Greetings from Serbia! As you may know, Serbia is an Orthodox country, which has paid a high price for this many times in history. Anyway, as an Orthodox, I already know some of this, but I'm trying to improve my English, and this channel is so helpful in explaining Orthodoxy, but also for learning English for me :)
Happy to have friends in the Serbian church in different nations. Serbians in Romania had to pay a high price too in 1951 when they have been deported to the Baragan. In the Romanian Banat here is a wonderful Serbian Saint George monastry near Birda south of Temesvar.
When l was very young in Greek Orthodox Sunday school back in the seventies, they taught us the conflict and the suffering with Croatia. The Serbian Orthodox would never yield to Papal infallibility. I remember seeing pictures of many Serbians being tortured. As a child it was horrible to see. I'm not judging or condemning anyone. Just seeing those photographs of young and old people being tortured as a result of their Orthodox beliefs and what they went through as a result was horrifying. In addition what Orthodox Romanians endured in prisons was heartbreaking.
As a Roman Catholic I’d say that we are the same. I was once an Orthodox Christian I’d say this. I knew I didn’t have the strength of answering questions inside. So I converted to Catholicism and it’s the one true church. Orthodox churches have no real leader no offense to the Eastern Orthodox Church
@JudeMalachi Uncreated energies? The creed without Rome's addition of the filioque? Or what about the other way around, has Orthodoxy dogmatized any sort of purgatory, or immaculate conception of Mary, or "mortal sins"? Whether we're talking about those doctrines, or we're talking about papal infallibility, Catholicism has developed a thousand years worth of doctrine that is alien to the ancient Church. And Catholics will defend everything the Pope says and does, simply because he's the Pope. "It would seem that the Holy Ghost does not proceed from the Son. For as Dionysius says (Div. Nom. i), 'We must not dare to say anything concerning the substantial Divinity except what has been divinely expressed to us by the sacred oracles.' But in the Sacred Scripture we are not told that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son; but only that He proceeds from the Father, as appears from John 15:26, 'The Spirit of truth, Who proceeds from the Father.' Therefore the Holy Ghost does not proceed from the Son" - Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, First Part, Question 36, Article 2. Not to mention, we still have continuity with St. Peter through the bishop of Antioch. Think I'll stick with Orthodoxy. After all, 4 out of 5 patriarchs agree (the Great Schism).
I really appreciate Father Paul. He has a civil tongue, never putting anyone down, never is condescending to anyone; even when he substantiates and easily rebukes counterpoints to what he believes in. Father Paul is extremely welcoming, and never makes anyone feel uncomfortable at any point of his discussion. It reminds me of the Orthodox monk who went to a village to help and show them how to improve their agriculture, their irrigation, their farming and their overall quality of life. Each time being asked who does he worship; never telling them he was Eastern Russian Orthodox. Finally when the altruistic monk took his leave of the village, they found out the humble monk was Orthodox. The end result, the entire village converted to Orthodoxy.
Your response is an unfortunate one. No need to call him a liar. His interpretation is obviously quite different from yours. Nevertheless if you disagree with parts of the Bible, fine that's how you see it. l see him as being a very virtuous, kind hearted individual who's open mind has led him to dedicate his life to Orthodoxy in a manner of spiritual altruism.
@@guspapadopoulos thanks for the compliment. Yeah he definitely should stop lying to people. There's no evidence for God but plenty of evidence the Bible is b*******. I suffered thanks to people like him. You and him should both look how the Bible support slavery and murdering gay people and many others. You can also research how the Bible contradicts itself.
@@beastumfan „God is not real“ lmao so are ethics, logic and math. You presuppose those things yet you have no justification for them. (Transcendental argument). You have no justification to call those acts „bad“ in the first place
That was a huge part of my “decision”. You speak to an Orthodox monk, and a Catholic priest you will see the difference in spirit. Compare a Divine Liturgy with mass. I asked myself who I would rather reflect, who would I want to BE like. Being a philosopher isn’t my goal. Being like the God-man is my goal. And so far too go.. May God have mercy on us all and save us.
@@jollygoodgordon5580 that’s true. I could have done that, but a catholic monastery was hard to find in my area. Between the priests you find the same difference nonetheless.
@@jollygoodgordon5580 There is a spirit, a fragrance, that has permeated both of them. They are very different. From the monastics to the priests, and laymen. (You decide which has the fragrance of Jesus Christ) It doesn’t take a PHD in theology, philosophy, church history, and biblical studies to notice this difference. (Not that any of those areas of study is bad) I think even wanting to start from any of those presuppositions is the very problem. To no offense to you or any Roman Catholic. I am only stating my experience and observations in considering both the Holy Orthodox Church, and Roman Catholicism.
I'm glad Father brought up the consistency between ancient saints and modern. As a former roman catholic I could see zero continuity between the desert fathers and modern roman catholic saints it was very troubling. The first time I read the lives of Ss. Seraphim of Sarov and Xenia of St. Petersburg it all clicked.
What are you talking about? How is there no continuity between the Desert Fathers and the Roman Catholic Saints?? Also, it is interesting that you don't mention some of the other early Saints, such as Augustine or Leo the Great, who - as even the Eastern "Orthodox" admit - taught distinctively Roman Catholic doctrines.
@@the4gospelscommentaryno need to defend the saints, their lives speak for themselves, that’s what the Father here in the video invites us to do, read about them, the Holy Spirit will guide you through the wordly affairs.
Hi, Protestant here (almost ex tho, I am discerning). With all due respect, your objection sounds like the Protestant one of saying, “the early church met in home churches, therefore Catholic Churches shouldn’t be so large with grandeur”. The issue with that objection made (and anything along those lines objecting to large churches, etc.) is that it essentially attacks Christianity for having grown. Christianity is a religion that grows and changes over time, as it impacts the world and culture, and transforms societies. I don’t understand why you’re claiming to not be able to see continuity between the desert fathers and modern Catholic saints. First, we live in a very different world today, and the challenges the faithful are called to rise to are different. Secondly, even if their should be all these ‘solitary’, ‘hermit-like’ modern Catholics, then this is granted by all the Catholic monks and ascetics of sorts who live these solitary sort of lives. Just because they’re not well known doesn’t mean they don’t exist and fulfil this criteria, and this makes especially good sense if these ascetics are less likely to be in the public eye and thus less likely to receive canonisation. Third, the desert fathers weren’t all the fathers and saints of the early church - they are certainly not the ‘standard’ that saints have to conform to. I hope that made some sense. I do really appreciate your comment. I think it’s interesting to think about what the appropriate ‘progression’ of Christianity should look like, as it grows and impacts the world. Thanks!!
Fr. Truebenbach helped me greatly through his ministry on RU-vid and I eventually found St. Seraphim of Sarov. It was through St. Seraphim’s prayers that I found my way into the Orthodox Church. I thank Christ for you, Father!
Choosing a denomination between saints is an interesting idea. When you look at a Catholic saint of the 20th century, St. Padre Pio, and you study the gifts he had: the stigmata, bilocation, reading of souls in confession, etc., and then you take into account other miracles attributed to him even since his physical death, you realize the gifts the God gave him. Many blessings from this Catholic to my Orthodox brothers and sisters.
Im gonna try your experiment. Read lives of ancient saints. Then lives of modern Catholic saints and Orthodox saints. And see which ones line up with the ancient saints. As someone going through a bit of a Catholic vs Orthodox crisis, this is a brilliant idea.
@JudeMalachi Correct. I've read books on Maximilian Kolbe and Therese of Liseux and a couple others. I haven't read any lives of saints books in early church (except for desert fathers). Got any books about that you'd recommend?
@@mathieuconklin3146As I am posting on a website that represents the Eastern Church, can I recommend three outstanding books from the east: [1] Life of St Anthony of Egypt by St Athanasius, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; [2] On the Incarnation, St Vladimir’s Seminary Press (St Athanasius the Great); [3] My Life in Christ (Two Volumes) - St John of Kronstadt, Independent Publishers Group.
EOC don't recognize Catholic saints after 1054AD. Including St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas More, Faustina Kowalska (Divine Mercy), Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc, Maximilian Kolbe, Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, Catherine of Sienna, and thousands of other saints..
@@gilly0518 yes and no. They were one church that split over disagreements over a few important things. They share a heritage and a lot of their theology over laps but they disagree over papal authority, innovations in the liturgy and the filioque clause in the western creed
So, as a Roman Catholic, it is my understanding that in order for a mortal sin to be absolved and washed away, you must undergo a deep self-evaluation, one that makes you ponder why you committed the sin in the first place. Without the self-evaluation phase, and if you are not truly sorrowful for your transgression(s), then your sin will not be absolved. So, like the Orthodox, the RCC takes sin very seriously, especially one that is mortal in nature. I have found my home in Roman Catholicism. However, I think I would be just as comfortable in the Orthodox Church as well!
I agree my understanding is forgiveness don't dwell on your sin because that is wasting time that you could be spending living a life of love for Christ. But also be truly sorry for the Sin and fight always not to sin again... I don't find being Catholic easy😂
ΚΎΡΙΕ ΙΗΣΟΎ ΧΡΙΣΤΈ Ευχαριστώ για όλα όσα μου δίνεις ΑΜΉΝ Χριστός Ανέστη Αμήν πανάγια αμήν σώσε με άγια ιερουσαλημ ο χριστός η ελπίδα μας άγιος. Χριστός Ανέστη τελικά ευλογεί την αμαρτία...... δεν θα πω κάτι άλλο θα έγραφα πολλά αλλά αυτό τα λέει όλα.....ο Θεός μαζί μας αδέλφια μου Αμήν ο Ιησούς Χριστός θα είναι για πάντα μαζί μας.
I am Catholic and love and respect the Orthodox. We are so ancient and similar. Remember we were both there when they crucified our Lord. Yes, 2000 years ago.
This was a wonderful video! And I very much so enjoyed that miniature tour of the church and the short biographies of some of the more modern saints ☦️
Saint Xenia is also so dear to my family. Both my husband and I had seperate incidents occur that involved her and her presence as we were praying her Akathist. I have no words to describe it. Lord have mercy on me, a sinner ☦️
No faith is easy as we all come from the same God..... our gentle but consequential father understands our soul's needs therefore will send us what our soul requires at divine time. Faith journey is a lifetime discovery of self and Lord's plan...... there is multitude of layers to Faith development as we become willingly with acknowledgment INSTRUMENTS OF GOD. Thank you for sharing as every person/pastor crosses our path is a gift from Lord carrying a message form God...... God bless you for being an inspiration to me and the world. ❤Jezusa
ORTHODOXY = TRUTH....CHRIST'S TRUTH ❤☦️...I feel sad that so many people are following false teachers and denominations that have nothing to do with Our Lords truth..praying for all to come to the truth....Kyrie Isouy Xriste Eleison emas tous Amartolous ☦️
I've come to accept. That we shouldn't nessecarily pity the following and damn the teacher. It is a co-parasitic relationship. Wherein; The Seeker Desires a Lie, so the Teacher Provides. As the group think grows, the desire for lies becomes more and so the teacher becomes empowered to be bold in greater and greater nonesense. It's not fair to damn the teacher, in truth. He or she is one, singular. Where instead, notice there are many who prop them up with worship. If you're going to revile one, it's only fair to revile all. If you will bless one, it is only fair to bless all. I would argue. The attendees my usually leave whenever. However the leader is trapped under the grander delusion, powered by the deluded.
