- The post on infallibility has been started but is delayed. I’m digging through the Roman Catechism at this point and engaging it. Is there anything comparable on the Orthodox side?
- A rather large post on Changeable Elements in the Daily Office got lost prior to posting. Grr! Perhaps it’ll be better next time around by benefit of clearer expression.
- I received a very helpful email today from Donald Schell containing papers written by Rick Fabian and Fr. Schell concerning CWOB. As I told him, I’m really not interested in torching straw men; I’d like to engage the best theological case out there for CWOB in order to present the soundest possible response from a catholic position.
- Early tomorrow morning in lieu of writing posts or addresses, I’ll be running the nastiest 10K in the Baltimore region, the Dreaded Druid Hills 10K. It’ll be great fun!
- The Diocese of Kentucky is holding its electing convention tomorrow for its next bishop. If you look over the ballot you’ll see at least one very familiar name from this corner of the blogosphere. Let us then pray for attentive listening to the Spirit as the diocese gathers to choose its next leader:
O God, who didst lead thy holy apostles to ordain ministers
in every place: Grant that thy Church, under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, may choose suitable persons for the ministry
of Word and Sacrament, and may uphold them in their work
for the extension of thy kingdom; through him who is the
Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
and orthodox catechism? seems unlikely….
I certainly haven’t heard of such an animal… But—how does a church claim infallibility without something to point to concerning what it teaches? Or is that somehow an Augustinian hang-up that I don’t get because I’m not Orthodox?
The Orthodox tend to point to the entire Tradition, including the Scriptures, the Ecumenical Councils, The Fathers, and the Liturgy.
The last item, explains why they tend to be very very conservative about changing the Liturgy.
Wow. Fr. Nick! Very cool. I hope he gets it – but only if he wants it…..
“The Church is infallible. This again follows from the indissoluble unity between God and His Church. Christ and the Holy Spirit cannot err, and since the Church is Christ’s body, since it is a continued Pentecost, it is therefore infallible. It is “the pillar and the ground of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). “When he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). So Christ promised at the Last Supper; and Orthodoxy believes that Christ’s promise cannot fail. In the words of Dositheus: ‘We believe the Catholic Church to be taught by the Holy Spirit … and therefore we both believe and profess as true and undoubtedly certain, that it is impossible for the Catholic Church to err, or to be at all deceived, or ever to choose falsehood instead of truth (Confession, Decree 12).
The Church’s infallibility is expressed chiefly through Ecumenical Councils.” –Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Church
very useful, toni. thank you.
Shouldn’t you be calling this an Anglo-Catholic position rather than Catholic?
There is no official Orthodox catechism, but Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church has put together a catechism that is highly regarded:
http://en.hilarion.orthodoxia.org/5_1
I on the other hand am going to B’more to shop for fabric for a new green chasuble. Our present greens were made from someone a foot taller than our new curate.
Thanks for the pointers, Toni and Jay!
Michelle, I try to use small ‘c’ catholic to refer to the system of beliefs held in common by the Undivided Church–Roman Catholic Orthodox, and Anglo-Catholic alike. To say that something is ‘Anglo-Catholic’ may or may not be a fully catholic position, attitude or belief. I.e., some specifically Anglo-Catholic beliefs are not held by the Orthodox and some are not held by the Roman Catholics.
Good luck fabric hunting—out of curiosity, where do you shop for it in Balmer?
I survived the run, just broke 50:00 which would ordinarily disappoint me but I consider it a decent time on this course…
I have in my hot little hand “A New-Style Catechism on the Eastern Orthodox Faith for Adults” by the Rev George Mastrantonis, first publishing date 1969. It’s got endorsements from the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I and Archbishop Iakonos.
I’ll get it to you via the afore mentioned Curate.
There’s a family-run back-of-the-building store on Falls Road called “A Fabric Place”. Not only did they have a very nice green, but they have a selection of vestment fabrics in all colors (we have our parish eye on the purple).