Johannine Hours              Colossians 3:12-15              May 1997
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      [The "Johannine hours" are meant as a way of seeking
      God in silence and prayer in the midst of our daily
      life. During the course of a day, take a moment to read
      the Bible passage with the short commentary and to
      reflect on the questions which follow. Afterwards, a
      small group people can meet to share what they have
      discovered and perhaps for a time of prayer.] 

      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? 


"Johannine Hours" - 04/97 - ©71250 Taizé-Community, France.
community@taize.fr 




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