I must also share my testimony. I had asked Holy Mother Xenia to Pray for me to find a job, and I recieved a job offer on her name's day. Glory to God ☦️
I grew up with purely secular, emotionally distant parents and often had borderline demonic episodes of emotional turmoil, but throughout my life I've never been able to escape from Christians - no matter where I go, they're the ones who appear drawn to me, and vice-versa. After my parents died at 18, I became a spiritual seeker on-and-off and Christianity was the LAST religion I thought could possibly be truthful. I stepped foot in a Greek Orthodox church only because I had already gone unsatisfactorily through the list of every other religion out there, and because some orthodox guy was nice to me online once. I loved the people there and the service, but I ended up being drawn to Catholicism simply because of its greater presence and the abundance of "extra-curricular opportunities" I could involve myself with. However, a year later I'm really regretting it because I've been introduced to all of the seemingly man-made superstitions like indulgences, the immaculate conception (and the borderline worship of Mary in general), the idea that if I miss Mass once and die without confessing it I will literally go to inescapable Hell, and the hundreds of schizophrenic episodes where people "see Mary" talking heresy yet the church officially believes it to be true and from God. Most Catholics don't even believe half the Catholic-specific dogma of the church - the apparent unity of the Catholic church, which is another reason I chose it, is all show. There are great Catholics, and the parish I converted in was especially abundant in Spirit, but the over-emphasis on these Catholic-originating superstitions has been atrocious in helping me grow in faith and I basically just stopped attending Mass after a few months because of how much I was disgusted and troubled over these things. Instead of an emphasis on growing in the Spirit, becoming more like Christ, and learning to properly love and worship the Father, Catholicism in practice ends up being more about "how many rosaries can I pray each day" (and half the words of the rosary are heresy imo), "what obligatory thing can I do to lessen my time in purgatory instead of actually repenting," and in general is more about mindless action and speech rather than sincerely trying to please God. Having grown up in the environment I did where hard scientific facts are what is worshipped and seen as highest truth, I CONSTANTLY struggle with having lasting belief that Jesus really was in fact more than a well-meaning apocalyptic prophet whose honorable but merely earthly vision of Israel never came to be. The only reason I believed in the church enough to convert at all (and I really shouldn't have with my doubts), and remained despite these doubts, was the spirit of the people who really love God in the church. I had an STE (Spiritually Transformative Experience) in High School where I felt the unconditional love of God, which I've felt at various times throughout my life - and it is only because good Christians I have met give off the same "spiritual" feeling as that Spirit I felt (more powerfully and more reliably than other religious people), that I have been willing to be around Christianity and even consider it at all. If it were just the books and the tradition that was there, I don't think I could believe at all because of how it has been challenged by historical-critical scholars and archaeology. Anyway, I'm ranting now, thank you to anyone who read all of this. :) I've decided to resume my inquiry into the Orthodox church again, hoping it will fix the problems I'm having in Catholicism.
Wow I really relate to your perspective, having converted from humanism to Christianity, and also having emotionally distant parents. Like you I was attracted to the radiating love some Christians have, no matter their denomination. I became a Christian last September attending a bible study on Romans in a non denominational church. But I came to Orthodoxy because it is closest to the early church and because of their intensity of self reflection, and the way they describe the Church as a hospital. As a logical person, sometimes I find it hard to believe some of the stories of the Saints, but I'm praying for a transformation of my heart and mind. Sometimes unbelief creeps in period about everything, and pray to God I believe, help my unbelief, because I've never felt such peace and comfort outside of being a Christian and contemplating God and Jesus Christ. Besides Orthodox Church, I also go to Celebrate Recovery, a 12 step Christ-centered recovery because the people there are also passionate about healing and drawing closer to God, and becoming more Christ-like. As for the historical evidence I've seen many videos and I'm really convinced that there is evidence for Jesus Christ existing. One that comes to mind is the Shroud of Turin and how scientists have not found a way to explain it. Thank you for reading this far 😊 I pray for God's mercy and blessings for you and for your salvation ❤
I 10000% second the shroud of Turin. I don’t venerate things, but I have had nights where I stay up thinking about the shroud because it is just so cool. Literally for hours. It’s incredible, praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. You can see the crucifixion. You can see the sculptures made from the image miraculously photographed onto the fabric.
I grew up in the Roman Catholic church going to a catholic church but I never understood/ was taught any deep meaning or theological perspectives. I went with a friend to the Orthodox church when I was 21 and last year I converted. I feel like the most important thing about your christian journey is keeping your eyes and mind on Christ and learning about him. In my Orthodox church, I attend bible study, youth meeting and mass regularly (I never knew that they existed or thought to attend in my catholic church) and I am taught in a way which is applicable for me. I still go with my family to my catholic church and find that I have a deeper connection with Christ now then I did before orthodoxy and I find so much beauty in my church and the saints now. I wish you all the best on your journey with Christ.
