Mtr. Laura, our associate preached a sermon today in our parish on I Corinthians 13:1-3

In the sermon she reminded us of the Cosmology of Dorotheus of Gaza (sometimes called the Geometer):

Imagine the Universe is a sphere, with God in the middle. All of the creatures of the Universe live on lines radiating outward from the loving God at the origin. The creatures can only move along the radii of the sphere – moving closer or farther from God.

If two people (creatures of God’s creation) wish to draw closer together, the only way that they can do so is to both move closer to God. As they move inward toward God’s love, the distance separating them gets smaller and smaller until it vanishes as they both arrive at complete union with God in the center of the Sphere of the Universe.

If two people grow in love and respect for each other, they are simultaneously moving inward to God at the same moment. If two people are moving inward toward God independently, they are also simultaneously coming closer to each other.

Even better – if you wish to draw closer to someone but they are rejecting you, then you can still draw closer to God and by doing so, you draw closer to them. And more – the people who are most separated from us, who are found on the other side of the sphere entirely can be moved toward the most rapidly of all. And by the same means as the people who are the closest to us – by drawing closer to God.

It seems to me that a Church that seems only to agree to meet together in prayer can take heart that by prayer – we draw closer to God – and ultimately to each other. And this is true even if the person we wish to reach refuses to come closer to us.

Anyway, it’s something to meditate on today. I know I have been since I heard it this morning.