Catholic-Orthodox Christian Life

In the end, it would seem, precisely what one believes theologically may make little difference. The Orthodox emphasis on healing and growth would imply that anyone who participated in Church life (prayer, fasting, almsgiving, going to church, sharing Christ's love with others), would be participating in theosis regardless of what motivated them.

I have a friend who is Catholic, and we've talked about our respective checkered religious pasts. Both of us share an interest in visiting churches, and experiencing various liturgies. We discovered that each of us has a sense of God's presence in a church. In some churches the presence is very strongly - almost overwhelmingly felt. In some churches the feeling is hardly there or entirely absent. We both observed that we have always experienced that presence most strongly in Catholic and Orthodox churches. Every Catholic church I have ever visited has had that real presence. I always experience the Catholic Liturgy with awe and respect. As an Orthodox believer, I am loathe to cite my Catholic brothers and sisters as heretics. To be sure, there have been many mistakes made by Catholic clergy and theologians, but Orthodox clergy and theologians have been guilty of mistakes too.

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