I wouldn't worry. Jesus is the God of all. He formed us and has a plan for all of us. He loves us and wants us to be saved. I had always grown up religious, (seventh day Adventist) but I never really knew Jesus until I had gone through a really rough spiritual battle with a girl I was dating. She had trauma and at the time I was unaware of the spiritual world, (her demons latched on me ) and I became very prideful and ended up losing not only her but hurting everyone around me. I was so oblivious to things like clowns and jesters being demons and I became obsessed with them until finally I lost everything including a good friend and it left me so broken and alone. Later that year I walked alone in my hometown one day and met a homeless guy, i bought him some food and went back later at night and found him again and he began preaching to me and had a Bible. It almost was like he was an angel telling me things I didn't understand about the spiritual realm, but at the time I thought he might have been abducted by aliens or ufos or was insane or something and didn't understand he was simply sharing the gospel. I spent that winter suffering, i was also sad because i had always seen a future and sometimes had dreams where I might see something in the future as a warning but I still did it anyways or a place i would be in a dream later happened in real life. That winter I finally started studying the Bible and suddenly all of it started making sense, all of the chaos and confusion I had before went away and it was like a veil was lifted from my eyes. All the past "knowledge" I had thought was so important suddenly became useless and I spent 3 months locked in a room studying the Bible and missed school from January to February. During that time I learned that all historical scholars and archaeology and all biblical archaeology and true history has almost been completely covered up. We are in a little season Rev:20 Where our true past is being covered up. The craziest part is now the Lord has given me so much wisdom I realize things like aliens and UFOs are simply satan and his fallen angels. And the lies institutions have fed us in schools is all about promoting pride and self worship so people ignore God. And Bible sites HAVE been discovered (Ron Wyatt) but no church talks about it because it. Im going to a catholic college next year, and I know I cant share a lot of my wisdom with them because they wouldn't understand (the resets of society and fallen angels controlling governments and schools ect makes it hard to share with people) But something I admire about Catholics is their humility. I think sometimes too much knowledge in anything can lead to pride, the more knowledge the more grief (Ecclesiastes 1:18). And Catholics are humble in their sincerity even if they dont know many things because the higher ups in the church have kept them ignorant. I will still be attending divine liturguy and going to an orthodox church on Sundays and an Adventist church on Saturdays for Sabbath rest, but even within orthodoxy my biggest issue with the church is the structure. IT is based on a Roman structure where money is funneled to the top, protestants and Catholics have it as well. If I ever found a perfect church it would be a house style church where people can gather in their homes and have liturgy and service in their homes without a centralized authority besides Jesus. This is what the early Christians did, and people would give their money directly to the poor and needy instead of to the church. God does not need a massive church, his first home was a humble tent in the desert called the tabernacle. So if I had a routine in life I would want to base it around the tabernacle of the Old Testament, so daily Bible study (show-bread) menorah (seven sacraments) alter of incense (prayers). Having a decentralized system similar to the Parthian empire structure. Besides that I dont really need much, my biggest issue right now is simply finding the right people to connect with and finding the right woman to share my love with. I have a hard time making and keeping friends and I struggle to ever open up to someone. But its important to love everyone because all humans are made in the image of God. (Also I love your windmill profile picture, windmills are really cool!
A great stumbling block for many of my friends is the Orthodox fasting discipline. How can I help them see that self-denial and fasting is not just important, but necessary for spiritual growth? Christ, help me.
A friend of mine advised me to start slowly, with no guilt - just joy in my heart. Still 3 meals a day but smaller meals, however with no meat, dairy, wine, or oil (which is where I'm at). Only after a lot of prayer I hope to be like her - just a simple vegetable soup with a few lentils and a hunk of bread (her only meal of the day on Weds and Fridays, usually eaten at around 3pm).
I was told when you're just starting out you should consult with your priest to develop a fasting rule. The full Byzantine fast isn't required of you right from the beginning.
Each person talks to his/her spiritual father or Priest to come up with a plan for fasting if s/he is weak still. It is gradual oftentimes for those in the Catechumenate and Neophytes. There is nothing to fear, the Holy Orthodox Church works with us on our path of Theosis by the grace of God.
I'm really tired of Western christianism i don't even wanna live in the west any more , you are a hero father for bringing the Eastern Orthodox Faith to the West ☦️
We are not supposed to believe in God or not based on the behaviors of others. We are not supposed to change faiths or justify it over the behaviors of others. Rather than that it is crucial to live your life to the best of your ability. While not worrying of how others portray it. If we are able to simply be sick or tired of it and simply jump to another, then there Is no true foundation of your belief in God to begin with. There are plenty of Christians who are some of the.most rude, judgemental, hateful people I know. I could not think of changing my faith or the way I believe in God based on the way ANYONE else behaves. I refer to The Bible. That's it.
i'm one, as soon as i saw this Pope accept a gift, a crucifix submerged in a jar of urine i said i'm done with this Church, not to mention him tying to destroy the traditional mass, and the proof that bishops and the Pope himself were protecting child molesting Priest. The Catholic Church is too far gone, it'll never be what it once was again.
Former Catholic and Jesuit seminarian here, now a member of the ancient Church established by Christ and His Apostles, the Orthodox Church. No end to Catholics become Orthodox Christians. Ever since the last pedophile scandal (the one that erupted in Harrisburg PA in August of 2018 and then went global), the numbers have surged to a flood.
I love that in three years time I hear the New Testament in its entirety. I love that the three readings make up the homily for the priest to draw from. I love knowing that my focus on Sundays is on the same subject matter across the world. I enjoy feeding on the preaching of orthodoxy and happily remain a loving Roman Catholic.
