Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
And the reverence for Mary is higher
St. Basil said:The laws of the Church are in confusion. The ambition of men, who have no fear of God, rushes into high posts, and exalted office is now publicly known as the prize of impiety. The result is, that the worse a man blasphemes, the fitter the people think him to be a bishop. Clerical dignity is a thing of the past. There is a complete lack of men shepherding the Lord's flock with knowledge. Ambitious men are constantly throwing away the provision for the poor on their own enjoyment and the distribution of gifts. There is no precise knowledge of canons. There is complete immunity in sinning; for when men have been placed in office by the favour of men, they are obliged to return the favour by continually showing indulgence to offenders. Just judgment is a thing of the past; and everyone walks according to his heart's desire. Vice knows no bounds; the people know no restraint. Men in authority are afraid to speak, for those who have reached power by human interest are the slaves of those to whom they owe their advancement. And now the very vindication of orthodoxy is looked upon in some quarters as an opportunity for mutual attack; and men conceal their private ill-will and pretend that their hostility is all for the sake of the truth. Others, afraid of being convicted of disgraceful crimes, madden the people into fratricidal quarrels, that their own doings may be unnoticed in the general distress. Hence the war admits of no truce, for the doers of ill deeds are afraid of a peace, as being likely to lift the veil from their secret infamy. All the while unbelievers laugh; men of weak faith are shaken; faith is uncertain; souls are drenched in ignorance, because adulterators of the word imitate the truth. The mouths of true believers are dumb, while every blasphemous tongue wags free; holy things are trodden under foot; the better laity shun the churches as schools of impiety; and lift their hands in the deserts with sighs and tears to their Lord in heaven.
You're in California. You can't sit there and tell us with a straight face that an ethnic group like the Mexicans do not have a high reverence towards Mary.
Forget Poles (Who always have high regard, conduct masses for the Blessed Virgin, and have numerous processions for her), Mexicans may give the Italians a run for their money.
Is your parish that bland and dead? I think that's the problem with a lot of places: They don't inherit priests from the "Old Country" (Ireland, Italy, Poland, etc.) We don't have that problem here...unless the parish is small and the priests only conduct mass and confession.
Earlier I said that if push comes to shove, I would convert to the Greek Orthodox. The reason I chose Greek Orthodox wasn't because of their food: I'm Polish Catholic; a lot of the Orthodox brothers really didn't take to kind that a country that far in Eastern Europe aligned themselves with Rome.
You're in California. You can't sit there and tell us with a straight face that an ethnic group like the Mexicans do not have a high reverence towards Mary.
Forget Poles (Who always have high regard, conduct masses for the Blessed Virgin, and have numerous processions for her), Mexicans may give the Italians a run for their money.
Is your parish that bland and dead? I think that's the problem with a lot of places: They don't inherit priests from the "Old Country" (Ireland, Italy, Poland, etc.) We don't have that problem here...unless the parish is small and the priests only conduct mass and confession.
Earlier I said that if push comes to shove, I would convert to the Greek Orthodox. The reason I chose Greek Orthodox wasn't because of their food: I'm Polish Catholic; a lot of the Orthodox brothers really didn't take to kind that a country that far in Eastern Europe aligned themselves with Rome.
The only Orthodox church near me is Greek, and everyone who attends is definitely Greek, and they want you to be Greek, too. The liturgy is in Greek, the homily is in Greek, no English whatsoever, ever.
If I moved to a metropolitan area I would have better access to Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches.
In my area, and I've heard this a lot online from other folks as well as parishoners locally, the Greeks are very much clannish in their congregations and far more ethnic. They prefer you to be Greek and aren't the warmest of folks toward outsiders. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that.....
The Slavic churches rock. The Serbian parish I've been going to is so so so warm and welcoming. The first question is, "so when are you going to join us and get chrismated!!?"
The Greek parish I visited they had an odd scowl and looked like, "hmmmm, who's this dude?"
In my area, the Greeks take a backseat to the Serbs and Russians when it comes to hospitality, warmth, inviting, and outreach.
That seems to be a bit of a theme about the Greeks, however I think it also varies considerably by parish. Some people seem to be in really great Greek parishes.
