Repentance

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Repentance Redemptionin Children of Divorce

• FOSTERING CHRISTIAN UNITY
• BETWEEN BYZANTINE CATHOLICS ORTHODOX

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Church History a Crash Course

• When the Apostles spread the Gospel and
  established Churches in all the World (Europe
  to India)
• 7 Ancient Centres of Christianity developed
• Rome
• Constantinople
• Antioch
• Alexandria
• Persia
• Armenia
• Ethiopia

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History of Churches Rites

• Each Church Centre developed own tradition of
  theology, liturgy, etc
• Rome S. Peter Latin Church
• Constantinople S. Andrew Byzantine
• Antioch S. Peter Syrian
• Alexandria S. Mark Coptic
• Persia S. Thomas Chaldean
• Armenia S. Thaddeus of the 70
• Ethiopia S. Philip of the 70

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Original Unity of East West

• Basically for the 1st 1,000 years
• There was unity between Eastern Orthodoxy and
  Western Catholicism
• True Christians/Church was called
• Catholic in West Europe
• Orthodox in East Europe

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Original Unity Broken

• Patriarch Maximos IV explains that
• Over the Centuries
• These ancient Apostolic Churches
• Became estranged separated
• Ostensibly over doctrinal disagreement
• But more over cultural political reasons
• Eg the Assyrian Chaldean Church had to break
  contact with the Western Churches because Rome
  and Persia were enemies
• The Coptic Church separated due to Byzantine
  Imperial oppressive cultural domination (using
  the Church to exert political control)

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The Holy Catholic Church Ecumenism

• Who Cares? Does it matter?
• We are the 1 true Church
• Why should we engage in Ecumenism
• They can all just join the Roman Catholic Church

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Sister Churches Vatican

• Orthodox Churches have
• Valid Apostolic Succession
• Valid Sacraments
• John Paul II
• Church must breathe with Both Lungs
• Eastern Lung includes Orthodox Churches as well
  as Eastern Catholic
• Sister Churches (cf. Vat II)
• So cannot just dismiss them
• Connected with the Catholic Church somehow

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Commitment to Ecumenism Essential to
Catholicism Ut Unum Sint

• The Catholic Church desires
• nothing less than
• full communion
• between East and West. (Ut US 61)
• In accordance with Pope Paul VI,
• our declared purpose is
• to re-establish together full unity
• in legitimate diversity
• "God has granted us to receive in faith what the
  Apostles saw, understood, and proclaimed to us.
  By Baptism 'we are one in Christ Jesus' (Gal
  328). (UtUS 57)

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Orientale Lumen (JP2)Byzantine Catholic
Churches carry a tragic wound, for they are
still kept from full communion with the Eastern
Orthodox Churches despite sharing in the heritage
of their Fathers

• Intentionality of Ecumenism
• Our church
• Catholicism
• Our Salvation (inter alia)

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Orthodox v Protestant Ecumenism

• Most Catholic Ecumenism vis a vis Protestants
• Difficult because Cath/Protestants different
• Even the name/identity of Prot protest vs Cath
• With Catholic/Orthodox, Youd think it be easy
• Focus
• Not here dealing with the Roman Catholic
  Orthodox Churches
• But the 2 Byzantine Catholic Churches
• Byzantine Churches is split between Catholic and
  Orthodox
• Same theology
• Same spirituality
• Same liturgy, saints, Marian devotions, etc.
• Even with all this Difficult Ecumenism

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Byzantine Cath/Orth Ecu. Problems

• Over the centuries Byz. Cath latinized
• Now Byz Cath PROBLEM, not a solution
• Because we have become Evidence AGAINST Reunion
• example of result of reunion
• lose Faith (theology, spirituality, liturgy) (cf
  RC seminaries)
• inferior status
• not be treated as Sister Church,
• a daughter or servant sub-church
• controlled by bureaucrats in a Vatican dicastery
• result proselytization bad memory
• sheep stealing, disrespect, not treat as Sister
  Church, but as non-Christians lacking grace
• eg of bad methodogy, individual stealing rather
  than negotiated reconciliation between 2 sister
  churches

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Solutions What can we Do

• 1. Repent of our mistakes, past/present
• 2. Reform ourselves
• in liturgy, theology, spirituality, etc.
• become what the Church calls us to be
• Orthodox in Communion with Rome
• Not a strange hybrid of both
• Not wolves in sheeps clothes (RC in Byz dress)
• 3. Act as fully fledged Autonomous Sister Church
• not just a rite, not a SAR admind by
  bureaucrats in a dicastery office
• If we can show that we can be truly really
• an Autonomous Byzantine Church
• in the Cath Communion, then we will be a Bridge
• Not an obstacle

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Vaticans Latest Canon Law

• In every effort of liturgical renewal, therefore,
  the practice of the Orthodox brethren should be
  taken into account,
• knowing it, respecting it and distancing from it
  as little as possible so as not to increase the
• existing separation, but rather intensifying
  efforts in view of eventual adaptations, maturing
  and working together.
• Thus will be manifested the unity that already
  subsists in daily receiving the same spiritual
• nourishment from practicing the same common
  heritage

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Rebirth, Renewal,Regeneration

• It has been stressed several times that the full
  union of the Catholic Eastern Churches with the
  Church of Rome which has already been achieved
  must not imply a diminished awareness of their
  own authenticity and originality.
• Wherever this occurred, the Second Vatican
  Council has urged them to rediscover their full
  identity
• Orientale Lumen 21.2