My choice to convert to Roman Catholicism is due to the fact that it is the church that Christ founded with Peter. That’s all I need to know. Corrupt church establishment has no bearing on my feelings toward whether Catholicism is the “right” denomination or not. Christ did not promise a perfect church. But He did say that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.
That’s a very simplistic understanding of church history. Your comment makes you seem like you’re the type of person who’d be down to buy this bridge I’ve got to sell you.
I went to Catholic church (and school) as a kid, and as early as I can remember I never believed what they said. Why? In vulgar terms, the vibe was off. Something about the church gave me the heebie-jeebies; and even if I couldn't explain why, I recall as a 5 year old in Sister Margaret's class that I did not want to go along with whatever this thing was that I'd been thrust into. When I learned about Orthodoxy as an adult I never got that feeling, not for a second. The witness of the people I met, listened to, and read about was just completely different, and ultimately that's what finally brought me to Christ.
Everyone suffered under the Bolshevik yoke, that's neither an argument for the Papacy nor a defense of the theology & practices of 97%+ of Catholics who are Novus Ordo.
Feelings first, to be sure. I trust my instincts when I'm in a bad neighborhood, why not in a church? But I know too much about church history now to consider anything but Orthodoxy; and I was an atheist until I learned about Orthodoxy, nothing convinced me of any religion for 31 years. Do you think you could change my mind or even offend me with a brusque comment on RU-vid?
@@machinotaur Nobody cares about your feelings. Show me where Jesus said trust your instincts. You make your choices like a mormon. Keep reading, particularly the parts where Eastern Churches kept the tradition of Papel Supremacy until they conveniently stopped keeping that Apostolic Tradition half way through Church history. Why did the 1st century Corinthians seek the authority of the Holy See instead of their own bishops, eastern bishops who were closer like the Bishop of Constantinople or Antioch, or even the then still alive Apostle John who was right next to them on the Island of Patmos? 🙃
The working of miracles happens outside of the Orthodox Church. I say this, not to compete with the true Church, but to ask you to be more careful. Your tone matters when speaking to Protestants, as we have trust issues and are sensitive to rejection. Blessings on the fullness, the Christ-bearing Orthodox. My back was healed at an evangelical fellowship this spring. I attribute it to God, but I don’t take it as a sign that evangelicals are orthodox in their core practices.
EOC don't recognize Catholic saints after 1054AD. Including St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas More, Faustina Kowalska (Divine Mercy), Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc, Maximilian Kolbe, Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, Catherine of Sienna, and thousands of other saints...
@@PizzaDisguiseI agree with you. I heard it explained to me by an Orthodox reader (Reader Paul on RU-vid) that the Holy Spirit for SURE works inside of the Orthodox Church and does work outside too but we can’t make a claim to what extent because they don’t believe that’s for us to define. The Holy Spirit does work outside of the Orthodox Church, absolutely. He has to- that’s how He brings the lost to God in the first place. Jesus healed those who were outside of the Jewish faith. It’s the healing that ultimately drew people to a genuine relationship with Christ. However, experiencing healing doesn’t guarantee that you’re in relationship with Christ. We could look at it like… healing is the “wooing” God does to the human heart. But that human heart has to then submit to Jesus’ lordship and be connected to Him intimately. Even disciples of Jesus who experienced miracles walked away. For example- he rebuked the crowd because when He gave the 5,000 food, He said “you only came because of your fill of the fish and the loaves.” They just wanted to get more food. They didn’t really want to pick up their cross and follow Jesus. The feeding of the 5,000 was meant to point beyond the physical to the spiritual and some just didn’t want to go further.
This helped me understand the importance and emphasis on Mary. She was the Ark of the Covenant. People never worshipped the Ark. However, the Ark was revered because God came through it. Just as Mary was the Ark for Jesus. She is not being worshipped but revered because without her, Jesus wouldn’t have been born. I still have reservations. Do you have to ask for intercession from her or any of the other Saints? Like is it a requirement? Part of me cannot get past that.
I grew up with a foot in both the Roman Catholic Church and my eastern Catholic Church, and the rigor of fasting alone has changed my life for the better. With men, if you expect more, then you get more.
Go visit a church and talk to a priest read some books listen to some chants and pray fast every Wednesday and Friday do it 3 months u should have ur answer by then
Isn't it funny when you find the truth that fasting happens on it's own? Praise the Lord. A few weeks ago before start of Lent I all of a sudden lost my appetite. Ahh the mysteries. Shivers. I'm bursting inside!
I just needed to come to understanding of St George and the lads sacrifice of not giving into draconian laws. Nobody taught me in the Christian faith but I persisted and learnt before Christ stuff. Don't give up and the truth shall be revealed. Icons aren't to be worshipped but treated as history lesson
We are already reunified. Every Orthodox church has split and had a part of it come back into communion with the Roman church. So it's not like the Church is divided between East and West because the Catholic Church contains both. The real difference is between schismatic churches and faithful churches.
