Divine Liturgy

Today we had a Ukranian Rite Catholic Divine Liturgy at the college I go to. It was my first experience of the 'other lung' of the Church. I've attended Eastern Orthodox vespers before but I've never been to an Eastern Rite Catholic Divine Liturgy.

It was absolutely beautiful. I can't really describe it, it's more something you have to experience for yourself. It was fascinating though and it was a reminder of truly how rich the Catholic Faith is in its fullness.

After the Divine Liturgy the priest stayed around and spoke with us a bit and answered some of our questions. I feel pretty naïve / ignorant when it comes to the Eastern Church. . . it shows me I have a lot to learn.

It was interesting to hear the priest talk about what a fine line it is that divides the Eastern Catholic rites from the Eastern Orthodox rites. He urged us to experience the Church of the East and to get to know our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ and their liturgy. He was exhorting us to pray for unity of the Church in the East, that of all areas of Ecumenical Dialogue the East is perhaps the most likely place we will see unity restored if we are faithful to prayer.

On a more trivial note, the vestments that were used today were absolutely gorgeous. Breath taking compared to the 'table cloth' vestments at my parish church, but I guess beggers can't be choosers. It was also interesting to note that the Divine Liturgy today took an hour and a half. On a Friday.

I came back from the Divine Liturgy and started working on becoming a little less ignorant. Here is some of what I found:

From Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Orientale Lumen (The Light of the East)

"[The] ancient tradition of the Eastern Churches is an integral part of the heritage of Christ's Church, the first need for Catholics is to be familiar with that tradition, so as to be nourished by it and to encourage the process of unity in the best way possible for each.

Our Eastern Catholic brothers and sisters are very conscious of being the living bearers of this tradition, together with our Orthodox brothers and sisters. The members of the Catholic Church of the Latin tradition must also be fully acquainted with this treasure and thus feel, with the Pope, a passionate longing that the full manifestation of the Church's catholicity be restored to the Church and to the world, expressed not by a single tradition, and still less by one community in opposition to the other; and that we too may be granted a full taste of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal Church which is preserved and grows in the life of the Churches of the East as in those of the West."

Our late Holy Father declared that "ignorance of the Eastern Rite is ignorance of the Church." I realize that I need to educate myself.

And perhaps some of the most well known words of Pope John Paul II with regards to the Church in the East are contained within the following paragraph from the Circular Letter Concerning Studies of the Orientale Churches by the Congregation for Catholic Education.

On a number of occasions and in varying circumstances, Pope John Paul II has spoken of the necessity of mutual understanding and love between Catholics of the Latin tradition and Christians, Catholics and Orthodox, belonging to the various communities of the Christian East. In commenting upon the lack of understanding which often exists and upon the ignorance of the spiritual traditions and values which form part of the heritage of so many Christians of Eastern Europe, the Near East, Africa and India, the Pope has underlined the importance of these traditions for the life and well-being of the whole Church with the striking affirmation that "the Church must learn to breathe again with its two lungs, its Eastern one and its Western one" (Discourse to Members of the Roman Curia, 28 June 1985, "L'Osservatore Romano", English language ed., 15 July 1985, p. 3).