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I am a Roman Catholic who is interested in Eastern Christian spirituality. I've been watching Archbishop Lazar Puhalo on the Monastery YouTube channel for some time and really enjoy his videos.

I just today came across a Canadian TV show on YouTube [youtube.com] where the Archbishop was a guest and what he had to say about Eastern Christianity was so clearly put, that I finally think I understand the basic point of view.

It has left me shaken at how wrong-headed western Christianity really is in terms of over-focusing on morality as the be-all and end-all of following Christ and of how salvation is not about sin and atonement but about healing and the co-suffering LOVE of Christ.

One question that has come from watching this is, does Eastern Christianity that is in communion with Rome have this focus on sin=illness to be healed or are they more western and Rome-centered?

The idea of leaving the Roman Catholic Church is more frightening to me now than it was when I was young and left it for Anglicanism (I'm a "revert".)

Thank you all!

I'm following this topic with great interest.

Greetings, 4HisChurch,
As a Byzantine Catholic, I would say that one's focus on the therapeutic side of salvation really depends upon what one meditates upon.

In our liturgical life, we should have the same texts for the hymns as the Orthodox, so in that sense we would have an identical perspective to the Orthodox. But there are also conversations and homilies, etc., which can reveal other influences. As an example...

If one's priest/spiritual father is reading writings from fellow Eastern Christians, then their homilies/spiritual direction will take that tone upon them. One simple metric would be if you were to visit the parish book store (assuming there is one), would you find books on spirituality written by Roman Catholic authors, Orthodox authors, or the few, the proud and the brave Greek Catholic authors? And of course, the answer will be a combination most likely, but again, in what frequency?

In the parishes that I have visited there tends to be a similar amount of Eastern Catholic and Orthodox books, with some Roman Catholic books, but of course there could be some parishes that don't have much of the Orthodox. There was a time when some of our seminarians would not have any Orthodox material in their curriculum. In my jurisdiction (Ruthenian), our seminary now has several professors who are Orthodox.

So answering this question is complex, and I would say that things depend upon one's ability to see that one's true spiritual patrimony is the Orthodox Church, even though we are in communion with Rome.

Now, one other point that I would make is that there is language about ransom and legal payment of sins, both in Scripture and in Eastern Fathers. It is true that the West speaks of this more as a whole, but it is not as though those considerations are not in our Tradition. Our emphasis would be on other passages/outlooks such as those where Christ calls Himself the physician who came to heal the sick, versus Paul's reflection in Colossians that our debts were nailed to the Cross. In my mind a healthy outlook embraces both the legal and the therapeutic language of Tradition. I haven't seen the video which you posted, but if it is like other critiques of Western Theology I would offer this qualification to criticisms of Western Theology:

Thinking about a penal/legal viewpoint is not in and of itself harmful/suboptimal, it is when this viewpoint is held with no regard to the other patrimony of spirituality that speaks of Christ as our healer that we can lose sight of the fulness of Tradition.

Hope this is helpful.
In XC,
J. Andrew

It depends on which Eastern Catholic you talk to.

Some Eastern Catholics still see things very much like Roman Catholics do and view sin like St. Augustine himself did. Some Eastern Catholics see things very much like the Orthodox, and would define it like you describe (I am among them). Others mix and match different parts of both churches to suit their fancy.

This forum is littered with discussions about how an Eastern Catholic "should" understand these things, and again, it depends on who you talk to. There is no consensus. Different Eastern Catholic Churches even have different takes on the matter.

Check out the thread on the Immaculate Conception to get an idea about that (as it also pertains to the nature of sin and the question you pose). The answers are all over the map.

Since the Roman Catholic Church stamped the dogma of the IC as infallible, some Roman Catholics would also insist that the focus on the legalistic view of sin that is incorporated into that teaching is also infallible and thus, untouchable, despite what the East and early Church Fathers have always believed.

It really comes down to what you think an Eastern Catholic should rightly be.

Actually, there is an official Eastern Catholic catechism, the three-volume Light for Life series:

Part 1: The Mystery Believed [theobooks.org]

Part 2: The Mystery Celebrated [theobooks.org]

Part 3: The Mystery Lived [theobooks.org]

All of them are eminently Eastern in their theology, spirituality, doctrine and worldview. There is nothing in them at all that could not be taught in an Eastern Orthodox religious education class.

So, I guess, that answers the question of what Eastern Catholics are supposed to believe.

How could I forget that?

Oh yeah, it's not really taught at my parish...

JJP (and others),
Might I suggest that texts like that become more part of your parish life by your own request? If you are a catechist (or are interested in becoming one), the Ruthenian Metropolitan Church has a catechist certification program which goes through the Light for Life Series and other texts approved by a consultation of multiple Byzantine Catholic jurisdictions. Like Stuart's comments on the Light for Life Series, these texts are thoroughly Orthodox in thinking.

I was going to actually suggest that 4HisChurch (and any other interested parties) read "Inexhaustible Delights", which is part of the same God With Us publication series as Light for life. That is focused on the sacramental mysteries, and there is a good set of interplay between how we see things and how Roman Catholics view things.

By asking to get involved through catechist certification, your request to see a more consistently Orthodox perspective at your parish will not just be for your own edification, but will be in keeping with our Metropolitan Church's call for more catechist enrichment.

I have enjoyed the experience of working with my parish priest in that regard, and I think it gives these books more of a spotlight in the parish when people are interested in them.

In XC,
J. Andrew

Those are excellent thoughts.

I have brought it up before, but my priest is older (the oldest in the archeparchy, I believe) and is actually already officially retired, though he still serves until a replacement arrives. So, I kind of decided to not force the issue too much until we are under new management, and see what that is like.

I wasn't aware of the certification program, though, that will be very helpful to know. There are some other like-minded people in my parish, and I think it will come down to timing.

So as not to totally be derailing the thread, for the OP, these are excellent suggestions. Here is a link to the books described:

Eastern Christian Publications [secure.webvalence.com]

Thank you, J. Andrew, for answering the question I should have asked! I did wonder, later, how much the Scripture and Church Fathers talked about sin and salvation in a punitive way.

I realized today, too, that the East has the Jesus Prayer, which is the prayer to be prayed at all times and begs God's mercy "for me, a sinner".

Thanks for that perspective.

Thank you to JJP and Stewart for the links and suggestions. Right now I am doing an online Scripture/Journaling thing through St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church [stmarkdc.publishpath.com]in DC. Their annual church "theme" is "spiritual growth and maturity".

Is that the end of this discussion?

I am a bit worried about the way the OP phrased things, though I can't read his mind of course.

My worry is this: to emphasize the Eastern view, the focus on the suffering love of the Master who is a Healer, is great if our motivation is to glorify Him who is Love.

But I just hope the motivation is not to *avoid* the fact that we are sinners, and by sinning we incur a debt we cannot pay but only the Perfect Sacrifice of the Holy One pays by dying on the Cross.

I see this as one of the paradoxes of Christianity. As human beings we are magnificent, created in the image of God, predestined for theosis ... it's amazing. At the same time we are poor sinners who know what is right sin anyway, we cannot keep awake in vigil with Our Lord, and we have no claim to Heaven but that Our Lord opened it for us and applies the merits of His own Passion on our behalf.