The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-07
THE RUSSIAN-GREEK CHAPEL.
DOCTRINES OF THE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH


EXPOSITION BY REV. FATHER BJERRING.
At tho regular Sabbath service in the Greek Chapel,
Second avenue yesterday, the Rev. Father BjcrriDg
gave an interesting exposition Of the doctrines Of tho
Greek or orthodox Church. He did this, he said,
chiefly to msundcrs tandings which the public
have MS to tho devotion OF orthodox Church the
VIRGIN Mary and the saints. His Church. Father
Bjcrrng said, while believing tho Blessed Virgin TO
be no ordinary woman, but the elect instrument
OF God in tho work Of redemption as the
mother of tho Saviour, do not at tho
time give to her tho honor duo to the Rcdcemcr
alone They believe that when He, the divine sufferer
COMMITTED HIS beloved disciple 10 her. lie with him
committed all OF us to her motherly love, and the
Church therefore believes that she IN tho Kingdom OF
her divine Son holds sacred place high above all
others The Church also believes in her microscopy
power before the throne oil God and that Eho Is raised
70 this dignity us wei ny aMne justice as oy divine
crowned by divine maternity, which mado her tho
tabernacle OF God incarnate.
In ike manner, Father l}Jcrring remarked tho Greek
Church beeves in the nicrccsson oil the SAINTS and
ordalns reverence toward them lie then showed, from
tho nature OF aud the devotion OF tho SAINTS that
they fail be Interested the progress OF the
Church on carn. Hence prayer Is properly offered 10
them, not from any feeling Of doubt N Divine mercy
or IN the saving ncarness OF God, but rather
that tho communion Of their prayers with
ours may bring down the blessings that . We
not in tho least the just ana firm belief OF the Church
that holy, in the absolute sense OF tho word is God
alone, ana inc holiness Oh tne SAINTS u DuL gL Ol
HIS grace. Another natural consequence OF the
Church's faith In tho communion OF love and prayer
between tho Church upon eartn and that OF heaven
Is her hopeful prayer for the souls OF the departed.
The Greek Church believes IN prayer for the souls OF
those who havc died in tho communion OF love with
her. And mn evidence that this devotion OF tho
Church 10 the Virgin Mary and tho SAINTS has not
any respect weakened or impaired tho bond OF love
that ought between tho Church and her
divine Lord, Father Bcrring pointed 10 tho liturgy,
which hc considered the highest typo OF divno wor-
SHIP and a other acts otdevotion merely supple.
mental and complemcntal OF that Tho order OF ritual
is u mystical shadowng forth of tho principal events
In the lie ana snerngs and death Of blessed Lord
And In the holy sacrament OF the Eucharist we eat tho
mystical flesh and drink the mystical blood OF our
Saviour and show forth His death till HIS coming
again.
Father Bjcrring thought that II all tho canonca
books Of the Bible suddenly bottcd out the liturgy
oil the Church would be sufficient TO show tho iathfu
ness tho Church ana the true spirit OF prayer The
Greek Church believes lpptisma regeneration.
The Church believes also Tran bstantiation, and
that IN tho sacrament OF tho Eucharist tho
orthodox Christian parlakes OF tho true body and
hiaod at ChriaL