What I leaned in Curch today (part 2)

Just a quick note on my current experience in the catechumenate...

In addition to Father Peter being an amazing spiritual leader, he occasionally gives me homework, which is rare, as I have a propensity for stuffing information in my eye holes like so many donuts at a police station. As we where reviewing and discussing The Divine Liturgy of saint John Chrysostom, he asked me to study and compare the Anaphora therein to the one found in The Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. And I did. And wow. Rather than go into detail about the inclusion of extended theological statements found in the latter, I recommend reviewing them your self. My point in all of this is, needless to say, I prefer Saint Basils! (lol)

What I learned in Church today (part1)

Today I finally began the official cathecumenate process at my church, Saint Basil the Great Orthodox Church, here in Wilmington. And, man does it feel good!

Allow me to preface this by saying that I've been ingesting information on the church like a shark ingests a surfer. Needless to say, I thought I was going at a great pace, but, oh, how thankfully wrong I was.

For starters, I can read all the theology I want, I can observe and replicate the mechanics of prayer and worship, but with out the knowledge imparted to me today, it would lack any true depth of meaning. So beginning after a lengthy and eye opening discussion about my faith, my journey, and my basic understanding, I got what was, for all intents and purposes, a crash course in the front of house operation in The Orthodox Church. Granted, I knew quite a bit about why the building is the way it is, where to bow, when to cross, and what to kiss. My understanding ended there. The Father was very thorough and loving in his explanations as to why we cross and when, what we kiss and when, and, most importantly HOW TO PRAY DURING IT ALL. Such a simple thing, yet, with out it, all for naught.  

Now mind you, much of this information has been at my fingertips, both on line, and in my prayer book (to one extent or another), but, for some reason, I'm the kind of dope who just needs to be literally walked though and spoon fed this kind of information. Besides, what good is it to know how to bake a cake, but never actually bake it?! Practice, practice, practice.

I know it may not seem like a lot, and, really, it's not. What it is, though, is immensely important to a strong worship and spiritual foundation. And for that, as well, I am eternally grateful.

Love, in Christ Jesus,
 -Adam

P.S. Here's some links from my church, and some amazing blogs from Orthodox Fathers!
St. Basil the Great Orthodox Church

Glory to God for All Things

Journey to Orthodoxy

Death to the World (Hardcore Punk Orthodoxy!)

Never Enough

So, earlier today, I frantically texted Father Peter. I was having a moment, like so many I have had lately, of complete despair. Yet, not the O, jeeze, life stinks, what am I gonna do?" kind, more like the O, jeeze, I suck at life, my sins are  weighing me down, I'm not good enough for God"kind.

See, for the past two months I've been jamming a metric F-ton of Orthodox theology, prayer rule, and general insight into the steaming lump of gravy I once called my brain. Not to mention diving head first into practice and prayer. And I wonder why I feel guilty.

Duh! I'm a sinner! We all are! And, at this point, I have a ravenous hunger for God, and His Divine Mercy and Grace. I get to thinking chrismation can never come soon enough. But that's the thing, no? I gotta work for it. More prayer, more listening, more study.

Oh, and the point I was getting to...

So I sent a text saying as much in far fewer words. He replied that his family would pray for me tonight.

That was more than I ever could have asked for.

Love in Christ, yo.

Orthodox Prayer

So, I got an itch to sit in front of my computer and spend several hours typing and formatting the prayers found in the Orthodox Study Bible.

Print, share, and enjoy!

Orthodox Study Bible Prayers and Selected Psalms