@@JudeMalachi no, the real difference is actually theology and practice. If you've ever been to an Eastern Catholic church, or have endeavored in some other way to know what they believe in and confess and how they practice, you're not really united with them, because the Latin churches do not practice and believe quite a few things that the Eastern "Catholic" ones do. In reality, you can only claim "administrative" or "bureaucratic" union, but they are "divided/schismated" from you in both practice and theory. As an Orthodox Christian, that's another point why I don't want any union with Rome - it's become the Church of relativism and trying to claim universality by superficial union on the basis of administration, rather on the basis of faith. Rome has become ecumenist/syncretist and I hope our clergy never entertain seriously the idea of "reuniting" with Rome. Especially when I see someone saying the arrogant thing that you contain our tradition of theology and practice and we somehow "schismated" from it, as if it has never been our own, but because some centuries later after the schism you managed to politically pressure Eastern Churches to join and plead allegiance to the Pope. That's kind of arrogant, mate. No, the Roman Catholic Church does not contain both East and West. No, we didn't schismate/divide from a tradition, that is Rome's, which we eventually picked up. We've always believed the things we believed and practiced the way we practiced. We are not schismatics to our own tradition. What we have we didn't get from Rome, or the Latin/Western church. I don't know where the audacity to claim that we are schismatics to our own religion - with all the traditions and practice, - come from and that it is contained by the Roman/Latin church. This is bonkers.
I am from India and from a Muslim family and in 2019 I started reading the Bible and also completed it and took all the information about Christianity but now I am 22 years old, I have not been baptized but I went to the Catholic Church and went to RCIA. I told you what I don't want to do and whether it is the same as RCIA in the orthodox church. I have to complete the sacrament but now I don't want to go to the Catholic church. Nobody told me what it means to become an orthodox Christian without taking classes. skta ho
@@johnsambo9379 Mormonism is part of the Protestant Mileu of the 19th Century. While most Protestants won't claim them but it is a reactionary movement to the Protestants' theological inconsistencies.
It's noteworthy that while Mormons come to various Orthodox countries to convert people to their own faith (I had some encounters with Mormons in Russia), there's the reverse process in SLC itself.
John of Shanghai's father had Serbian nationality, and moved to Russia where John was born, so when he grew in faith he returned to Serbia and thaught there along with two Serbian sainta, Nikolai and Justin.
Comparing modern saints is absolutely essential for those struggling between Catholicism and Holy Orthodoxy. For example, this juxtaposition was startling (in a good way) when it came to the subject of darwinian evolution. Not a single one of our post-darwin saints affirmed it, but rather categorically condemned it as demonic deception/delusion of purpose to destroy the Christian faith. ...whereas the post-darwin canonized saints in the Roman Catholic Church either outright affirmed it or basically said you could believe it or not but it didn't really matter as long as you believed God was the cause. This was one of the most powerful witnesses for me to the truth of Holy Orthodoxy. It was clear that our modern saints were illumined by the Holy Spirit with discernment to see through and reject what is essentially at this point a worldwide deception. Glory to God in His saints!
@@MasterKeyMagic miracles cannot be the litmus test for the truth. Plus, if they were, the Orthodox Church would win out anyway. We literally have perpetual, public, observable and verifiable miracles in the myrrh streaming icons around the world. The Iveron icon was just in town a few hours from me last year and it was gushing throughout the entire service at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY. I also have a personal friend who was blessed to travel with it and got to watch the myrrh beading up trickling down it right before his very eyes while riding in the car. You can legotimately go see this, and other such icons yourself, you don't even have to rely on an eyewitness. So...if you're RC, you don't really want miracles to be the litmus test, I assure you.
@@MasterKeyMagicmiracles cannot be the litmus test for truth. Plus, Roman Catholics wouldn't really want to take that angle anyway because the Orthodox Church would still come out on top. We--by God's grace--have multiple myrrh streaming icons like the Iveron icon that have been continuously producing myrrh for years. The Iveron icon was just in Jordanville, NY at Holy Trinity Monastery last year and it was literally gushing the entire duration of the service at the grave site of Brother Jose, the martyr who traveled with the icon prior to his death. Such wonderworking icons are continuous public, verifiable miracles. You don't need to even rely on a first hand eyewitness, you can go see them for yourself. So...a RC would be wise not to make miracles the litmus test for truth
EOC don't recognize Catholic saints after 1054AD. Including St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas More, Faustina Kowalska (Divine Mercy), Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc, Maximilian Kolbe, Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, Catherine of Sienna, and thousands of other saints..
"You really need to look at your own heart" Yes, we have that in Catholicism it's called an examination of conscience. Anyone who told you "venial sins don't matter" didn't know what they were talking about. "Depth of asceticism" Go to any traditional Benedictine or Carmelite monastery where they go to bed at 9:30pm and then wake up again at midnight to pray Matins & Lauds then go back to bed at 1:30am to wake up at 6am. "Insane fasting" Again, go to a traditional Benedictine or Carmelite monastery where they eat one main meal a day + a small supper in the evening. The Orthodox always speak so confidently about Catholicism despite possessing a shallow knowledge.
EOC don't recognize Catholic saints after 1054AD. Including St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas More, Faustina Kowalska (Divine Mercy), Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc, Maximilian Kolbe, Teresa of Avila, Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, Catherine of Sienna, and thousands of other saints..
Considering which faith you choose by “feeling” and “impression” is dangerous, it is why some people choose islam. Choosing your faith based on early Church doctrine and critical thinking, including testing to see which as a whole is coherent and consistent, that is what it means to seek the truth. You do not understand the Catholic Church and clearly never did you look in to her many Rites, which several celebrate the same liturgy, the same fasts, and the same traditions as the Orthodox. I pray for you and all who are mistaken. The Catholic Church doesn’t always have great representation which hurts people like me deeply, but when you look at Chalcedon, Ephesus, heck both Nicene councils, you can see what the structure of the Church looked like before the schism. They answered to a human authority, the successor of Peter. Singular. Glory to Jesus Christ.
