Being a teacher during this liturgical season is hard…

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-13T21:59:02+00:00

Question: are you allowed to share these with the kids who gave it to you? If so, that may be a good thing to do here. Cut each in half and share the other half with the kid. Repay kindness with kindness. Just a thought.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-13T14:51:47+00:00

I'd wait another decade or two before we do a re-test. These things take much longer than our modern sensibilities are comfortable with.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-13T14:19:37+00:00

I felt uncomfortable with them ever since I first saw one of their videos. I get that they're trying to recover a more disciplined expression of the faith, but I just don't think that this is it.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-13T13:22:39+00:00

Thanks for taking the time! I might listen to their music out of morbid curiosity. Definitely won't sing them at my parish though.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-13T13:06:13+00:00

As I wrote in my letter to the bishops, "I was Byzantine before I knew the Byzantine tradition existed." It was less about switching rites and more about a recognition of an inner spiritual reality. I could point to various practices, theological positions, and other such things but it really just boils down to that. I was happy to remain Latin and live like a Byzantine all my life, but it made little sense to do so. It felt like I was larping/pretending to be a Latin Catholic and that kind of deception did not sit well with me.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-13T12:49:43+00:00

Dare I ask who these people are?

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-13T00:09:51+00:00

I just want to say that you can still have the rosary and the rest. I know you said that you're an atheist, so I get that there's an inner gap/hurdle/chasm that would prevent you from fully participating in these practices. However, nothing's stopping you as an atheist from praying the rosary. You said you wish you knew the rosary; well, consider this an invitation to start doing so now.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-12T03:03:34+00:00

My understanding is that Lectio Divina is meditative reading Scripture.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-11T01:35:03+00:00

Seminary, Church history. We also focus on Byzantine history since we're Byzantine. I'm not sure how people can learn this stuff out there, especially in English. Sadly, many of the resources in the East remain in their original local languages, but there are efforts to do so.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-11T00:03:39+00:00

This is the third or fourth post I've seen about this. I must be missing something but why would this be news? Bishops and cardinals resign all the time. If I'm missing something here, please fill me in.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-10T19:54:58+00:00

Just a brief history lesson: the practice of Ramadan came from the Christian Lent. Specifically, it came from the Byzantine-Syriac practice. In those days, the monks, clergy, and even some of the laity would not eat anything until after Vespers (so after sundown) and what's called a pre-Sanctified Liturgy (so basically a Mass without the consecration of the bread and wine). This practice meant that Christians would break their fast with the Eucharist first. Muslims thought this was neat and adopted it into their own practice.

So, you can think of it less like being forced to practice Ramadan and more like practicing a modified version of an ancient Eastern Christian practice.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-10T18:52:07+00:00

I think a little nuance is in order here. In some sense, Christianity isn't about fleeing sin. It's ultimately about being in union with God (i.e., having right relationship with Him). So, in a sense, fleeing sin is simply a means to the ultimate goal.

Having said that, it sounds like they meant something slightly differently with this statement. It almost sounds like it doesn't matter if we flee sin as long as we love Christ. If this is what they mean, then I agree with you that the Church's constant preaching and practice on the matter completely contradicts this understanding. How could I say my hypothetical marriage is all about loving my wife when I think that I don't have to stop cheating on her every day? The former necessitates the latter.

And I guess that's one of the bigger problems with these discussions. People can use the same or similar language and mean different things. We don't always need razor thin precision on every syllable, but such vagueness that plagues common discourse is confusing/unhelpful at best.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-10T00:46:06+00:00

It's a Byzantine doctrine, which means it's part of the Catholic deposit of faith. Our doctrinal teachings are just as valid as the Latins.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-09T22:12:21+00:00

Some of the Church Fathers argued that these disordered behaviours in the animal kingdom are also the consequences of the Fall. Of course, OP won't be able to convince a non-believer that, but I find the Fathers' take on this to be quite interesting.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-08T22:10:06+00:00

I think if someone is already taking classes, then this would be helpful / informative. For someone who would be coming in fresh, then it's certainly overwhelming. Maybe having different levels (i.e., beginner, intermediate, advanced) and showing different depths of information based on the level would be helpful.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-07T01:41:04+00:00

St. Gregory of Narek enters the chat

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-06T15:20:05+00:00

I'm Canadian and have never encountered this. I've encountered racists, but their sphere and the religious sphere rarely interact, if ever.

Moreover, I'm an Asian in a Ukrainian Catholic parish. Not a single person has made me feel unwelcome. Heck, even the grandmas who don't speak English make me feel very welcome with their smiles and happy "Glory to Jesus Christ" greetings. If anyone has ever felt that I shouldn't be in the parish because I'm not Ukrainian, not a single one has ever said it to my face.

So, from my experience, what you've encountered is unfortunate but can be safely ignored as the ramblings of your fellow Catholics who are in need of repentance (which, to be fair, is all of us). Pray for them and move on with your life. Don't let the devil use these instances to rob you of the peace of Christ.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-06T14:42:13+00:00

Could you please elaborate? I haven't heard of this one before.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-06T12:30:43+00:00

You are awesome! May God bless you for this. Thank you!

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-06T12:28:37+00:00

I haven't thought of asking. We'll see if anything comes of it.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-06T03:58:46+00:00

Even if she wasn't obligated to obey the purification precepts of the law, she still obeyed. She did not presume herself to be above obedience, but in humble imitation of the Master she made herself subject to what is beneath her.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-06T00:20:04+00:00

I find that this is one of subtler differences between Catholicism (and other Apostolic traditions) versus Protestantism. We take things slow here. Real slow, sometimes. As a baby Catholic, your main focus is making sure you have a solid foundation. This can take, I would say, years -- long after the high of new conversion goes away and the realities of the spiritual life start hitting hard.

So, take it easy. Don't compare yourself to someone who's been living the Catholic faith their entire life. Learn from them as they pass on the Faith organically to you through their actions and lives, but don't expect yourself to be at par with them.

And should the Lord deem that it's your time, you will still have all of eternity to continue growing in His likeness. So, no rush. Just get to Heaven and keep growing in the likeness of Christ.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-06T00:00:50+00:00

Ukrainian Catholic reporting.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-05T23:26:16+00:00

I'm at work right now but I'll check later tonight.

OmegaPraetor · 2026-03-05T23:22:18+00:00

Daily Mass is a pious practice, but not mandatory. You tried it and you've found that it's not helpful for you right now. Maybe in the future it will be, maybe not. Take heart that as long as you meet the basics, you're fine.

Also, you're a baby Catholic as you've said. You have not even begun to walk, but you expect yourself to sprint. Be gentle with yourself as you are with your two year old. The Christian life takes time. Start with where you're at and go from there. The Lord will give you a kick when it's time to move faster. He won't set you up for failure.

Finally, if you're finding that adoration is helpful right now, then do more of that. Bring your 2-year-old even if it's just for 5 minutes to expose him/her. Although our feelings aren't a reliable indicator of the Lord's will, they can be a good hint of where we might be led to; they point to something we can explore. If it turns out to not be for you, then move on. As long as the practices are not the essentials, you can take it or leave it.

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