In the preceding post, we discussed the communion of the Church through time. But what about space? And what role does communion within the faith play? The key is to look at the liturgical commemorations of the hierarchy. It was the habit of all the churches by the eleventh century to circulate a signed profession faith to the patriarchal sees whenever a new pope or patriarch came to a given episcopal chair. When the new name, with the attached profession, was received, the bishop who received it *com-memor-ates* the new patriarch by name. The presbyter commemorates his bishop in whose name he celebrates the liturgy. The bishop his archbishop. The archbishop- the patriarch (I think). And the patriarchs commemorate their synods *and* the other patriarchs. Thus through *speech* (saying a name aloud) prayed over the Eucharist (the Body of Christ in which we have Communion with God and the rest of the faithful) are threads extended by synod to primate and by primate to synod and among the patriarchs as senior primates. In the one Logos, incarnate and manifest in the Eucharist, the churches have unity in the Spirit through their shared faith.
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