I met some friends this evening at a local Greek Orthodox Church. They were having their annual festival. We got some delicious Greek food including Gyros and baklava, and enjoyed perusing the vendor tents. One of them had icons in various sizes for sale, with different saints and holy events depicted. We also went inside the church and were surprised at how small it was. There were only about 20 small pews in total. Icons adorned the walls – there were more of the works of art than there were places for people to sit. One of the priests was there and one of my friends started asking questions. He gave us an overview as to how the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church became divided. At the beginning of Christianity, there were 5 major locations where the church was thriving. Each had their own bishop. The 5 bishops would meet regularly to discuss and agree upon matters of faith. Basically, the Catholic Church gave all authority to the bishop of Rome – the Pope. So, while the Greek Orthodox and Catholic faith are very close in their beliefs, the Greek Orthodox maintains their own head of the church and doesn’t recognize the Pope as having all the power. It was interesting to listen to him and wonder if these churches who are so close in faith would reunite. My friends and I had a good time eating, enjoying each others company, seeing the beautiful icons, and learning about the Greek Orthodox Church.

I Found God today learning more about the history of the Church.