Abba Dorotheus

“Represent to yourself a circle upon the ground. Imagine that this circle is the world, and its very centre is God, and that there are straight lines going from the periphery to the centre: these lines are the lives of people. And so, as far as they can the holy ones enter within the circle, going to its centre, desiring to be close to God, and therefore to each other, because as far as they draw close to each other, so do they draw closer to God. Consider this, and then think of isolation; as much as we separate one from another so much do we also separate from God. Such is the essence of love: the more we are united with our neighbours, so much the more we are united with God.” - Abba Dorotheus