On the question of the calendar

Tessa · Post by **Tessa** » Sat 31 December 2005 4:34 pm

Well I dabbled in OCA for a month or so-for a few reasons. However I find myself completely unable to adapt to the use of the "new" calendar. Our (Serbian) people held to the truth against the Islamic occupiers and the westerns heretics so I can't see myself just conforming to it here. My husband-not particularly religious fellow-says plainly, "if they change the calender, who knows what else they'll change". And sure enough praxis in the OCA church where I attended has become so lenient-among MANY MANY other things, almost NOBODY confesses before they commune. So it just goes to show you once you start pulling at a string, the whole sweater unravels. When a certain OCA bishop was questioned about the use of the Julian calendar in parishes where the people wanted it could vote for it-he replied (me paraphrasing it) "the Old Calendar is a contradiction of the missionary spririt of the OCA". :ohvey:

Lord have mercy on us all.

Tessa

Tessa · Post by **Tessa** » Sun 1 January 2006 2:33 pm

After re-reading this post I realized that it may seem harsh, and I'd like to clarify myself. The people (congregation) at the OCA along with the priest and the reader, etc. were some of the most warm, Christian people I have encountered in Orthodoxy. I just think they have had some incorrect Theological interpretations in last few decades, and perhaps bad (for lack of a better word) leadership. However, not to say that any church, especially the Serbian, is any better.

Hope I didn't offend anyone.

In Christ,
Tessa

CorpusChristi · Post by **CorpusChristi** » Sun 1 January 2006 3:24 pm

TESSA-"My husband-not particularly religious fellow-says plainly, "if they change the calender"

WEll that statement about your husband automatically eliminates his opinion, about the church..

Tessas- who knows what else they'll change".

The Oca didnt change anything, The calendar is still the same 25th of December ,the celebration and Nativity of our Lord. what has changed is the Civil Calendar, you know the calendar you and your husband and I follow in our secular lives,yeah that one...we live our secular lives and then we enter prayer and the church services and all of a sudden we are Old Calendar- its nonsense... one must not get intwined in the wickedness and snares of the evil one, for it loves to entangle us in confusion upon this HUMAN ERROR of civil calendar verses The TRUE CALENDAR of the Church... no one is better or less, that is God`s Judgement, we only maintain a loving relationship with either new or Olc calendar as I prefer..

Tess- And sure enough praxis in the OCA church where I attended has become so lenient-among MANY MANY other things, almost NOBODY confesses before they commune.

this has unfortunately become the norm in alot of church`s not just OCA , some say its the rise of the anti-Christ, the same one that stormed the roman church along time ago. the Priests and Bishops have been entrusted with all of us,and should be teaching thow this is heresy at its finest, and you are right Tessa it starts off with this and that and next thing you know, no one is signing themselves in Church...and if you watch and pray you will notice alot of people in any Orthodox church hardly sign themselves anymore, and then there are the ones that do it too many times, and as the holy fathers say-Doing this disrupts the order of the Service of the church and the fallen angels w/the evil one laugh .......

Tessa · Post by **Tessa** » Sun 1 January 2006 6:01 pm

WEll that statement about your husband automatically eliminates his opinion, about the church..

Ummm no. Excuse me. My husband is a baptized Orthodox Christian, SINCE BIRTH.

He fasts, confesses, communes (albeit maybe sometimes less than he should), engages in corporal and private prayer etc. so I think that gives him a pretty good authority to form an opinion->regardless of whether you accept it or not. I should probably rephrase myself though, instead of saying he is not religious to saying he is not well read and not particularly interested in other Orthodox jurisdictions and their praxis and/or lack thereof.

Just like to clarify that.
For growing up in a communist country, my husband is a better Orthodox Christian than I should expect him to be. I pray for him everyday.

In Christ,
Tessa

Tessa · Post by **Tessa** » Sun 1 January 2006 6:06 pm

this has unfortunately become the norm in alot of church`s not just OCA

You are right. Again I should clarify myself. These sorts of errors (or even sins) have become the norm in other NEW CALENDAR juridictions-GOA, Antiochian, etc. I have yet to see with my own eyes in ANY Orthodox Church who uses the Julian Calendar a person be communed without receiving the Mystery of Confession.

Forgive me if I am wrong.

In Christ,
Tessa

CorpusChristi · Post by **CorpusChristi** » Sun 1 January 2006 6:34 pm

Im glad you re-phrased your comment about your husband, clearly we must remember that when we write it sometimes gets taken in the wrong way or tone...

Tessa-He fasts, confesses, communes (albeit maybe sometimes less than he should),*

if only i wasnt guilty of the latter,aswell....
I pray that i am not aware of who is confessing and who isnt, before receiving the holy Mysteries...My Priest questions anyone who he didnt confess that day or the night before, and the responses have been
"Im passing thru, I confessed last night at my Parish,with Father ???"
if my Priest sees there eyes are honest, he makes them kneel in front of him and covers them and says the proper prayers and confesses,absolves them according to his apostolic vows...this has only happened twice before my own eyes, and i questioned this ,and found out it was a couple that used to live and be part of the church for many,many years and now live in a remote area, and will visit some of our churchs on there way......anybody else is turned away... to Belittle the Sacred Holy mysteries is very bad, and that goes for both Parts the Priest and the receiver... we should always let the Priest know what we see and feel is wrong, when someone doesnt confess and we know they have received the Holy Mysteries we become part of a grave sin commited in the church....

1937 Miraculous Cross · Mon 2 January 2006 12:13 am

Tessa wrote:

When a certain OCA bishop was questioned about the use of the Julian calendar in parishes where the people wanted it could vote for it-he replied (me paraphrasing it) "the Old Calendar is a contradiction of the missionary spririt of the OCA".

On the contrary. People are looking for the Truth! They are looking for the True Church, the One, Holy, & Apostolic Church. The Church which deemed it worthy and necessary for liturgical unity by establishing a universal way to date Pascha. A Church which in its 1593 Sigillion said we should follow the calendar the Holy Fathers enacted for us, and anathematized any change from it. So, I find it sad that people who are looking for Christ's Church, may end up in New Calendar jurisdictions and not realize that they are under the anathema. Then when they later find out about the Patristic Calendar, they are forced into a confusing position, to justify staying where they are, or to once again leave a church and break ties with the parish they thought was Orthodox.

Nectarios