Imagine a circle with its center and radii or rays going out from
this center. The further these radii are from the center the more
widely they are dispersed and separated from one another; and
conversely, the closer they come to the center, the closer they are to
one another.
Suppose now that this circle is the world, the very center of the
circle is God, and the lines going from the center to the circumference
or from the circumference to the center are the paths of men’s lives.
Then here we see the same.
Insofar as the Saints move inward within the circle towards its
center, wishing to come near to God, then, in the degree of their
penetration, they come closer both to God and to one another; moreover,
inasmuch as they come nearer to God, they come nearer to one another,
and inasmuch as they come nearer to one another, they come nearer to
God. It is the same with drawing away ….
Such is the property of love; inasmuch as we are outside and do not
love God, so each is far from his neighbor. But if we love God, inasmuch
as we come near to Him by love of Him, so we become united by love with
our neighbors, and inasmuch as we become united by love with our
neighbors, so we become united with God.
Saint Dorotheos of Gaza, Directions on Spiritual Training, 42
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