​Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
Picking up where I left off introducing my series on the different denominations within Christianity, we will begin looking at the Eastern Orthodox.  Last time I stated that the first major division within the Body of Christ, i.e., the Church, occurred in 1054 when the Eastern Orthodox broke away from the Roman Catholic West.  This happened when Rome excommunicated the East, and the East excommunicated Rome.  Many political, cultural, economic, social, and theological differences led to this break up… more than we have time to deal with here. 
 
For the first 1,000 years following the time of Christ and his apostles, the Church was largely one united body.  As the Faith was spread throughout the world, the West was largely evangelized through Rome, while the East was largely evangelized through Constantinople, which had become the new Eastern capital of the Roman Empire.  Therefore, most Eastern Orthodox Christians are found in Greece, Russia, Turkey, and other eastern European and Middle Eastern countries.  Today Eastern Orthodox Christianity is comprised of 15 independent, or “autocephalous” churches.  Each church governs itself and selects its own bishop.
 
Of all the denominations in Christianity, the Eastern Orthodox are closest to us in belief.  Like us Catholics, the Orthodox hold that there are seven sacraments.  We also acknowledge that those sacraments are valid.  For instance, when they celebrate the Mass, or “Divine Liturgy” as they call it, we believe that their Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of the Christ.  This is because their bishops, like ours, still have apostolic succession – i.e. they have an unbroken connection back to the apostles.  Because of this apostolic succession, we see their ordination to the priesthood, and therefore, their other sacraments as valid as well.  This is not the case in Protestant churches.
 
While we are very similar in belief to the Orthodox, and we recognize the validity of their sacraments, their liturgy (or Mass) looks very different.  It is generally much longer, structured differently, and is more elaborate.  The Orthodox devotional life is also heavily centered on the use of icons (flat, painted images of Christ and/or the saints, which represent their presence and intercession for believers.  Orthodox churches typically feature and “iconostasis,” or wall of icons, that separate the congregation from the sanctuary of the church.
 
With the exception of bishops and monks, Orthodox priests may marry.  Aside from this and a few other theological differences and emphases, the most significant difference between Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox is disagreement about the authority of the Pope over all Christians. 
 
Most recent in Catholic-Orthodox ecumenical relations was the meeting between Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Havana, Cuba on February 12, 2016.  There, the two signed a joint declaration on a variety of topics.

Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
One common perception that many people have today is that all religions essentially believe the same thing, or at least that the various denominations within Christianity essentially believe the same thing.  While it is true that there are many core beliefs that unite us, there are also significant differences.  I’d like to dedicate this and some future columns to offer a brief teaching on the major denominations in Christianity, and attempt to explain the beliefs that unite us, and those on which we differ.  To do this, I will be drawing significantly from two sources: Separated Brethren, by William J. Whalen, published by Our Sunday Visitor in 2002; and A Shepherd Tends His Flock by Fr. John Girotti, published by Tau in 2010.
 
In John 17:21, Jesus prayed to the Father that the flock of his followers be united: “I pray that they may all be one.  As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us… so that the world may know you have sent me.”  Why would Jesus pray for unity among his followers, i.e. among his Church?  Simply put, unity among believers gives a more effective witness of the presence of Christ in the world.  Just imagine how many more hearts would be converted to the Lord if more Christians were united in worship and belief!  Some Christians today have gone as far as to suggest that such differences among Christians (at least in belief) are good and healthy.  But how could this be true?  If Jesus Christ is the Son of God who has come into the world to reveal to us the Truth, how could the message involve contradictions or a contradicting belief system?
 
The Second Vatican Council makes a very strong claim: “For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained.”  In other words, while the Church acknowledges the existence of truth (or degrees of truth) and helps to salvation in other churches or ecclesial communities, the fullness of truth and help toward salvation are found in the Catholic Church.  The Council also stated that, “The sole Church of Christ is that which our Savior, after his resurrection, entrusted to Peter’s pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it…  This Church constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of St. Peter and by the bishops in communion with him.”  Again, in simpler words, we believe that Christ founded the Catholic Church.  This claim comes well supported by Scripture, history, and the unbroken line of successors of St. Peter to the present Pope Francis.
 
The divisions that exist in the Church/Christianity today could be attributed primarily to two main breaks.  The first occurred when the Eastern Orthodox Churches broke away from the Western Catholic Church in 1054.  The second was the Protestant Reformation following objections made by Martin Luther in 1517.  These divisions did not occur without sins and failures on both sides of the fence.  As we strive to learn more about our differences and similarities, we want to pray that unity among us may one day be restored.  The work of dialogue and overcoming differences between us and our separated Christian brothers and sisters is what we call “ecumenism.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
Occasionally I get asked the question about what the Church really teaches about suicide.  This question seems to be gaining increasing relevance.  I recently came across an article that reported statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control.  According to the CDC, between 1999 and 2014 there has been a 24% increase in the nation’s suicide rate, with 42,773 people ending their lives in 2014, compared with 29,199 in 1999.  Most notably during that 15-year period, the suicide rate for girls age 10 to 14 had tripled, as well as there being a 63% increase for women ages 45 to 64.
 
Typically, factors leading someone to choose to end their life might include biological predispositions to serious depression, personality disorders, or environmental factors such as abuse or neglect.  In addition to these factors, some researchers suspect the increased rate of suicide might also be influenced by digital communications, which may be transforming social attitudes about suicide.  Researchers also suggest that there may be more factors in our country today that lead people to feel socially isolated, without hope and without options.  These are just a few resources on suicide prevention and support for families of victims of suicide: Suicide Prevention Resource Center – sprc.org; Allianceofhope.org; Suicide.org
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers very clear teaching about suicide:
2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him.  It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life.  We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls.  We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us.  It is not ours to dispose of.
2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life.  It is gravely contrary to the just love of self.  It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations.  Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.
2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal.  Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.  Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.  We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives.  By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.  The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.
 
It used to be that the Church’s Code of Canon Law mentioned suicide as an impediment to receiving Catholic funeral rites and burial.  Such impediments would be applicable if they involved some sort of a denial of the Faith and/or there was no sign of repentance before death.  Suicide was removed as an impediment in the Church’s revision of the law due to the teaching in the paragraph above about the importance of praying for those who have taken their lives, not despairing of their eternal salvation, but trusting in God’s great mercy and perfect judgment.

Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
A few months ago, you may recall having heard in the news that Pope Francis released his apostolic exhortation entitled, Amoris Laetitia (On Love in the Family).  If you heard about it, you might be wondering why I’ve waited nearly three months to comment on it in the bulletin.  Well, for one thing, I often write these columns well in advance of the bulletin printing.  And secondly, I wanted to wait and see what people out there would say in response to the document, particularly the media.
 
First of all, you might be wondering, “What is an apostolic exhortation?”  An apostolic exhortation is written by the Pope to exhort, or encourage, the faithful to grow in their life in Christ in some way.  Its purpose is not to change dogmatic teachings.  Amoris Laetitia is a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, meaning that it is the Pope’s exhortation following a synod ( -- in this case, the Synod on the Family that convened in Rome in October last year and the year before).  After the bishops have met for the synod, the Pope considers their thoughts and recommendations and communicates his conclusions in the exhortation.
 
Now that you know what an apostolic exhortation is, a few words about Amoris Laetitia:  While the scope of this document is much broader, the media has tended to focus on only two of its topics: the Pope’s pastoral council for those in same-sex unions, and those Catholics who are divorced and civilly remarried without the Church’s declaration of nullity (“annulment”) on their first marriage.  Many wondered if the Pope was going to change the Church’s teaching or pastoral approach to persons in these situations.
 
According to Vatican Radio, Amoris Laetitia “affirms the Church’s teaching that stable families are the building block of a healthy society and a place where children learn to love, respect, and interact with others.  At the same time the text warns against idealizing the many challenges facing family life, urging Catholics to care fore, rather than condemning, all those whose lives do not reflect the teaching of the Church.  In particular the document focuses on the need for ‘personal and pastoral discernment’ for individuals, recognizing that ‘neither the Synod, nor this Exhortation could be expected to provide a new set of general rules, canonical in nature and applicable to all cases.’”
 
Rather than changing the Church’s teaching or making new rules permitting reception of Holy Communion for those in irregular situations (as many were anticipating from this document), Pope Francis encourages pastors and all members of the Church to walk with people in their broken situations in order to draw them closer to Christ and his Church, while at the same time standing by the Church’s teaching.  In a way, this is nothing new, for I know many priests who always try to take this approach with people.  But at the same time, it is good for all of us to be encouraged in this manner – not only pastors, but the laity in their relations with other people in their lives who find themselves not in conformity with the Church’s teaching on morality, particularly in the area of marriage and family. 
 
Amoris Laetitia is not a short document, but it’s a beautiful and insightful one.  If you have some time, I encourage you to read it, or at least to take a look at it, especially the latter half.  You can find it at: https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html