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Office Of Readings | Week 2, Friday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Treatise By Diadochus Of Photike On Perfection | God Alone Should Be Loved
‘God alone should be loved.’
In this reading from On Spiritual Perfection, Diadochus of Photiké reflects on the relationship between love of God and love of self. His argument is clear and direct: self-love and love of God move in opposite directions. To love God truly requires a turning away from concern for one’s own glory and a complete reorientation towards the glory of the Creator.
Diadochus begins by contrasting two forms of love. Self-love seeks recognition and affirmation, while love of God seeks only that God may be glorified. The distinction is not merely moral but spiritual. Love of God reshapes desire, ambition, and identity. A person formed by this love measures life not by personal status but by faithfulness to God’s commandments and by willing submission to his will.
Submission, in this context, is not humiliation but friendship with God. Diadochus draws on the words of John the Baptist to illustrate this point: true joy lies in diminishing oneself so that God’s work may become visible. The believer who loves God accepts obscurity and regards obedience as a source of delight rather than loss.
To make his teaching concrete, Diadochus introduces the example of a man whose love for God was expressed above all in humility. This figure does not deny his role or responsibilities, yet he remains inwardly detached from honour and praise. Any recognition he receives is absorbed into his love of God and loses its power to shape his self-understanding. Diadochus uses this example to show that humility is not self-contempt but freedom from the need to defend or promote oneself.
The later part of the passage deepens the theology of love. Love for God, Diadochus explains, arises from an awareness of being loved by God. The more deeply this awareness is felt, the stronger the desire for God becomes. This desire draws the person towards divine light and transforms perception. Self-consciousness fades, not through effort, but through absorption in God’s love.
The description of this state is careful to avoid denying ordinary human life. The person still lives in the body and in the world, yet inwardly belongs elsewhere. Diadochus concludes by citing Saint Paul to show that this tension between absorption in God and service to others is part of Christian existence. Love of God carries a person beyond self-interest, while love of neighbour calls them back into responsible engagement with the world.
A Reading From The Treatise By Diadochus Of Photike On Perfection | God Alone Should Be Loved
Whoever is in love with himself is unable to love God. The man who loves God is the one who abandons his self-love for the sake of the immeasurable blessings of divine love. Such a man never seeks his own glory but only the glory of God. If a person loves himself he seeks his own glory, but the man who loves God loves the glory of his Creator.
Anyone alive to the love of God can be recognised from the way he constantly strives to glorify him by fulfilling all his commandments and by delighting in his own submission. It is fitting that God should receive glory, because of his great majesty; but it is fitting for us as human beings to submit ourselves to God and thereby become his friends. Then we too will rejoice in his glory as Saint John the Baptist did, and we shall never stop repeating: His fame must increase, but mine must diminish.
I knew someone who was sad that he could not love God as he would have wanted, but who nevertheless loved God so much that his soul was always in the grip of desire for God, for God’s glory to manifest itself in him, for himself to be as nothing in comparison. Such a person cannot be touched by verbal praise or convinced of his being, since his overwhelming humility means that he simply does not think about his own dignity or status. He celebrates the liturgy as, according to the law, priests should; but his love of God blinds him to all awareness of his own dignity. He buries any glory that might come his way in the depth of his love of God, so that he never sees himself as anything more than a useless servant: he is estranged, as it were, from a sense of his own dignity by his desire for lowliness. This is the sort of thing we ought to do, to flee from any honour or glory that is offered us, for the sake of the immense riches of our love of God who has so loved us.
Anyone who loves God in the depths of his heart has already been loved by God. In fact, the measure of a man’s love for God depends upon how deeply aware he is of God’s love for him. When this awareness is keen it makes whoever possesses it long to be enlightened by the divine light, and this longing is so intense that it seems to penetrate his very bones. He loses all consciousness of himself and is entirely transformed by the love of God.
Such a man lives in this life and at the same time does not live in it, for although he still inhabits his body, he is constantly leaving it in spirit because of the love that draws him towards God. Once the love of God has released him from self-love, the flame of divine love never ceases to burn in his heart and he remains united to God by an irresistible longing. As Saint Paul says: If we are taken out of ourselves it is for the love of God; if we are brought back to our senses it is for your sake.
Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ
God of perfect love,
you call us away from concern for ourselves
and draw us into the freedom of loving you alone.
Release us from self-love
that seeks its own honour and security.
Teach us to desire only your glory
and to find joy in obedience to your will.
Deepen in us the awareness
that we are first loved by you.
Let this knowledge shape our hearts,
our choices, and our prayers.
Free us from the need for praise,
and give us humility that is calm and truthful.
