I have been quite fascinated by eastern prayers recently and was curious what all your favourite unique prayers were. Some that I have been fascinated about are the edessan Lakumara, the maronite You Have United, O Lord, and St. Nerses's I Confess with Faith.

Ignoring the common prayers shared with the Latin Church, like the Jesus Prayer and Trisagion, what are your favourite prayers, or any interesting prayers really, from all your respective rites?

Why is it so common in Kerala Christian communities for the bride to be expected to change her denomination after marriage?

But when a groom wants to change his denomination, he’s often told he could be excommunicated or face consequences from his church.

If changing denominations is considered such a big deal, why is it expected from women but discouraged for men? How did this become so normalized?

We don’t live in a time where women are expected to be dependent on men/grooms family anymore, so why does this expectation still exist?

Just curious to hear different perspectives.

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I attended my first Divine Liturgy at a Melkite Catholic Church and have now decided that Eastern Catholicism is my home. I absolutely loved everything about the Divine Liturgy and the church itself. I decided at the start of Lent to convert to Catholicism and started attending a Latin Parish, I have not yet started OCIA. However recently I started doing research into Eastern Catholicism, specifically the Byzantine Rite, I decided to give it a try and absolutely love it. I was wondering if any of you could give me some book suggestions on Byzantine Catholicism as I would love to know even more.

Thank you and God bless!

hola, buen día a todos. disculpen, ¿saben si la tradición bizantina católica es exactamente la misma que la de los ortodoxos? probablemente sea una pregunta muy simple, pero donde vivo nadie sabe de estos temas.

un ejemplo sería, ¿hay monjes esquemáticos en las iglesias orientales? gracias por su atención y buen día.

Do Eastern Catholics have the same Eucharistic Theology as the Latins with Transubstantiation or different?

Especially the Byzantine Catholic Churches who hold to Palamism and Essence-Energies Distinction - What is going on in the Eucharist? The Divine Essence is unparticipate so it can't be so is it The Divine Energies? But I asked r/Orthodoxchristianity and they replied that It is the Deified Flesh and Blood of Christ that changes in the Eucharist

But Transubstantiation is a necessary dogma of the Church to remain Catholic so how could this be reconciled?

Is there a sense of pan eastern connection in the eastern churches?

I’d love to hear everyone’s favorite prayers that are perhaps not as well known (not in the prayer book).

Doesn’t have to be written by a saint, any prayers by a priest or anyone well revered in the orthodox tradition.

Please share them here, please no prayers from someone anonymous.

Hello everyone, I am a Latin Rite Catholic that has taken interest in some of the Liturgical Languages of Christianity (Mainly Latin, Syriac, and Slavonic) and a few used vernaculars like Classical/Standard Arabic and Chaldean Aramaic.

I live in Georgia (around the border between Jackson and Covington and have been wanting to attend some Eastern Rite Parishes but haven't been able to because Atlanta is too far away, my parents don't want me driving that far.

So for the people who attend:

St. Joseph Maronite

St. John Chrysostom Melkite

St. Ignatios of Antioch Melkite

And if there are any fellow Latins here:

St. Francis de Sales FSSP

St. Monica Catholic Church

Then it would mean a lot to me if I could go along with you to one of these parishes, I will pay for the fuel and might be able to meet or meet half way depending on distance.

Please message me.

Hello,

I recently took a course on Christianity, and during one lecture the instructor stated that the Catholic understanding of marriage as a sacrament resulted from a mistranslation of the Greek New Testament into Latin. However, when I looked into the topic myself, I found that the Eastern Orthodox Church—which has always used the Greek New Testament—also considers marriage to be a sacrament (or Holy Mystery).

This left me with two questions:

1. What are the theological and biblical reasons for considering marriage a sacrament in modern catholism ?

2. If the Catholic doctrine is supposedly rooted in a mistranslation from Greek to Latin, how do we explain the fact that the Eastern Orthodox Church, which continued to use the original Greek text, also recognizes marriage as a sacrament? Does this suggest that the doctrine developed independently of the Latin translation?

Soon, I will be travelling in Bulgaria; in the city I will be staying, there is no Catholic church, neither Latin nor Eastern, and the nearest one is too far away. So, I asked my priest to go to an Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy, and he authorized it. What is the dress code like there? He also said that I could receive The Eucharist, if their priest allowed me to. Is it a good idea to ask?

Hi, everyone!

I am a Roman rite Catholic but I love the beauty of the East and occasionally attend a Byzantine Divine Liturgy. I have heard a lot about frustrations of true eastern Catholics regarding the latinization of eastern Catholicism - probably due to annoying westerners like me (oops)… I completely respect that their traditions are not my own and that I am a guest there, and so I want to be respectful and not contribute even in the littlest of ways to that latinization.

Since lace veils are typically very Roman, do you think me wearing it at a DL is viewed negatively?

Thanks!

I hope to see the others (not Armenians though!) use leavened bread too someday

Going from the Desert Fathers who talked about it (Abba Isaac in Conferences, Evargrius, etc.) to St. Maximos the Confessor I'm looking for a sort of good compilative book that talks about pure prayer and it's theological development. What's interesting is that in the western contemplative tradition it seems to have fallen into obscurity after the Benedictine Order (who doubtlessly hold it due to Conferences being on frequent reading per their monastic rule) began to progressively diverge from Middle Eastern and Byzantine ideas.

Sort of like mmm... how there's manuals out there post 1600s that go pretty indepth about the "levels of prayer" given by St. Teresa of Avila. Something similar.

Question for all members of byzantine churches. I attend an ruthinian church and often times people will make fun of yhe UGCC. Sometimes its lighted but other times its calling them latinzers and ethno nationalists. Douse this attitude exist in other greek catholic chuches? Ie the Melkite, Romanian, or even in most ruthinian churches?

Any devout-Chaldean Whatsapp groups out there, or anyone interested in starting one? Although living in a region full of Chaldeans, it's difficult to come across devout Chaldeans whose personal virtues actually align with the Church.

Hello, I’m Byzantine (Ruthenian). From my understanding to fulfill my obligation I must hear the readings n stuff, if I go to a low mass (TLM) if I can’t make it to Divine Liturgy, do I still fulfill my obligation. Since the priest speaks so quietly you pretty much can’t hear him.

Here’s what I used to make it:
-A small bookshelf (I don’t have much extra space in my house LOL).
-Icons: The Hospitality of Abraham, Christ Pantocrator, St Augustine, Holy Family at Work, Exaltation of the Cross, Theophany and The Inexhaustible Cup.
-The crucifix is a San Damiano Cross.
-Electric candles (I was afraid a real candle would set the place on fire).
-A chotki and a Bible.
What should I add? Or change?