Attending DL today. Hooray!

[RKO]

I feel guilty because the local Orthodox Church is only 7 miles from my house some of you who are Orthodox have to travel 50 Miles or more!

 

[Jesus4Madrid]

Have a blessed time!

Ours was glorious. My children were even moved by the heavenly singing.

I wasn't sure if I were in heaven or on earth. It's still true.

 

[Anhelyna]

Look forward to hearing about it

 

[RKO]

It was as spectacular as always. Fr. Alexis at St Michael the Archangel (Antiochian) is amazing and very holy.
Beautiful, stunning service as always. They also have a gorgeous church and a.great choir.

Anytime I attend, I have an odd feeling though. As you know, I'm latin rite Catholic and have the crime and punishment theological development most Catholics have as a child.

I find the DL so awe inspiringnthat in a way I feel unworthy to participate. Isn,t that strange? So I find myself standing in a corner in the back, trying to stay out of the way. The DL there is typical of most, I would guess, lots of folks.venerating icons, and kissing walls
Several people hanging back, going in and out of the church. So my hanging in the corner isn't all that conspicuous...

 

[ArmyMatt]

glad to hear you had a great experience! many more to come Godwilling!

Anytime I attend, I have an odd feeling though. As you know, I'm latin rite Catholic and have the crime and punishment theological development most Catholics have as a child

haha, I think that is how most of us who come from a Western background feel at times when we visit.

I find the DL so awe inspiringnthat in a way I feel unworthy to participate. Isn,t that strange?

nope not at all, shows you are coming with the correct approach.

 

[RKO]

glad to hear you had a great experience! many more to come


nope not at all, shows you are coming with the correct approach.

Good to know! That never happens at Mass...

 

[ArmyMatt]

Good to know! That never happens at Mass...

well, if you are truly coming into contact with the Holy One, should you not feel unworthy? like Moses, St Peter, Isaiah, St Paul, etc who all had a direct encounter with the Lord?

 

[RKO]

Exactly.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Don't remind me. Every once in a while I get depressed about the distance and the difficult access. Lately I just DON'T FEEL LIKE GOING TO CHURCH on Sunday. I find myself missing being Catholic. I miss going to Confession 3 miles from my house, going to Mass on SATURDAY or Sunday and coming home ONE HOUR LATER. I miss Lent being close, seeing the priests from my church AROUND MY OWN TOWN, and just knowing people in my community are at my church.

After a long, hard, exhausting, mind-numbing week of teaching kids and being exhausted, getting up super early on Sunday morning, driving north an hour, going through a super long liturgy, then coffee hour, getting home at like 1:30-3:00 and finding your Sunday pretty much over and work week starting right back up, frankly, it blows.

I'm burned out right now. We didn't go today, Kate and I. We both just didn't feel like it.

Lord have mercy.

I feel guilty because the local Orthodox Church is only 7 miles from my house some of you who are Orthodox have to travel 50 Miles or more!

 

[~Anastasia~]

Don't remind me. Every once in a while I get depressed about the distance and the difficult access. Lately I just DON'T FEEL LIKE GOING TO CHURCH on Sunday. I find myself missing being Catholic. I miss going to Confession 3 miles from my house, going to Mass on SATURDAY or Sunday and coming home ONE HOUR LATER. I miss Lent being close, seeing the priests from my church AROUND MY OWN TOWN, and just knowing people in my community are at my church.

After a long, hard, exhausting, mind-numbing week of teaching kids and being exhausted, getting up super early on Sunday morning, driving north an hour, going through a super long liturgy, then coffee hour, getting home at like 1:30-3:00 and finding your Sunday pretty much over and work week starting right back up, frankly, it blows.

I'm burned out right now. We didn't go today, Kate and I. We both just didn't feel like it.

Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy!

Praying for you and your family!

I have felt down and really struggling, and while I was glad to visit several other Churches and meet wonderful people at each one, I was SO glad to get back "home" today. I missed it more than I realized. Missing 3 weeks means it's been a month since I've been there? Even though the sound system got fried by lightning (again!) and so the sound of the choir, etc. was not what it usually is and our main chanter wasn't there, it was still something I needed. Badly.

I pray that you get what refreshing you need, and that you are back in Church soon, and that you are not weakened from being away.

 

[Anhelyna]

Oh Gurney - believe it or not - I do understand how you feel . I find it hard doing my trip and I don't have 3 kids to get ready first.