May the fire of your love
burn steadily within us
and keep us united to you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Self-love | Preoccupation with one’s own status, honour, or advantage
Divine love | The love that comes from God and draws the soul towards him
Glory of God | The honour and praise due to God alone
Submission | Willing acceptance of God’s will
Commandments | God’s instructions for faithful living
Humility | Freedom from concern for personal status or recognition
Dignity | Personal worth or rank, especially in social or religious terms
Divine light | God’s truth and presence enlightening the soul
Transformation | A deep change of heart and perception brought about by God’s love
Longing | Intense desire for union with God
Self-awareness | Consciousness of oneself, contrasted here with absorption in God
Union with God | A close spiritual relationship formed through love
Lowliness | Willing acceptance of a humble place before God
Padre Pio, also known as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, was an Italian Capuchin friar who lived from 1887 to 1968. He is renowned for his piety, his stigmata, and his gift of healing, and has become a beloved figure in the Christian world. Born into a devout Catholic family in Pietrelcina, Italy, Padre Pio felt a calling to the priesthood from a young age. He entered the Capuchin order in 1903 and was ordained a priest in 1910. He spent much of his life as a humble friar, dedicated to prayer, the sacraments, and the service of others. Padre Pio’s most famous spiritual gift was the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ that he bore on his hands, feet, and side. He experienced this phenomenon for over 50 years, from 1918 until his death in 1968. While some were skeptical of his wounds, many believed them to be a sign of his profound union with Christ and his participation in the suffering of the crucified Christ. In addition to his stigmata, Padre Pio was also known for his gift of healing. Many people came to him seeking physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, and he prayed over them, sometimes prescribing special devotions or treatments. While some were healed miraculously, others did not experience a physical cure, but nonetheless found comfort and peace through his intercession. Padre Pio’s life was marked by his devotion to God and his love for others. He spent long hours in prayer, often in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, and had a deep appreciation for the power of the Eucharist. He also had a special love for the Virgin Mary, whom he called his ‘Heavenly Mother’, and encouraged others to pray the Rosary. Today, Padre Pio is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, and his influence has spread far beyond Italy. He is remembered for his holiness, his humility, and his profound union with Christ, as well as for his compassion and concern for the sick and suffering. Christians of all denominations continue to look to him as a model of faith and devotion to God. Prayer To Saint Padre Pio | A Prayer For Healing Saint Padre Pio is renowned for his gift of healing, which he used to help countless people throughout his life. He believed in the power of prayer and the importance of placing our trust in God, even in the face of illness and suffering. In James 5:16, we are reminded that ‘the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective’. Padre Pio’s life was a testament to the truth of this verse, as he interceded for those who came to him seeking physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. One of the most striking examples of Padre Pio’s healing ministry was the case of Gemma Di Giorgi, a young girl who had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Her parents brought her to Padre Pio, who prayed over her and blessed her with the sign of the cross. To the amazement of her doctors, Gemma’s condition began to improve, and she was eventually healed completely. In addition to physical healing, Padre Pio also believed in the importance of emotional and spiritual healing. He often spoke of the need for repentance and conversion, and encouraged his followers to turn to God with contrite hearts. In Luke 5:31-32, Jesus tells the Pharisees, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’ Padre Pio understood that true healing involves not only the body, but also the soul. For those who are in need of healing, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, Saint Padre Pio can serve as a powerful intercessor. He believed in the importance of prayer and the power of God’s grace to heal even the most difficult of cases. Through his intercession, we can ask God for the strength and courage to face our illnesses and our struggles, knowing that we are never alone and that God’s healing love is always with us. So let us pray: ‘Saint Padre Pio, you who had a deep faith in God and a profound love for your fellow human beings, we turn to you in our time of need. We ask for your intercession on behalf of all those who are sick and suffering, that they may be healed in body, mind, and spirit. We ask that you pray for us, that we may have the strength and courage to face our illnesses and our struggles with faith and hope, knowing that God is with us always. We trust in God’s love and mercy, and in the power of prayer to bring healing and wholeness to all who seek it. Saint Padre Pio, pray for us, and lead us to the healing grace of God. Amen.’ Prayer To Saint Padre Pio | A Prayer For Peace Saint Padre Pio was a man of peace, who lived his life in the service of God and his fellow human beings. He believed that peace was not merely the absence of conflict, but a state of inner harmony that could only be achieved through a deep and abiding relationship with God. In John 14:27, Jesus tells his disciples, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’ Padre Pio understood the importance of this peace, and dedicated his life to helping others find it. One of the ways that Padre Pio fostered peace was through his ministry of reconciliation. He encouraged those who came to him to confess their sins and seek God’s forgiveness, knowing that this was the first step towards inner peace. In Matthew 5:9, Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’ Padre Pio believed that this was not just a call to be a mediator in conflicts between […]
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