Knowledge Corner

The Church is a journey that begins here on earth and ends in Heaven. This means that the church is here on earth and in Heaven. In our Divine Liturgy the Priest in one of the petitions says, “For this City and every City and Country and for the faithful who live in them” This supplication was made not only for the people but also for the material things in the world. Because the Church knows that human beings here on earth are connected with the material world. Every human being has his/her own place in the world, and the church also is everywhere. Where the Divine Liturgy is celebrated there is the Church. What we call the “Parish” it is a very ancient institution with the church as its spiritual center. The Parish Church is where, in the name of the authorized Bishop, the authorized Priest performs the Divine Liturgy. The Parish therefore is the church. We say as Christians that our homes are on this earth, but the Church is not of the earth, but she exists on earth and journeys towards Heaven. 

 

The Hope of all Christians here on earth is to live a Christian life, and to fight the good fight, which is a hope that is found in Heaven. But to reach that plateau, we need to fortify ourselves with the armor of Christ and His Church to battle the satanic influences that we challenge and face every day of our lives. 

 

It is not easy to live a Christian life on this earth because there are so many obstacles to bear, but the Church gives us the opportunity to achieve our spiritual goals in life. So the Church is here and it’s the temporary residence of the Christians upon the earth. The Parish is not just a part of the Church, but the whole church, in as much as the church is “the Body of Christ” and is not divided, but complete in all its part. This is the work of the Church - in this present world and its ministry to the mystery of salvation which the church continues on her journey. Let us bring before our eyes the picture of Jesus Christ, as He was going up to Jerusalem with His disciples. It is the journey of the Church in the course of history that leads men and creation towards the resurrection. Every Divine Liturgy is a step that not only brings closer, but puts us 

 

inside of the Light and Joy of the resurrection. Neither in space nor in time is there any distance in the Divine Liturgy. The Church did not separate time, nor space, nor place. Every time in some place, or time, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated where the entire Church is present, the earth and Heaven, all the time, the past and the future, become the present time.