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Friends-

I would ask everyone to please keep me in your prayers as I have made the decision to become Orthodox. This is not something I rushed into. Many hours of study, prayer, attending Orthodox services and talking with an Orthodox priest have gone into my decision. Please pray for the unity and health of my family, as my wife is pregnant and just converted to Catholicism back in March. She wonders why I feel the need to convert since Catholicism and Orthodoxy are "almost the same". This is a tough decision, but I have to go to where I believe the Truth resides.

Thank you,

Columcille

[ 08-21-2002: Message edited by: Columcille ]

Dear Columcille,

I will certainly be praying hard for you!

Remember, even though you've decided, it's not too late to turn back!

Your wife is very understanding.

I can't do anything without mine's permission, including doing something like converting . . .

God bless,

Alex

Dear Columcille,

I join my prayers to those of Alex. I pray that you follow the small whisper of the Lord as He speaks to you in your heart wherever you may go.

May He guard you and your wife and strengthen both of you for your journey. May he sustain you and your wife in the pregnancy that you share and bring you joy at its completion.

Steve

Your wife has recently join you in your faith and you are jump to another? Its only been 5 months, thats not enough time for her. She could lose her conversion and fall away. If anything it would seem confusing to her. You have a responsibilty as the head of your family to encourage and nurture your wife's new faith. As an Irish Baba I have to tell you to try to wait for a while. The Orthodox Church is not going any where. It will wait for you. You know this is just the type of disruption the devil the sees as an opportunity to destroy your family. He's been known to take good & sincere intentions and turn them around not for the better.

Nicky's Baba

Your advice is well taken. I have mulled over all these things you mention. Even though I have made my decision, it will be at least a year until I become "officially" Orthodox.

My wife is surprisingly strong in her faith. Instead of trying to convert her to the Orthodox Faith, I am continuing to nurture her in her faith, carefully avoiding the points of disagreement. Of course, it is my hope that she eventually comes with me, but I leave that to the Holy Spirit.

I have been convinced of the Truth of Orthodoxy. I can't look the other way. My first duty is always to God. If I remain Catholic, I commit sin knowing that the Truth is elsewhere.

Thank you,

Columcille

My prayers are with you as you go on the searcher's path. I pray that the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of peace as you test and find. Interestingly enough, were you both Ukrainian (for example) this move from Catholic parish to Orthodox parish would not be a big thing -- just a change of parish. For cradles, we don't envision the chasm that you see when you talk about "truth" in one or the other. For most of us, it's just a governance thing. Nonetheless, I wish you and your spouse peace and joy. And peace, health and happiness to the little one who comes.

Blessings!

Thank you for your kind words. Ironically enough, my wife is half Ukrainian; but she was not raised in the Church.

Also, your comment about Truth would be objected to by the Orthodox Christians I know, but thats another issue.

May God keep and bless you and your loved ones.

Columcille

Dear Columcille,

Actually Dr. John, "El Greco" is right about the ethnic thingamajigger.

Also, if your wife sees the two Churches as being so close, as do I, you might wish to not "convert" her, but suggest she join you in Orthodoxy.

I don't think you are "converting" either.

Lev Gillet, the "Monk of the Eastern Church" wrote to his mother that he wasn't going to "another Light" by becoming Orthodox, but that he was going to a "brighter Light" from his perspective.

Truth is also never black and white. It is not that there is no absolute truth - there is.

It is just that we humans can only see things through the subjective prism of our own viewpoints and so the Truth is something that we are always going toward, through prayer, faith and grace.

By becoming Orthodox, you will not have come to the Truth.

Insofar as you and your wife are one in Christ, you already have the Truth.

Alex

Columcille,

Waiting is a smart thing to do. You are a good husband.I don't see one faith being true & the other not. They both have valid sacraments.I just see them as different.

Nicky's Baba

Dear Babtsiu!

Yes, and I see also, even though it's none of my business, the issue of a family attending the same parish together . . .

As per Dr. John's comment again, I have uncles and aunts of both mixed Catholic and Orthodox backgrounds who decided to "switch" for this reason alone.

I pray for Columcille and his family.

May St Columcille, the Dove of the Church, Abbot of Iona (and a quintessential Irishman) bless our Columcille!

Alex

Dear Alex and Nick's Baba-

I thank you for your prayers. Unfortunately I disagree with the notion that one faith is as good as the other. There are real points of disagreement between the two on some major issues as to the true nature of the Church. I don't believe these can be brushed aside. Certainly, the official position of the Orthodox Church is that she is the one, true Church. The Orthodox don't reciprocate the same allowances that the Catholic Church does. The Orthodox Church does not see Herself as "half" of the True Church. The fact that I do consider the Latin Church to be in error is why I MUST go to where the fullness of Truth resides.

Thank you again. Please know that I keep you all in my prayers.

Columcille

Dear Columcille,

I'm not arguing about that, Big Guy!

I'm just suggesting that perhaps you can bring your wife and family "over" since her CAtholic view of "the Truth" is not as hard and fast as your own Orthodox one.

My prayer is that your family is united as one spiritually, that's all.

But it's none of my business.

And hopefully your move "over there" won't affect our on-line friendship, even though you'll see me as a heretic.

But remember that God makes His sun to shine over Orthodox and Heterodox equally!!

Er, prayers . . .

Alex

Certainly, Alex, if I do become Orthodox, God willing, I will NEVER consider you or any other of my Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters as heretics! I will go into Orthodoxy with an appreciation of the strong grounding I received in Eastern Christianity in the Byzantine Catholic tradition. God spare from those converts who shout "Uniate!"

Brian

Dear Brian,

Perhaps we should have a separate thread on this, but I find what you said to be so fascinating as well as heartening.

That is exactly my thought were I to become Orthodox (in a weak moment, that is - kidding ).

That's why I don't like the use of the word "error" when discussing Catholic-Orthodox relations, even though it is unavoidable when you get down to the nitty-gritty.

What keeps me within the Catholic Church in communion with Rome (how's that for Orthodox political correctness?) is not the idea that this Church is "better" than any other, but its current, if not past, record of openness to a great diversity of spiritual, liturgical and cultural expressions of the same basic Christian faith.

I'm not denying that this doesn't exist in Orthodoxy, I'm only saying that, for me, it exists best amongst those Churches which are in communion with Rome.

Unity and diversity - always difficult to reconcile. Rome does it best!

Prayers, prayers . . .

Alex

Columcille,

Unfortunately I disagree with the notion that one faith is as good as the other. There are real points of disagreement between the two on some major issues as to the true nature of the Church. I don't believe these can be brushed aside.

I agree. This is why I can't understand the Byzantine Catholic position. They say are Catholic and believe all that is necessary for the faith but yet Rome has clearly and universally taught (most recently in Vatican II) that if someone knows the Catholic church is the one true church then one cannot be saved if he refuses to join or stay in it. Yet Eastern Catholics routinely say that being in communion is just a matter of church governance - oddly, that's not what Rome says.

Eric
(Orthodox)

PS: In reference to the "2 lungs" phrase used by Rome I have seen a recent declaration from Cardinal Ratzinger qualifying that expression so much it doesn't negate what I said above about knowing Catholicism to be the one true church.

[ 08-22-2002: Message edited by: Eric ]