Thank you for your reply. I do not think pride is everything in this case, but I agree that you have a point.

Please do not misunderstand me, I am definitely not perfect and I know it. I know that I am at war with myself and my sinful nature just as everyone else may be. I sometimes pray about mistakes I've made years ago, which I can no longer right. This does me good.

I was just shocked by the level of difference between the RC service (also populated by goodhearted sinners) and the Orthodox service. Maybe you had to be there, but the lit candle or two on the carpet, the kids sprinting around in circles during the Liturgy, the man inviting me back to his place, and the girl snapping that she was a real professional, etc., all happened within maybe an hour of each other, which was night and day compared to the usual Catholic Mass I attend.