to hear is either of our parents being badmouthed by the other.

Unfortunately, you find RC's "dissing" Orthodoxy, and Orthodox "dissing" Roman Catholicism. And guess who gets "dissed" by BOTH? That's right... Eastern Rite Catholics. ;-)

You know what gets me is when Roman Catholics suggest that Byzantine riters aren't really Catholic. ARRRGGGHHH!

One thing is for sure, though... all Christians had better learn to love each other and get along. Because we have a common enemy... and we need to stop bickering among ourselves and recognize it.

I often pray better whenever I attend the Orthodox parish that I frequent often.

God, keep and save Your Holy Orthodox church!

The Orthodox are O.K. in my books too!

As for ecumenical significance, I think it is greatly significant that when Orthodoxy did come under attack here (and where was our esteemed Administrator? Busy as usual! ), we EC's and also RC's felt as if WE ourselves were under attack.

That is VERY ecumenically significant!

Alex

Amen, brother, amen.

By the way, you and Alice did a particularly good job at coming to the defense.

-- John

Dear John,

Thank you, sir!

But just when I spent so much time going after that fellow, he sent me a pm and I got the impression he thought I was somehow friendly toward him!

I hate it when that happens!

Alex

Dear Alex and Alice,

Yes, thank you both for replying to this man of the cloth.

I pray that wisdom be granted to him by the Holy Spirit, to overcome the blocks he has against any form of worship other than what he performs, and learns to love all brothers and sisters of the True Faith equally.

Michael

Dear Michael,

That man of the cloth and his group have been quite incensed at Patriarch Lubomyr Husar and his synod because they perceive the UGCC to be "going Orthodox."

They don't like the "Orthodox in communion with Rome" idea (which is what the Administrator here swears by, I understand . . . ).

They actually call those who refer to themselves as "Orthodox in communion with Rome" as "modernists."

And they can't stand the idea that our Church's rites and liturgy are considered as being "the same as that of the Orthodox Church" sans Latinizations.

In other words, they can't stand what this forum also stands for and what we believe Rome and the Pope to have asked us to achieve in this regard.

At the same time, the UGCC in Ukraine should move cautiously as the people there have grown up with their Latin devotions and have made them their own - that is a fact.

And just try taking them from them! There'll be trouble and there already is.

Pastoral sensitivity, there and here, must always be the order of the day.

Alex

Dearest in Christ Alex
Of course you were not friendly towards me but I treat with you as a Christian and without any feeling of bitterness. On the contrary. And if we are part of the Mystical Body we should have no hatred towards anyone. Therefore, please understand that we actually LOVE the the 'Orthodox' and give our lives for them too. I have never had a bitter thought for a member of any Oriental Church; even the ones whom we think are doing wrong we must love; surely?
I also love the Divine Liturgy without any Latinisations. We celebrate here with everything in a 'pure form' Byzantine rite. Both are valid expressions of the same Holy Mysteries. I have met many, many Eastern Christians who follow the Byzantine Typikon and I do not think they would say that I was uncharitable towards them; for I love them with my whole heart; and like Blessed Nicholas I want them to be in Holy Unia; he gave his life for the mission of Holy Unia; we follow in his footsteps. In Lviv we own the house which served him as his Underground Monastery; we have a chapel in the room in which he lived, consecrated priests and from where he was buried. How we love Blessed Nicholas, his life and his Mission. It is only love that can change our hard hearts; only love draws souls to the life of the Blessed Trinity.
Devotedly
Fr Michael Mary, C.SS.R.

Uh-oh! The great "Fr." Michael "Mary" has SPOKEN!


(as in the Great OZ has spoken!)

SPDundas
Deaf Byzantine

I know that I'm not being very nice today. I just don't want to hide my feelings anymore....especially to anyone who hasn't apologized for any offenses. :rolleyes: