www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Hello

A most heartfelt welcome to you, Peter(Student)!

In Christ,
Alice

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I am glad to see so many people here - as well as the site from which I was recommended - taking their membership in the Church Militant so seriously. Satan is most certainly at work on this planet seeking the ruin of souls and it is those who battle his schemes in the Church militant - the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ spread out in all its forms under the bishop of Rome until Christ returns - that I am always proud to br associated with.

I hope to learn more about the Eastern Catholic CHurches here and look forward to taking ByzanTN up on his offer. In fact, I contacted Dan L to see if he was aware of the ByzCat mission in Knoxville that I'd heard a passing reference to from one of my Catholic sources.

Take care all. And again, thanks for the welcome!

(Apologies for the typos. I am recovering from an injury to my left index finger that has slowed my typing and raised my typo rate. I promise it will get better! )

Our Byzantine Catholic Mission just celebrated its 5th anniversary with a pastoral visit by Metropolitan Basil on August 22. Pictures and a description were on the front page of the Aug. 29 issue of "The Byzantine Catholic World."

"Amens"

From a former Southern Baptist who, if there is anything missed from my old form of religion, it is the AMENS!

There is a sweet geltleman who sits behind me in Church, and during fathers homilies I hear several times this 'amen.' I told him once how much I appreciated it, and he chuckled. Ahh, yes he was a Southern Baptist once too.

Pani Rose,

but look how many times we exclaim, "Lord, have mercy!"

Student, welcome. We may bark sometimes, but we don't bite.

As the Holy Father has mentioned on many occasions, all Latin Catholics [RCs as often abbreviate them here] should experience their Eastern bretheren in worship, fully in communion with Rome.

You may have heard of his analogy of breathing with "both lungs", East and West, which is a profound analogy indeed. He recommends all Catholics read about and experience their Eastern brethren. It has even been said that the Catholic Church is not "Catholic" in its full universal sense without the Eastern Churches, as without them she is only "Roman" in identity.

It is true, in the Constantinopolitan idea of the church, heaven and earth, mystically unite every time the Holy Doors open at the altar. With the icons, the incense, the beauty inside, it is truly an earthly and sensual taste of the heavenly.

It is interesting reading the discussions of Church Triumphant and Militant. The distinctions between Church Militant and Triumphant are not ones many Eastern Christians usually dwell on too often, as at every Liturgy and service we experience the meeting of the two, and we continually live by anticipation in this intermingling of the two.

As was mentioned previously, and as chronicled in the Primary Chronicle of Nestor, when the envoys of St. Vladimir having visited all of the other major religions of the day [Roman Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam] came to the Church of Holy Wisdom [Hagia Sophia] amd saw the Liturgy in its fullness. They could only say when they returned to Kyiv, "we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth...this we know, that God dwells there with men."

Anyway, welcome aboard, and DON'T be afraid to ask questions.

Rose, did you see the "Trading Churches" story on the Onion Dome: http://www.theoniondome.com/2004/07/09/ A Russian priest and Baptist minister trade congregations. Hilarious. "We musta sung 'Lord Have Mercy' a thousand times" says the Baptist preacher.

Diak, long-winded sinner

Yes, Easterners here don't "bite" as Diak volunteered previously!

But, boy, do they "nibble" at you, and keep on nibbling till kingdom come!

Amado

Yes, it's kind of like slow death by paper cuts, isn't it?

Charles

Let's face it - they are determined that all shall come to recognise the wonders of the East - and they won'r give up until that aim has been achieved

Anhelyna - who has come to recognise this;)

Diak that is a neat article. Thanks!

but look how many times we exclaim, "Lord, have mercy!"

AMEN! Fr. Deacon John