| ROMAN CHURCH TODAY | EASTERN CHURCH TODAY |
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Church buildings and services use things from present day, everyday life. We like things that are new and modern, and we use them in worship too. |
Church buildings and services use things from everyday life that have been used for centuries. We like to use things that we have received from our ancestors |
Prayers are kept simple, not repeated. Great care is taken to give the whole text of the service in programs or mistletoes, so that the mind can grasp things clearly. |
Prayers are repeated and sung. There is a lot of movement; many senses are used to get the whole self (mind and body) involved in worshipping God. |
IS ONE TRADITION BETTER THAN THE OTHER? NO!
BOTH TRADITIONS ARE GOOD, AND BOTH ARE CATHOLIC! THE FAITH 1S THE SAME, BUT WE EXPRESS IT DIFFERENTLY. |
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DIFFERENT YET THE SAME
Two TRADITIONS, ВUT ONE CATHOLIC CHURCH |
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There is a more relaxed feeling, very down to earth, using a lot of contemporary music. Liturgy has the feel of a shared meal. |
The use of dramatic music and actions tries to lift people up to experience a "taste of heaven". |
New churches are usually built in a very simple style, with little adornment, and only a few pieces of art, to fit into the modern world and reflect modern tastes.
Emphasis: God loves us the way we are, and our current styles and fashions can give glory to God, just as past styles did. |
Even new churches with modern lines usually have domes and a lot of icons, emphasizing that traditions which the Church develope over the centuries are still meaningful today in the modern world.
Emphasis: God has been with us through the centuries. Even though things change, God's lov and our response are always the same, yesterday, and today. |
Contemporary artists are encouraged to let their individual experiences of God come through their art. This encourages creativity and artistic freedom, but cuts down on the common ownership and understanding of this religious art by others.
Emphasis: Many people have their own understanding of God, and what God's love means for us. |
Icons express the public teaching of the Church. The individual artist's ideas are secondary. Iconographers have a somewhat limited freedom., hut the basic message of salvation in the icon is more easily grasped by others.
Emphasis: There are things about God's love which we have all experienced and understand together. |
EASTERN AND WESTERN CA THOLICS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
AND RESPECT EACH OTHER. WE HAVE THE SAME CATHOLIC FAITH, BUT WE EXPRESS IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS. |
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WESTERN CATHOLICS (ROMAN/lATIN) FOCUS ON: |
EASTERN CATHOLICS (UKRAINIAN/BYZANTINE) FOCUS ON: |
| WHEN THINKING OF MAJOR CATHOLIC DOCTRINES | ||
| God as One but also Three | TRINITY | God as three persons but also One |
| Jesus as Human (who is also Divine) | CHRIST | Jesus as a Divine person (who is also human) |
| Unity. Direct connection with the Pope | CHURCH | Diversity. Connection with Pope through Intermediate structures such as Synods. |
| Mary as Virgin. We relate to her human experiences. | MARY | Mary as THEOTOKOS or Mother of God. We stand in awe before the cosmic implication. |
| Lord's Super; down to earth atmosphere; rational, clear messages; more use of reason; very frugal use of symbols; focus on the here and now; social justice issues; beauty in simplicity; use of various musical instruments in the liturgy. | LITURGY | Heavenly Liturgy; cosmic realities; mystery; awe; subconscious, holistic, more use of the senses; repetition as a way into the deeper self; focus on eschatology i.e.-heaven on earth; beauty in its fullness; liturgies sung in their entirely; but without instruments. |
| More linear; either-or; prefer philosophical clarity to poetic synthesis. | THINKING | More symbolic; more paradoxical; both-and; prefer poetic wholeness to philosophical clarity. |
EASTERN AND WESTERN CATHOLICS HAVE DIFFERENT
MENTALITIES, THEY EMPHASIZE DIFFERENT ASPECTS, BUT THEY HOLD THE SAME CATHOLIC FAITH. EASTERN AND WESTERN CATHOLICS DO NOT CONTRADICT EACH OTHER. THEY COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER. |