I'm in the Netherlands; there is no tradition of orthodoxy here, in the entire country there are only a handful orthodox churches and none of them in my region (and I don't have a car). You say "for the sake of argument, pretend an orthodox parish is just down your street"- well, sorry, no, I can't, because this is very relevant to my not becoming orthodox.I guess my question is this---why are you Catholic and not Orthodox? For the sake of argument, pretend an Orthodox parish is just down your street and so is a Catholic one. Why do you choose Catholicism over Holy Orthodoxy?
I ask this not as a challenge or to argue or smear the Catholic Church. In fact, I'm truly asking for input as to why I should stay Catholic and not go Orthodox? I'm not trying to debate either. Far from it. I'd just like to know your reasons for the choice. I'd like some food for thought.
Blessings to all.
When things get way too ethnic in any church, it makes things tough when it comes to joining up. I've been to Mexican parishes, Catholic parishes, around here where there was literally not one white guy in the entire parish. As a teacher, many of my Mexican students used to invite me to their first communions when I taught second grade to migrant Mexican children. When I showed up in the church at the Mass, they looked at me like I was the Thing off the Fantastic Four!
I've often wanted to go next door to the Baptist church where they have an excellent gospel choir. But they make visitors introduce themselves and I am too shy. And there is no way I could blend in.
I think even very ethnicity homogeneous parishes can be welcoming, but still feel weird to someone from a different background. That in itself wouldn't stop me from attending though. it's when people don't seem to get that the point of being there is not about ethnicity.
How about being an eastern rite Catholic? Anyway, I've been reading about EO lately and the main question for me revolves around authority. Both sides recognize the need for the Church to be the final authority in matters of the faith. Both oppose the doctrine of sola scriptura. Both value concilliar decrees-the EO consider the first seven Ecumenical councils to be of utmost importance, of course-and both recognize the collective authority of the bishops to one degree or another.I was raised a Catholic for most of my life. My wife and I, around six years ago, started seriously questioning the Catholic Church's claims in several areas, most notably--infallibility, papal supremacy, indulgences, the "treasury of merit," and the gross liturgical abuses we see in our area that run rampant. We have been looking into the Orthodox Church for the better part of 9 months now. The liturgy is first rate, totally unspoiled by modernity and Protestant influences. Their theology is very much like the what the Fathers taught, and despite the black cloud of communism and Islam, Orthodoxy has been able to stay consistent and true to its values and liturgy and traditions all over the world in vast and varied lands.
If I become Orthodox, and there's a strong probability at this point that I will, I will do so kicking and screaming because I have loved and adored the Catholic Church for most of my life. I have tried to give Catholicism every chance, every opportunity, but I'm just not buying into the teachings and historical claims.
I guess my question is this---why are you Catholic and not Orthodox? For the sake of argument, pretend an Orthodox parish is just down your street and so is a Catholic one. Why do you choose Catholicism over Holy Orthodoxy?
I ask this not as a challenge or to argue or smear the Catholic Church. In fact, I'm truly asking for input as to why I should stay Catholic and not go Orthodox? I'm not trying to debate either. Far from it. I'd just like to know your reasons for the choice. I'd like some food for thought.
Blessings to all.
bear in mind that eastern catholic congregations don't exist everywhere.fhansen said:How about being an eastern rite Catholic?
That argument always reminds me of 1 Samuel 8.Anyway, I've been reading about EO lately and the main question for me revolves around authority. Both sides recognize the need for the Church to be the final authority in matters of the faith. Both oppose the doctrine of sola scriptura. Both value concilliar decrees-the EO consider the first seven Ecumenical councils to be of utmost importance, of course-and both recognize the collective authority of the bishops to one degree or another.
But how workable is it, in the long run, for the Church to operate without a living centralized authority, a place where the buck stops if need be to settle controversies? Is it really possible to maintain unity without being organized under, and obedient to in some manner, a single headship? For all the unity in faith, there are still divisions between the eastern Churches-and it would be quite difficult anymore, if not impossible, for any one Church or Churches to call an ecumenical council of all the Churches together. These are just some thoughts.
I understand what you're saying-and it may be true-or not. We all affirm that God must run the Church and ensure that her teachings are free from error but I'm not entirely sure what, in practical terms, would be the best way to do that. Either way, how He actually does it-and through whom He does it-is still the question.That argument always reminds me of 1 Samuel 8.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?