We have some long discussions at times [ our priest , deacon and myself ] about Church attendance and the three of us individually come up with this similar reason - the RC Church is round the corner/ 5 mins on foot away/ service is max an hour/ it's in English[ for some of our folk that's important ]/ I want to go hillwalking/ the kids don't understand.

Weekday Feast day Liturgies - and bearing in mind nearly all our Parish are retired - how many do we get at Liturgy - a choir of angels , and the priest and myself !! And all the usual excuses are trotted out.

I just hope I can continue the struggle to get there as for me there's no alternative. And I can't imagine life without the Divine Liturgy of our father among the saints John Chrysostom.

 

[Soma Seer]

That is a very loooong Sunday schedule, piled on top of an even busier week-long schedule. Burnout, I think, would be inevitable for anyone in your shoes.

Perhaps you and your family could take a month-long break from your hour-long Sunday drive. We all need to recharge at times, and it sounds like this may be one of those times. You and Kate could always change your minds at a moment's notice and return to church sooner, if need be.


SS

...Lately I just DON'T FEEL LIKE GOING TO CHURCH on Sunday. I find myself missing being Catholic. I miss going to Confession 3 miles from my house, going to Mass on SATURDAY or Sunday and coming home ONE HOUR LATER....

After a long, hard, exhausting, mind-numbing week of teaching kids and being exhausted, getting up super early on Sunday morning, driving north an hour, going through a super long liturgy, then coffee hour, getting home at like 1:30-3:00 and finding your Sunday pretty much over and work week starting right back up, frankly, it blows.

I'm burned out right now. We didn't go today, Kate and I. We both just didn't feel like it.

 

[Jesus4Madrid]

Don't remind me. Every once in a while I get depressed about the distance and the difficult access. Lately I just DON'T FEEL LIKE GOING TO CHURCH on Sunday. I find myself missing being Catholic. I miss going to Confession 3 miles from my house, going to Mass on SATURDAY or Sunday and coming home ONE HOUR LATER. I miss Lent being close, seeing the priests from my church AROUND MY OWN TOWN, and just knowing people in my community are at my church.

After a long, hard, exhausting, mind-numbing week of teaching kids and being exhausted, getting up super early on Sunday morning, driving north an hour, going through a super long liturgy, then coffee hour, getting home at like 1:30-3:00 and finding your Sunday pretty much over and work week starting right back up, frankly, it blows.

I'm burned out right now. We didn't go today, Kate and I. We both just didn't feel like it.

Lord have mercy.

Yes, I know where you are coming from. During the summer, I have a hour's drive to church and another back.

Here's my suggestions, for what they are worth:

1. Tough it out, bro. I don't mean to be insensitive. There are people in my parish who drive an hour to get to church and they never miss a Sunday. I used to commute one hour every day one way to work when I lived in London. Could you listen to good broadcasts from AFR to make that hour more productive?

2. Skip coffee hour. Kiss the cross and go directly to the car. I sometimes have to do this, although it is clearly not ideal.

3. Do a prayer reading service at home. Perhaps you could alternate every other week. Invited some friends and neighbours and you might end up with a new parish, which your priest could serve on, say, Saturdays.

4. Watch the DL live on internet and commune when you can at your parish.

5. Attend a heterodox service when you cannot make it to your parish. If you are like me--I attend the vapid local RC parish with my wife every fortnight--this will only augment your thirst for the Orthodox DL that you are missing.

In any case, and as always, this is something between you and your priest.

 

[GoingByzantine]

I can relate to the feelings of some on here. When I am away at school there are many weekends I don't get to church. It's an hour and fifteen minutes to the nearest EC Parish, and 3 hours to my home parish.

I will go to RC mass at one of the three in town, but it is not the same. Once you have been exposed to the Divine Liturgy, there is no going back.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Don't remind me. Every once in a while I get depressed about the distance and the difficult access. Lately I just DON'T FEEL LIKE GOING TO CHURCH on Sunday. I find myself missing being Catholic. I miss going to Confession 3 miles from my house, going to Mass on SATURDAY or Sunday and coming home ONE HOUR LATER. I miss Lent being close, seeing the priests from my church AROUND MY OWN TOWN, and just knowing people in my community are at my church.

After a long, hard, exhausting, mind-numbing week of teaching kids and being exhausted, getting up super early on Sunday morning, driving north an hour, going through a super long liturgy, then coffee hour, getting home at like 1:30-3:00 and finding your Sunday pretty much over and work week starting right back up, frankly, it blows.

I'm burned out right now. We didn't go today, Kate and I. We both just didn't feel like it.

Lord have mercy.

I remember in my college town, once I moved a ways off campus, and my weekly trek was a 45-50 minute drive. I know the burned out bummery dude. just hang in there and remember to force yourself.

Lord have mercy!

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Thank you, everyone. I'm sorry to have started venting about my frustrations on this thread. I've just been burned-out and feeling like a no-good scumbag for it. I guess it's natural to look back, but usually when I do, I end up like Lot's wife!

Thanks for the encouragement and understanding. It means a lot. I'm not going through a crisis of faith in the Lord, just a field of burn-out with the drive, the distance, the feeling like a second class citizen at church because we can't attend a lot of things that everyone else in Fresno CAN attend easily, and just, well, lots of things.

Our deacon doesn't chant the liturgy, he SHOUTS it. And I mean---SHOUTS IT. He has zero idea of chanting, and my priest worships this guy. He happens to be my godfather, and we've had issues in the past, and the shouting the liturgy thing grates on my nerves, Kate's nerves, and I suspect through what I see that it drives some of the parishioners nuts!

I'm just fried. I think at the end of the week, after living through Common Core and sixth graders and the silly politics at my school and working so blasted hard, being so tired, I just see Sunday morning as going into battle....it's not pleasant, but another day of no rest. It's psychological.

I'll hang in there. Prayers are appreciated for this burned-out soul!

 

[ArmyMatt]

I'm sorry to have started venting about my frustrations on this thread. I've just been burned-out and feeling like a no-good scumbag for it. I guess it's natural to look back, but usually when I do, I end up like Lot's wife!

haha, no. this is a sign of spiritual growth. it's something we all go through time to time. it's easy to be a Christian when God feels close and everything is sunshine and rainbows. but He will often seemingly withdraw, and during those times a lot of our sin and filth starts coming to the surface, and we gotta continue to stand for Him when it seems that He is not with us. and when the trial is over, we usually see that He was there the whole time, just like He always is. no need to apologize for venting on here man.

 

[InnerPhyre]

Gurney, make sure you are taking time each day for private prayer. I know it sounds like a paradox, but the cure for spiritual burnout can often be private prayer. When I get burned out with attending frequent services at seminary, writing papers, studying, dealing with work assignments, and still finding time to be a father and a husband, the first thing that always goes out the window for me is private prayer, and when that happens the rest of it collapses. It's a lesson that I have had to learn the hard way so many times that now, nomatter what happens, I will not skip prayer. Ideally, I would take an hour for private prayer over the course of the day, but even if I can only find 15 minutes to say my evening prayers locked in a room where it is quiet before bed, that usually provides me with enough of a foundation to bear the stress of the rest of my life.

A wise monk told me that without a private prayer life, the Divine Services will become hell because hell is God's grace experienced by those who don't want it or are unprepared to receive it. That's not a personal judgement, just a piece of advice that was given to me once.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

It's good advice, too! Thanks, IP. I do pray every day. I didn't today for a few reasons. Insane morning for one! But every day I do my morning prayers. I'll make it a point to do them tonight. Good advice, and the monk's insights make A LOT OF SENSE! Never thought of it that way!

Gurney, make sure you are taking time each day for private prayer. I know it sounds like a paradox, but the cure for spiritual burnout can often be private prayer. When I get burned out with attending frequent services at seminary, writing papers, studying, dealing with work assignments, and still finding time to be a father and a husband, the first thing that always goes out the window for me is private prayer, and when that happens the rest of it collapses. It's a lesson that I have had to learn the hard way so many times that now, nomatter what happens, I will not skip prayer. Ideally, I would take an hour for private prayer over the course of the day, but even if I can only find 15 minutes to say my evening prayers locked in a room where it is quiet before bed, that usually provides me with enough of a foundation to bear the stress of the rest of my life.

A wise monk told me that without a private prayer life, the Divine Services will become hell because hell is God's grace experienced by those who don't want it or are unprepared to receive it. That's not a personal judgement, just a piece of advice that was given to me once.

 

[Mary of Bethany]

Hugs and prayers for the Gurney family!!!

Mary