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Orthodox understanding of the Eucharist..

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Lukaris

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MoNiCa4316

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thanks for the link! (lol it's funny how you tried to reach the right number of posts )

I think though that in the link, the Catholic doctrine is not described correctly. (I'd have to check though to make sure).


the RCC does not teach that the 'bread' nature is destroyed..but that it is, in fact, changed. Transformed.


this is not true, we believe that the EO do have the Eucharist as well


wow I'm sorry but this is entirely incorrect!!!
We DO teach that it's ALL by the Holy Spirit, and the part about the priest being "another Christ" is not phrased well...that's not exactly it... but oki. Mostly I just want to say that we DO believe it happens entirely by the Holy Spirit, the priest must be there to say the words but it's not by the priests' power that the transformation happens.

I hope it doesn't look like I'm debating; cause..I'm not debating Orthodox doctrine here, but just clarifying what the Catholic Church teaches

oki back to Orthodox doctrine..

so - just putting everything together - do you believe that Christ is present in the Eucharist in His 'essence', but we don't receive this, we only receive the 'energies'? If so, my question is - (sorry I have so many questions) - does this mean we don't actually receive His actual Body and Blood is His Body = essence? or energy? And ..maybe this is something we don't know? sorry if this is getting to complex...

I was taught (in the RCC) that - when we receive the Eucharist we are really united to Christ Himself...because we receive His actual Body..

thanks
 
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MoNiCa4316

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I agree with your first paragraph.. in fact, isnt' that basically transubstantiation saying that - it's really His Body and Blood but doesn't look like it, and only "appears" as the bread and wine.

For the second paragraph, hmm I'm not sure how it would make us gods, wouldn't it just make us united to Him? I have no idea here.. I don't even know if there is a distinction between energies and essence. I'm researching this (both RCC and EOC views)

God bless
 
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Philothei

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Monica take your mind of transubstantiation please... It is all together a "different breed"... That means that it does not even compare to the RC Aristolelian aquinian idea of "scientific" explanation of "the mystery of the Eucarist"... Please if you do believe in the
RC idea of the Eucarist there is no reason for you to "compare" it as it useless to do here in our congregation forum...

It is not a matter of what you agree or not. You have to buy the Palamas book of the Trilogies.. And guess what... Palamas does not specify about Eucarist so you will even get more confused there... As it was told to you instead of coming here send an email to our Archdiocese sites and they will assign you with a priest so you can engange into conversation about these things.

How can we partake of divinity when we ourselves are not of the same nature with God? We areONLY partakers of his "revealed" nature.... that is His energies as the "totallity" we cannot partake as it says "no one can experience the fullness of God and live" Does this mean in the after life we would experience the totality of God in his essence? I do not know but from my Bishop I believe that we will not... Even then by Grace ONLY we could participate in his energies but as we are not of the same nature of God we will not comprehend Him completely and it is only logical....
 
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Philothei

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Philothei

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'm not debating Orthodox doctrine here, but just clarifying what the Catholic Church teaches

but you do.... we are not interested what the RC teaches.. You can do that in your mind after you read what we post Try it it defenately works!!! I do it when I post in other congregational forums I make mental notes...
 
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MoNiCa4316

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I think in a way we're almost speaking in different languages here.. hmm.. I think maybe this will help clear some things up - when I said that in the Eucharist we are united with Christ, that doesn't mean the whole "totallity", the whole "fulness" of God. But simply - with His REAL presence. Not merely with His grace, but Him.

In my understanding, when you say "energies" you are not meaning God Himself, but rather His graces?

Also, I think it says "no one can see God and live" - but maybe that's just a different translation, I don't know, and maybe I'm wrong.
 
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MoNiCa4316

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but you do.... we are not interested what the RC teaches.. You can do that in your mind after you read what we post Try it it defenately works!!! I do it when I post in other congregational forums I make mental notes...

I don't know, if I say something wrong about Orthodox doctrine at OBOB, I wouldn't be insulted if an Orthodox person corrected me.. but, as you wish..
 
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MoNiCa4316

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that is not true, we actually believe that what makes Sacraments work at all is that the grace in them comes from the Holy Spirit. the Pope is the "representative" of Christ but he is not Christ, not another one, he is also an "icon" - like a symbol, a visible representation of an invisible spiritual reality.

Please Philothei, first you tell me that I can't clarify Catholic doctrine here, but then you try to describe Catholic doctrine to me and incorrectly.. sorry..


if you want to know what the Catholics believe, please learn from Catholics, I don't mean me, but - ask at OBOB, perhaps, - not Orthodox articles.. just like if you wanted to learn about Orthodoxy, you would ask at TAW, not OBOB.