I really love Father Paul's videos and explanations and I have fallen in love with the beauty in the traditions/ spirituality of the East. I do want to say that the fasting requirements in the Latin Church are given as a minimum, and faithful are encouraged to do more. I don't think the way Orthodox fast is insane, it is inspiring and admirable. But the Catholics in many of the eastern Catholic Churches (and some Latin, by choice) still do fast this way. And Roman Catholics are definitely not taught that there is no need to worry if we don't have mortal sins. Catholics are encouraged to frequently go to confession, even with no mortal sins, grow in virtue, and avoid all sins, not just mortal.
I have noticed a lot of Christian faith including the Catholics posting video for e.g. about the solar eclipse this month and other events as signs. I don’t find Orthodox Church does but focus on being a good Christian, and their role as an Orthodox Christian and the Orthodox Church purpose. I just wondering your opinion on the Orthodox opinion about such events and other faiths comments connecting the solar eclipse with Jonah’s warning.
In all honesty, St John Chrysostom's first question would be what sin was committed that resulted in Antioch being raised and Constantinople cleansed of Christians. He did view catastrophic events as divine punishment and the fall of the Byzantine Empire and rise of Communism in Russia were major events.
You will never get an easy answer here. The one flaw orthodoxy has if only one, is that they simply cannot say anything plain. But, no. There will nearly always be a nuance between Catholicism and Orthodoxy. It's a spiritual thing, I am sure. Given the fullness of the schism I shouldn't think they _truly_ agree on much, wholly.
I was baptized Western Catholic, but something is not right in the church. I almost gave it up until I found the bishop. It was the church I should of always been in. 🙏❤
@@jamesrey3221 The Pope hasn't been a true "First Among Equals" for 1,000 years, perhaps longer. It's a relationship of superiority/inferiority, and the current possessor of the role brings "brains & leadership" into question IMO.
Our Lord Jesus told us that is the narrow gate that leads to salvation. We have to fight during this lifetime,it is going to be hard.If it is easy and always happy with no sadness then we are away from the Lord. So the father here is correct. :)
No matter how pure , how enthralling the history of a religion and its central figure I believe it is very imoortant individuals are able and willing to live their lives in a way which will not make them vulnerable. I am obviously influenced by roman catholicism chiefly because of the environment surrounding churches which was a very positive aspect vis-a-vis our families ancestral religion of hinduism, however later on growing up I realised there is still a strong element of belief and faith which can defy reasoning involved in that denomination. For example I strongly believe the canonisation of Mother Teresa need not have depended on finding two miracles associated with her life and yet hat was what emphasised upon and virtually searched for before her canonisation, this is to me not good to put very soberly. Then I find many roman catholic adherents , mostly from Africa and Latin America live their life the same way we had seen had brought down our traditional society namely very strong emphasise on beliefs, faiths, almost intertwined with lack of examples in practice, making it appear as a cult more than a religion which is what had forced me to shun our traditional religion and look for inspiration elsewhere and I had always thought Christianity gives emphasise on not on only faiths and beliefs but also tye need to live ones own life in a way which is not sinful if not inspirational. I used to observe very calm and quiet, neat and tidy christian people solving intricate social problems , stepping in when needed most, setting up examples of their own as opposed to endlessly repeating the glory of life of jesus back in the 70s and 80s, those things were very important to me ,much more important than asking someone to follow christianity because Jesus had done great things , so on and so forth. This is also a major problem with Islam as far as I had noticed and experienced. If me as a human being will be living my life recklessly and yet expect otgers to respect me because I am a follower of a famous fugure from history and his teachings then to me at least nothing can be more sinful than that and coupled with the idea that we are all to remain resigned to our fate, that we are all sinners waiting to be lifted, generates a strong case for a happy go lucky lot waiting to suffer and causing suffering to others, the last thing I would ever like to follow in life. Some groups like the Evangelists go even further, absolute bonkers with big money, loud music, hypnotism and what not, its a shame, disaster waiting to happen. I will need to learn more about orthodox christianity, protestant denominations and anglican belief systems. I am very attracted to the mennonite/amish way of quiet, secluded , pious life, but probably that is a very close community with lot of restrictions and while I feel I must live a life of responsibility and example I must still retain the capability to chart my own way and restrictions usually do not sit well with me. On the orthodox christianity part I saw some videos on life of hermits living in remote, secluded churches, performing daily duties in a calm, quiet and meaningful manner and that immediately becomes a very attractive proposition to me. But I need to know more for sure.
The reason I chose Orthodoxy is because there are clear theological answers to all my questions. In Catholicism the answers I always got were “Our pope has direct lineage to St.Peter, So we can do what can do what we want” and that answer simply wasn’t good enough for me
Even if the Pope were Satan incarnate, we ought not to raise up our heads against him, but calmly lie down to rest on his bosom. He who rebels against our Father is condemned to death, for that which we do to him we do to Christ: we honor Christ if we honor the Pope; we dishonor Christ if we dishonor the Pope. I know very well that many defend themselves by boasting: 'They are so corrupt, and work all manner of evil!' But God has commanded that, even if the priests, the pastors, and Christ-on-earth were incarnate devils, we be obedient and subject to them, not for their sakes, but for the sake of God, and out of obedience to Him.” St. Catherine of Siena, SCS, p. 201-202, p. 222, (quoted in Apostolic Digest, by Michael Malone, Book 5: “The Book of Obedience”, Chapter 1: “There is No Salvation Without Personal Submission to the Pope”).
It would be super cool if you guys could go to a Western Rite parish, and see how the traditions of the West are still celebrated in the fullness of Orthodoxy.
