The Church is formed and manifested in the celebration of the mystery of Divine Thanksgiving and our participation in it, because it is the mystery that transforms the community, that is, the parish, into a Church. In the mystery of Divine Thanksgiving, the parish is a universal Church, because Christ Himself is present in it. The faithful must know that every time they gather to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, “their Church gathers,” that is, the entire Church. Every member of the parish is a member of the universal Orthodox Church.

The Church is the link between humans themselves, and between them and God, in the image of the partnership existing between the Holy Trinity. In this sense, there was a Church in Paradise, but the fall of man from the first communion led to the transfer of the Church from Paradise to earth.