Let us say a few words about Parish-Eucharist – what kind of community of people this is, point out some characteristics of parishioners and in what direction to move in repentance from the gathering-heap to the parish-body. Parishioners are not brothers and sisters in the earthly, natural (blood) sense. Brothers and sisters become strangers over time (they distance from each other, even without worsening relations between themselves!), that is, in the life of each of them appears a being closer than brothers and sisters, and than father and mother – this is a husband or wife!!! The tendency of earthly (blood) brotherhood and sisterhood is to distance from each other over time! (The same situation with the image of the parish as the best family – the tendency over time to split and separate; over time the members of the earthly family distance from each other: children from parents – «a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife…», and children from each other into their families). Therefore, the most adequate image of the parish is the image of the earthly marriage of a man and a woman! The tendency of marriage (unlike the tendency of family (blood)) is to become closer over time, to strengthen the marital bonds of fidelity-responsibility, until there are no longer two individuals (or many individuals in the case of the Parish-Eucharist), but one, one Person in two Faces, one flesh (one Body) – united by the hypostatic unity of the Holy Trinity («I in You, and You in Me…»). Therefore, the Church (Parish-Eucharist) is a community of people who are connected in pairs (each with each other) by marital (hypostatic) bonds in Christ! And if using the analogy of family regarding the Church (this analogy is appropriate, like any other with correct use-interpretation; but it is not as clear as the analogy of marriage, and many are tempted and misinterpret it: for example, the priest – is the father, etc.), then it is necessary to clearly remember that God the Father is the parent of brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God, and not the priest-housekeeper; brothers and sisters are not related by blood, but by the Spirit (they have one Holy Spirit), and the relations of family-parish members are not blood-brotherly (by nature), but hypostatic in one Body-Eucharist! In this analogy of the parish as a family, a lot needs to be clarified and it is very easy to get confused, in the analogy of the parish as Marriage (of Christ and the Church) there are no such dangers and difficulties! (Again, the essence is not in the analogies used by the preacher, the main thing is that both the narrator and the listeners understand what is being said, and correctly set their desire for the Truth, lead a correct spiritual life, approach Happiness, and not distance from the Kingdom of God – the Fire of Divine Eros of the Trinitarian Humble Love!).
Parish-Eucharist is a community of believers in Christ, mutually loving one another (connected to each other by Marital-Friendship Eucharistic Hypostatic bonds), who, being in exile (in this age), journey toward the Homeland, the Heavenly Kingdom. They go to become what they already are in the Eucharist.
To better understand this image-analogy, let’s say a few words about the Parish-Eucharist as the New Testament people of God (its image is the Old Testament Israel), which in baptism (Red Sea – baptismal font) came out of Egypt (slavery to passions and death) and wanders through the wilderness of this age to the Promised Land (Heavenly Kingdom), and which on the way is nourished (revived) by Heavenly Manna (Eucharist); and in the wilderness of this age, there is nothing else edible (that gives Eternal Life) (only dead stones of illusory pleasures-promises). The image of relationships-care for one another in the Parish-Eucharist is like the community of the people of Israel, who went from Egypt to the Promised Land: the old, the weak were carried on stretchers, children were carried in arms, the old, the blind, the lame were led by the hand – everyone cared for everyone, no one was forgotten, no one was left behind, no one was abandoned!!! For one can enter the Promised Land (the Kingdom of God) only together, in a state of caring for everyone about everyone, each for each other – as members of one body. One can partake of the Eucharist (the Kingdom of God) only together with all the parishioners! Alone, no one has yet entered the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of Loving Erotic Communication), and by definition, cannot enter! All who separated themselves from the community of the people of Israel perished! All who grumbled, rebelled, were disobedient to the prophets, perished! Thus, to leave the state of the people and go alone is death, to remain in the state but not be obedient to God’s will is death! Continue the analogies between the communities of the Old and New Testament Israel yourselves (if you wish, listen to the Holy Fathers on this topic – they have spoken much about this). And I will say the following: