Sahid said...
I have two Orthodox friends that I was talking to. They were happy about the recent meetings in Turkey between East and West and were hopeful about reconciliation. This made me think. Could I, for my own small part, take part in a similar reconciliation. I asked them about what is required to be accepted as Orthodox. As far as I can tell they had four basic answers: accept the seven creeds, submit to the authority of the Church, participate within the Church (through mass and other activities), and believe in transubstantiation. I believe I can do all of these except for the last.
So, is this generally what it takes to become Orthodox i.e. to receive chrismation? Is it possible to be received into the Orthodox Church without belief in transubstantiation?
Dear Zach,
No, Orthodox do not believe in transsubstantiation. That's Roman Catholic. Orthodox believe that the bread and the wine AND the whole congregation become, through the work of the Holy Spirit, the "Body and Blood of Christ." They said exactly as much on the webstreaming video of the Ecumenical Patriarch celebrating the Eucharist with the Pope joining in non-table fellowship and contributing by saying the Our Father.
WATCH OUT FOR OVERLY ZEALOUS CONVERTS that might want to make it too hard to enter. But also don't expect any Priest to make it "too" easy either. They are in it for the long run: salvation is something that all of us are in-process with. Remember that Anrew Murray wrote "Salvation: Accomplished and Applied." Eastern Orthodox did not have the same controversies as the West, so they aren't afraid of saying that we too have to have our own part WHILE it is also one-hundred-percent the Spirit of God that accomplishes salvation. They do this both biblically and with a straight face, not worrying about the math. (Its 100% times 1, not 100% plus one!)
Btw, its not "seven creeds" (the Nicene-Constantinoplean is the one creed) but "Seven Councils" -- of which there could be more IF the whole Church were united again. Not infalible, but canonical, and regarded as a conservation of the true faith.
The Authority of the Church is the presence of the Spirit in the Body of Christ. Pope Gregory the Great (who my son is writing a paper for his 10th grade church history class) criticized the Eatern Patriarch for accepting the title of "Eccumenical Patriarch" (a title that remains but who's meaning has matured to be that of a servant for unity) because it sounded like the Patriarch was trying to grab supremacy (instead of serving unity and using stature for the common good.)
You might want to read "For the Life of the World" by Alexander Schmemmann. Also "The Orthodox Way" by Bishop Kallistos Ware. Those were some of the first books I read.
Attend a Saturday evening Vespers service.The outline is "Creation, Fall, Redemption." (See oca.org on that!)
Finally, EXPECT THEM TO BE REALLY CONCERNED WITH THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOUL, FOR ETERNITY... NO MATTER WHAT THAT TAKES IN TERMS OF COUNTING THE COST, AND COMMITMENT.
The Spirit will guide you, and them.
Christ is among us. He is and ever shall be.
Christ is born. Glorify him!
(o) |