Because it has the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Catholics made changes and they don’t have it anymore or tiny bits. There where the priests do it as it was passed down to them without changes. As soon as someone starts changing it due to their will Grace draws away. It’s crystal clear.
I have so much love for Orthodoxy. However, I believe Mary is the Immaculate Conception. She is the new Ark of the Covenant. She never sinned. Jesus and Mary were the new Adam and Eve. Also, Jesus handed St.Peter the Keys. Jesus said the Church would be built upon him, and it is! The vatican sits directly on Peter's body.
Very interesting approach to discerning but I suspect you'd find what you found in the Orthodox Church in eastern Catholic rites. In fact many Catholics long for what you spoke of which draws them to Latin Mass or eastern rites. As a Catholic, avoiding mortal sin is only the beginning of entering the spiritual life. Church teaching and the lives of Catholics saints call us to strive for perfect union with God on earth as much as is possible. All sin offends Him.
To bad we have a Pope now who is tradition breaker but I will never leave my Catholic faith because it has apostolic succession and I pray that the next Pope follower of the early Church Fathers. Proud Catholic Filipino.
1:01 - "It [Roman Catholicism] did seem easier to me. Essentially, if I commit a mortal sin, I go to confession, I get a penance, and then I can receive communion. If it's not a mortal sin, I don't need to worry about it so much. In Orthodoxy, you really need to look in your own heart...it called me to a much, much higher standard than simply not committing a mortal sin." Anyone with an ounce of intellectual charity is going to quickly see right through the above as total strawman to the Catholic spiritual life. Any Catholic who known an ounce of their own spiritual tradition knowns the above is a crude, stripped down way to define the Catholic spiritual life. At best, it shows a deep ignorance of Catholicism, and, at worst, it's slanderous.
Thank you. You are spot on. He's also making straw man arguments about the saints in Catholicism vs Orthodoxy (I stopped watching after that point). The Orthodox tend towards a very crude and ungenerous form of apologetics, for some reason.
Yep! It was a veiled straw man about the Catholic Church. Eastern Orthodox and Protestants are constantly criticizing the Church for emphasizing things like confession and penance like it’s a flaw. It’s called high standards and theological precision. I’ll admit the Eastern Orthodox are doing a great job of maintaining some traditions like fasting for example.
@@forehead949 Absolutely. The confession but was very silly, lol! I admire much in Orthodoxy and actually like their conjunction of confession and spiritual direction. It’s something we could borrow from in the RCC. The sad thing about the fasting is that when St Paul VI abolished the old fasting rules he said he did so to take the burden off those in the developing world who had little to eat in any event, but stated that Catholics in the developed world should fast even harder because of our privileged position. I must say he was incredibly naïf and his decision has had the opposite result. Then again, the OT reminds us that God doesn’t want sacrifice and fasting but a broken and contrite heart, so the outward display of fasting isn’t in itself meaningful. I had a friend who lived in Qatar. She said that during Ramadan the Muslims are usually angry and aggressive because of the fast. If so, it rather suggests fasting, is bad for their spiritual growth! Perhaps giving up chocolate or beer, if it leads you to God and purifies the soul, is a better fast than eating only boiled vegetables for five weeks on the trot if it makes you grumpy and miserable (not setting up a straw man of my own here!)
I am so grateful that I am catholic. God gave the keys to Saint Peter 0nly. We have our true and proven apparition of our lady. Read about the apparition of our lady of Quadelupe. Or of our lady of Fatima and Lourdes. They have eyes, but they don't see.
I think you really need to research the history with regards to papal primacy and infallibility as seen in the Catholic Church today. He didn’t have universal jurisdiction for 1000 yrs. The 8th ecumenical council in Constantinople ended with the popes delegates signing off on rejecting the universal jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome and the Filioque. As for apparitions, some of them such as Guadeloupe are ok, but Fatima has suspicious things about it such as Mary telling people to devote themselves to her immaculate heart rather than her sons. Mary is always pointing to her son, Christ. So this is unusual. Not to mention that the mother of God is always appearing to monks on Mt. Athos. This doesn’t just happen once every 50-100 yrs. It’s all the time.
@@joshuagilmore7522 The schism was more of a political action than doctrine, mostly it was an effort to get out of the popes jurisdiction. It was the attempt of the emperor’s patriarch to become a kind of Eastern "pope", that was the real source of all the trouble. In the end, the churches chose independence and became autocephalous churches. There is not really any question of doctrine involved; nothing prevents reunion with the church. "first amongst equals" became an honorary title to the Patriarch of Constantinople, which is now Istanbul and under the Muslims. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow is the largest EOC with more than 100 million members.
@@jamesrey3221 I do agree with you that politics played a role, but that wasn't the only issue. There were clear theological issues that were concerning for the Eastern churches. The filioque and universal jurisdiction of the pope. That can clearly be seen as an issue in the 8th ecumenical council. And these issues didn't go away. And there is actually quite a bit of doctrine that needs to be reversed or reworded from the Catholic church if reunion is to be considered. Original Sin and the transfer of guilt. The immaculate conception of Mary (which was a result of the error in their original sin theology), the filioque, papal primacy/infallibility, and the definition of purgatory (this could be an easy one to fix I believe), Not to mention the overall phronema of the Catholic church and this mindset of everything must be viewed through the lens of logic and reason. There might be some things I am missing, but those are the big ones. As for 1st among equals, that was the original honorary title given to the Bishop of Rome before the split, which I would assume he would reclaim if the Catholic Church came back into communion. After the West left the church, the 2nd in line now holds that title.