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Pope St. Pius X

• Nec Plus
• Nec Minus
• Nec Aliter
• Nothing More
• Nothing Less
• Nothing Different

Pope Benedict XVI

• The current Successor of Peter
• feels himself to be personally implicated in
  this question
• and is disposed to do all in his power
• to promote the fundamental cause of ecumenism

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Essential to Eastern CatholicismIts Ministry to
Ecumenism

• Ecumenism
• sine qua non of our Catholicity
• Vat II Orientalium Ecclesiarum
  (24)
• The Eastern Churches in communion with the
  Apostolic See of Rome have a special duty of
  promoting the unity ,
• Of especially Eastern Christians,
• by prayer
• the example of their lives
• fidelity to the ancient Eastern traditions,
• greater knowledge of each other,
• collaboration
• and a brotherly regard for objects and feelings.

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Pray for HealingCf. Vatican II

• Meanwhile, however, all Christians,
• Latin as well as Byzantine,
• are earnestly asked to pray to God
• fervently and assiduously,
• nay, indeed daily, that,
• with the aid of the most holy Mother of God,
• all may become one. (OrientE 30b)

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What do we get out of it? Orthodox Enemy 1

• Healing, Salvation, Divinization.Healing

• These Churches carry a tragic wound, for they are
  still kept from full communion with the Eastern
  Orthodox Churches despite sharing in the heritage
  of their fathers.
• n      scion of parent Churches -- now
  separated
• n      inherit from both
• n      caught in between the two
• n      our very presence we draw attention to the
  problem
• n      by our anomalous existence we make the
  Divorce
• n      -- uncomfortable, unamicable,
  unacceptable
• n      our Existence highlights the
  anomalousness of the Divorce

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Children of Divorce

• Self-destructive behaviour
• conflicted and torn between parents
• choosing 1 parent over the other
• playing off 1 parent against the other, to get
  what we want (usually bad stuff)
• neurosis
• identity crisis
• shame and bad self image
• Examination of Conscience?

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Our Wounds, Christs Wounds

• the great prayer, desire, hope, yearning of
  Children of Divorce is
• reconciliation of parents
• For healing/salus of they themselves
• For healing/salus of their parents

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Ecclesial Reconciliation

• minister from our woundedness
• cf innocent Passion bearers
• Ss Borys and Hlib

• channels of Gods healing for
• ourselves,
• our parent churches
• make the Church even more truly Catholic
• healing for the world

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ConversionOrientale Lumen (21.2)

• These Churches carry a tragic wound, for they are
  still kept from full communion with the Eastern
  Orthodox Churches despite sharing in the heritage
  of their fathers.
• A constant, shared conversion is indispensable
  for them to advance resolutely and energetically
  towards mutual understanding.

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Kenosis

• And if sometimes, in their relations with the
  Orthodox Churches, misunderstandings and open
  opposition have arisen, we all know that we must
  ceaselessly implore divine mercy and a new heart
  capable of reconciliation over and above any
  wrong suffered or inflicted. (OrLumen 21)
• Turning the Other Cheek
• Forgiveness
• Self-Sacrificing Love
• Agape

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A Healing PrescriptionVat II (Unitatis
Redintegratio)

• The very rich liturgical and spiritual heritage
  of the Eastern Churches should be known,
  venerated, preserved and cherished by all.
• They must recognize that this is of supreme
  importance for the faithful preservation of the
  fullness of Christian tradition, and for bringing
  about reconciliation between Eastern and Western
  Christians.

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Pope Benedict XVIPrinciples of Catholic Theology
pp. 199f.

• "Rome must not require more from the Orthodox
  Churches with respect to the doctrine of primacy
  than had been formulated and was lived in the
  first millennium.
• When the Patriarch Athenagorasdesignated him as
• as the most esteemed among us,
• as one also presides in charity,
• the doctrine of primacy in the first millennium.
• Rome need not ask for more.
• Reunion could take place in this context

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Making the Catholic Church Catholic

• And conversion is also required of the Latin
  Church, that she may respect and fully appreciate
  the dignity of Eastern Christians and accept
  gratefully the spiritual treasures of which the
  Eastern Catholic Churches are the bearers, to the
  benefit of the entire catholic communion that
  she may show concretely, far more than in the
  past, how much she esteems and admires the
  Christian East and how essential she considers
  its contribution to the
• full realization of the Church's universality.

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Our Mission, Our Mandate

• You are in a privileged position to fulfill that
  request of the Second Vatican Council
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• Everyone should realize that it is of supreme
  importance to understand, venerate, preserve,
  foster, and share the rich liturgical and
  spiritual heritage of the Eastern Churches in
  order to faithfully
• preserve the fullness of Christian tradition, and
  to
• bring about reconciliation
• between Eastern and Western Christians."
• (Unitatis Redintegratio, 15)
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Burning Desire in Christ! (Ut Unum Sint JP2)

• Certainly, due to disagreements in matters of
  faith, it is not yet possible to celebrate
  together the same Eucharistic Liturgy. And yet we
  do have a burning desire to join in celebrating
  the one Eucharist of the Lord, and this desire
  itself is already a common prayer of praise, a
  single supplication.
• May we be filled with a burning desire that the
  prayer of Christ be realized
• "May they all be one, Father, may they be one in
  us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the
  world may believe it was you who sent me.
• (I John 1721)

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