Page 42 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O r t h o d o x y
tological reality, each revealing in its own way the life of the
Kingdom.
Thus, the structure of the Church—bishop, presbyter, dea-
con, and laity—is not accidental. It belongs to the very form
of Eucharistic existence. The one who presides over the Eu-
charist, above all the bishop, does not simply perform a func-
tion, but manifests the presence of Christ within the commu-
nity. The response of the faithful—their “Amen”—seals and
completes this offering, revealing the unity of the Body.
The Eucharistic community is also catholic in its very com-
position. In it, all divisions are overcome: “neither Jew nor
Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female” (Gala-
tians 3:28). Natural and social distinctions do not disappear,
but they no longer divide. The Eucharist gathers all into one
Body, prefiguring the unity of the Kingdom.
For this reason, the Church has always insisted that the
Eucharistic community in each place be one. Just as the people
of God will be gathered from the ends of the earth into one
Kingdom, so the local Church manifests this unity in the one
Eucharistic assembly.
Finally, the Eucharist reveals the Kingdom not only in
structure, but also in beauty. The light, the vestments, the
chanting, the icons—all these are not adornments, but mani-
festations. They are not meant to impress, but to reveal. They
show us what the world is called to become. In the Divine
Liturgy, we do not escape reality; we encounter its true form.
If the Eucharist reveals the life of the Church as commu-
nion, then the question arises: how is this life expressed, safe-
guarded, and transmitted? For the Church does not live only
by experience, but also by truth—truth confessed, proclaimed,
and handed down.
We must now consider the place of faith—and with it dog-
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