Christian.net

en
199705
May 1997
COLOSSIANS 3:12-15

In the first half of the sixth century, Dorotheus of Gaza became a monk in Palestine when he was very young; later, he founded a monastery himself. He said these words to his brothers, words which are like an illustration of what St.Paul wrote to the Colossians:

"Let everyone, in the way that they can, work for the good of all. Always be eager to help each other, whether by teaching and sowing the Word of God in the heart of your brother, or by consoling him in times of trial, or by giving practical help with his work. In a word, let all of you pay attention, each one as much as he can, as I have said, to being united to one another. For the closer someone is to their neighbour, the closer they are to God.

"To help you understand what this means, here is an image taken from the Fathers: imagine a circle drawn on the ground, that is, a line drawn round with a pair of compasses, with a centre. What we call the "centre" is of course the exact middle of the circle. Use your imagination to picture what I am saying. Imagine that the circle is the world; the centre is God; and the radial lines, like spokes, are people's different ways of life. When good people want to come closer to God and so come towards the centre of the circle, as they get nearer to the middle, they get closer to one another at the same time as they approach God. The closer they get to God, the closer they get to one another; and the closer they get to one another, the closer they get to God."

Does this image used by Dorotheus of Gaza remind me of a personal experience?
How do I make the connection between love for God and love for others?

Taizé Community, France © Copyright 1997. All Rights Reserved. Material may be copied and redistributed for non-commercial purposes and provided that its editorial content remains unaltered in any way.