Mom's first DL

[kamikat]

Mom came with me to Lazarus Saturday DL this morning. We got there a little early and she had questions. She asked about a confession taking place, then asked about all the kissing and touching the floor. She talked through the whole thing. She was surprised at all the people "back there", as well as that there were no alter girls. She complained about everything being repeated so much, and asked about EVERYTHING, but for the most part, she thought it was pretty. On our way to the car, I asked what she thought. Her response was "it's nice to have all the fancy stuff and it was prettier than your typical Protestant service". That just struck me as funny. I think she thinks it's Protestant:o

kamikat

[MariaRegina]

Focus on "It's nice to have all the fancy stuff."

That is a great statement. It seems that she misses the mystery that is so lacking in a lot of modern services. Maybe she will come home to Orthodoxy some day.

Ask her if she would like to see the feast of feasts at Pascha. We do know how to celebrate and it is more than just fancy, it is heavenly worship.

[kamikat]

That is a great statement. It seems that she misses the mystery that is so lacking in a lot of modern services. Maybe she will come home to Orthodoxy some day.

Ask her if she would like to see the feast of feasts at Pascha. We do know how to celebrate and it is more than just fancy, it is heavenly worship.

I doubt she'd ever convert. She has alot of baggage regarding Orthodoxy and her ex-husband's family. Plus, she's just not that kind of person. She's quite happy just going about her day, not really giving much time to deeper thought about anything. She equates my searching for churches as a bad thing and tells me I think too much about this kind of stuff.

kamikat

[Iacobus]

Mom came with me to Lazarus Saturday DL this morning. We got there a little early and she had questions. She asked about a confession taking place, then asked about all the kissing and touching the floor. She talked through the whole thing. She was surprised at all the people "back there", as well as that there were no alter girls. She complained about everything being repeated so much, and asked about EVERYTHING, but for the most part, she thought it was pretty. On our way to the car, I asked what she thought. Her response was "it's nice to have all the fancy stuff and it was prettier than your typical Protestant service". That just struck me as funny. I think she thinks it's Protestant:o

kamikat
This reminds me of when my father, a devout 7th Day Adventist, went to DL with me. I was very concerned about his reaction, but he sat quietly through the entire thing. Afterwards, we got in the car and, as we were leaving, he said "I don't know what I just saw, and I didn't understand any of it, but it was amazing."

That was all he ever said, but if you knew my Dad, you would know by that short statement that it knocked his socks off. He has never been back, but he no longer tries to argue with me about the Church.

[MariaRegina]

This reminds me of when my father, a devout 7th Day Adventist, went to DL with me. I was very concerned about his reaction, but he sat quietly through the entire thing. Afterwards, we got in the car and, as we were leaving, he said "I don't know what I just saw, and I didn't understand any of it, but it was amazing."

That was all he ever said, but if you knew my Dad, you would know by that short statement that it knocked his socks off. He has never been back, but he no longer tries to argue with me about the Church.


A touch of the Mysterious.*

That's what heaven will be like because our Divine Liturgy is heavenly worship.



*This reminds me about Numinous mentioned in the Introductory to The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis. Have you read that book? It is awesome.

[MariaRegina]

This reminds me of when my father, a devout 7th Day Adventist, went to DL with me. I was very concerned about his reaction, but he sat quietly through the entire thing. Afterwards, we got in the car and, as we were leaving, he said "I don't know what I just saw, and I didn't understand any of it, but it was amazing."

That was all he ever said, but if you knew my Dad, you would know by that short statement that it knocked his socks off. He has never been back, but he no longer tries to argue with me about the Church.

Would your father be open to read CS Lewis, since he was not an Orthodox Christian (just almost)?

[ByzantineDixie]

Interesting. My husband attended my Chrismation and the Divine Liturgy for the first time today and he wasn't remotely impressed. He thought it was extremely different...that was his only comment. I asked him if there were parts that bothered him, like the incense or anything specific. He said no. But on balance he didn't like it. Oh well. A few months ago he said he would never set foot inside an Orthodox church and he came around enough to attend today. So I won't necessarily say this is his last word on the subject.

[kamikat]

Well, mom grew up with the Latin Mass, so it wasn't too much different for her. She's just been a Christmas and Easter Catholic for the last 20 years. What I thought was odd was how her attitude rubbed off on me. Normally, when I'm in DL, I don't think about how long I've been standing or how the litanies repeat over and over or whatever. But today, I was anxious for it to be over and I kept thinking how long it was.
kamikat

[MariaRegina]

With her questions about the Divine Liturgy, I'm sure you couldn't get into the worship of the Trinity as you normally would. Yes, sometimes guests are distracting, but it is a little sacrifice that is worthwhile. You never know when the seed that was planted in her will sprout and bear fruit.

God bless you, dear Kamikat.


Pray for my mom who is quite anti-Catholic and anti-Orthodox. She believes that she can turn bread and wine into Holy Communion, and therefore has no need to attend a liturgy. :eek:

[ThePilgrim]

Interesting. My husband attended my Chrismation and the Divine Liturgy for the first time today and he wasn't remotely impressed. He thought it was extremely different...that was his only comment. I asked him if there were parts that bothered him, like the incense or anything specific. He said no. But on balance he didn't like it. Oh well. A few months ago he said he would never set foot inside an Orthodox church and he came around enough to attend today. So I won't necessarily say this is his last word on the subject.
What? You were chrismated today? Many, many years!!! :-)

Who did you take as your patron saint?

Grace and peace,
John "the Theologian"

[ByzantineDixie]

What? You were chrismated today? Many, many years!!! :-)

Who did you take as your patron saint?

Grace and peace,
John "the Theologian"

:) Yes...I still can hardly believe it! I am so incredibly happy.

Saint name...oh my, it was down to the wire on that. Won't go into why it was so difficult but suffice it to say I felt I won the lottery of Saint names when Father approved! ;)

My patron Saint name is Mary, after the "Unfading Rose", our Most Holy Theotokos. You can put the pieces together to see how I came to that and why it means so much to me.

The funniest thing. My husband's sister's name is Mary L. and when he looked at my Chrismation certificate, which said Mary L., he laughed like crazy. My SIL is a pentacostal AOG person who freaked out the last time she was in our home because of the crucifixes and icons!

Thank you, the Pilgrim.

[Monica, child of God]

Blessings Mary and many years!

Monica

[MariaRegina]

:) Yes...I still can hardly believe it! I am so incredibly happy.

Saint name...oh my, it was down to the wire on that. Won't go into why it was so difficult but suffice it to say I felt I won the lottery of Saint names when Father approved! ;)

My patron Saint name is Mary, after the "Unfading Rose", our Most Holy Theotokos. You can put the pieces together to see how I came to that and why it means so much to me.

The funniest thing. My husband's sister's name is Mary L. and when he looked at my Chrismation certificate, which said Mary L., he laughed like crazy. My SIL is a pentacostal AOG person who freaked out the last time she was in our home because of the crucifixes and icons!

Thank you, the Pilgrim.


That is funny.

Are you going to start using the name Mary?

[kamikat]

Many years!

kamikat

[EvangeliGirl]

Interesting. My husband attended my Chrismation and the Divine Liturgy for the first time today and he wasn't remotely impressed. He thought it was extremely different...that was his only comment. I asked him if there were parts that bothered him, like the incense or anything specific. He said no. But on balance he didn't like it. Oh well. A few months ago he said he would never set foot inside an Orthodox church and he came around enough to attend today. So I won't necessarily say this is his last word on the subject.

Many years, Dixie!

I'm humbled by your circumstance with your husband... was it harder for you near the beginning of your inquiry than it is now? Do you feel stronger so that your husband doesn't discourage you? Sorry, these are really self-centered questions... I'm just looking for encouragement in my own situation...

Anyways, congratulations! I am very happy for you!

[ByzantineDixie]

Many years, Dixie!

I'm humbled by your circumstance with your husband... was it harder for you near the beginning of your inquiry than it is now?

Thank you so much EvangeliGirl.

Yes it was MUCH harder near the beginning of the journey than it is now. For a couple of reasons. Primarily because I didn't want to hurt my husband. Because I didn't want to hurt him our communications were strained and, frankly, that hurt us more than my decision to head East.

At first I also thought I could somehow compromise on the situation. I would attend the Orthodox church and then leave immediately after the liturgy and make it just in time to attend the Lutheran service with my husband and son. That was awful. I was disappointed that I couldn't stay at the Orthodox church for coffee fellowship, I was developing an intolerance for the Lutheran worship and my husband was still not happy because I was attending the Orthodox church...it was lose, lose all the way around. Fortunately that time didn't last long. My husband finally told me that my attendance at the Lutheran church was not what he wanted. He wanted me to stay Lutheran and if I wasn't going to do that then attending services with him didn't really matter.

At some point my husband realized that this wasn't a passing fancy but that I was dead serious about Orthodoxy so the pressure to stay Lutheran lessened with time.

BTW...today our marriage is stronger than I think it has ever been. Orthodoxy has helped me be a better wife and he has always been a wonderful husband. I mean despite the fact that he is crushed that I left the church of his choosing for our family...he attended my Chrismation to be there for me. That says it all.

Do you feel stronger so that your husband doesn't discourage you?

Earlier in the situation I tried to wait until he too would be interested in Orthodoxy but that was too difficult for me. And he wasn't budging.

I don't know that I feel stronger so much as I know the Truth and I cannot help but fix my focus on Him.

My only discouragement today is that my husband has yet to come home to the Church.


Sorry, these are really self-centered questions... I'm just looking for encouragement in my own situation...

Anyways, congratulations! I am very happy for you!

I don't know if you know about this group yet but there is a Yahoo Group, Orthodox Without My Spouse (OXWOMS) (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oxwoms/). This group really helped me in my situation. Everyone participating is either Orthodox while their spouse is not or is heading East without an interested spouse. I got exceptional advice there as well as lots of encouragement during the rough spots. I encourage you to join this group if you are doing this alone.

[kamikat]

TI don't know if you know about this group yet but there is a Yahoo Group, Orthodox Without My Spouse (OXWOMS) (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oxwoms/). This group really helped me in my situation. Everyone participating is either Orthodox while their spouse is not or is heading East without an interested spouse. I got exceptional advice there as well as lots of encouragement during the rough spots. I encourage you to join this group if you are doing this alone.

Thanks for that link!

kamikat

[EvangeliGirl]

Thank you so much, Dixie, for your wonderful response! Someone did mention that group to me early on but I've neglected to really look into it... I will give it at try.

Thanks again!