The Liturgical Roots of Diakonia, an Orthodox Approach

Christian diakonia can only be properly understood in terms of the Triune God’s great mercy (eleos) and compassion for humankind and for the entire creation. The importance of the Trinitarian concept of diakonia is obvious. «Just as the creation of the world and of humankind is an expression of God’s mercy, so too the restoration (apokatastasis, palingenesia) and the redemption (soteria, lytrosis), the whole economy of salvation, are due to the mercy of God towards which the congregation too is eschatologically oriented, looking for the mercy of its Lord». The Triune God as the Creator, the Provider, the Redeemer, the Savior and the Lord of humankind and creation is the authentic pattern and the example of true diakonia.