We DO believe that it's ALL by the Holy Spirit.


oki.. well I don't think it's trying to put God in a box, rather the liturgy is a way to make everything accessible to us...

I don't really want to argue this any more

Peace
 
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MoNiCa4316

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do you think that it is possible to partake of God's essence but not in totality? Rather - as much as we're able to? That's sort of what I meant.. not that we can partake of the fullness of God.. but just be united with Him in the Eucharist - not with just the energies, but actually with Him..

maybe I should clarify something first though.. God's energies are not Him, right? or..wrong?
 
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Philothei

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It is real presence you got that right .. .I agree. We both believe in that. But the way the RC understands it is what it gives the trouble... Their understanding is so scientific oriented that it makes the EO go... wild hehehe... and we do think it is not proper to talk about it that way...


In my understanding, when you say "energies" you are not meaning God Himself, but rather His graces?

Also, I think it says "no one can see God and live" - but maybe that's just a different translation, I don't know, and maybe I'm wrong.

Grace is given to us as God conduscents to us to teach us to speak to us etc... Everytime we celebrate we "participate" in God's energies. To be able to see God's essence is imposible.. as we will "burn" alive from his presence..Moses saw the back of God it is in the life of Moses by st. Gregory of Nyssa... a good book to read BTW.


The Grace is not just that grace... it is part of God the way He is revealed to us in this world.. So... it is impossible to partake to the totality of God if we are of different nature... and we are for we are humans not God... Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam... here is the contraversy.. If barlaam could not "defend" it neither I think no one in the RC here could...

http://www.monachos.net/content/pat...title=Gregory_Palamas:_An_Historical_Overview

I hope you take your time to read this source

it is not that I do not think you do but it would be profitable for you to read it and then come up with questions on the text itself... I gave up going to the post office to answer you and sorry if I sounded abrassive earlier... ... But it would be helpful to consentrate on one subject at the time ... me thinks
 
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Philothei

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Monica you first disbuted this article and I tried to explain the author.. I am not telling you what you believe... I just explained what the article said. I am not accusing but stating the fact about the vicarship.. It is there I do not want to debate either but when you make a comment about an article that an EO writes about RC do you expect me not to explain because I give a slanted view?

I did not intend to show the differences and have not done it either by myself it was the article and I wanted to let you know how the author views the RC... Take it with a grain of salt since you instigated that converstation on the article .. Okie now back to the EO explanation of energry and essence.
 
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Philothei

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not with just the energies,

energies is what God's revelation is in our world the same as "revealed Part of God" type of thing.. Maybe I do not explain it right .... Read the sources and let me now ... I am late for the post office... lol.... but can wait
 
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MoNiCa4316

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energies is what God's revelation is in our world the same as "revealed Part of God" type of thing.. Maybe I do not explain it right .... Read the sources and let me now ... I am late for the post office... lol.... but can wait

oh noo now I'm so confused.. I've always been told before that energies are NOT part of God.. not part of His essence.. ? But rather like His graces.. that's the whole debate between EOC and RCC, cause the Catholics say that this distinction doesn't exist..

I'll read the sources..
 
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MoNiCa4316

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oki sorry I misunderstood then.. I just disagree with the author I guess.
 
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MoNiCa4316

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I don't really understand - did Barlaam say that we can partake of God's FULL essence? the totality? cause - I think we'd all disagree there

I also don't understand if it's God's essence that is Him, or His energies ALSO.. or are His energies more like His 'graces'..

I think this whole discussion just goes way over my head.

(I think I'll spend like a week reading about all this..)
 
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Philothei

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Excatly the energies are God .. Palamas brings about the Sun and the rays as an example.. The rays are from the source they are God but they are not his core his essence. They are still part of him though.. It is like feeling the effects of the warmth, light etc. but not seeing the core as you will get blinded if you watch at him too long so the same with the communion we "taste" Him we partake of God... but not His core his essence. The RCC does not think the graces are parts of God? Oh...yeah I think I remember they think that... I will not say... just take a look at that too. If the energies are created though then they are not God or of the same nature of God but Ktismata (creation) ... According to Platonic idea of God though God has "virtues that are ideas" and they are uncreated as they spring from God's essence not created of God... So.. .I would agree with Palamas..

Here is another link ":
http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/florov_palamas.aspx
 
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MoNiCa4316

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I thought the whole analogy of the sun was about the Holy Trinity, the sun is the Father, the rays are the Son, and the warmth - Holy Spirit? I agree it's all God..

I'm not exactly sure what the RCC teaches about grace - whether it's created or not.

I'm going to do some reading...about both the Catholic and Orthodox positions on this...

thanks for all your help..

I kind of see now that all this discussion, I don't know if my mind really works that way, I just believe in God and leave theology to theologians.. so I'm not sure if I'll ever really understand this, but - I'll try..
 
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