WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHNG by St. John of Kronstadt

 WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHNG

by St. John of Kronstadt

One of the infirmities of the human spirit is its slowness to faith and its slothfulness in acquiring a knowledge of the truth, especially of the truths of faith and piety. What do youths, and even grown-up and elder people, study most inertly and slothfully? The truths of faith and piety. This is proved by innumerable experiences. In order that men should esteem and love each other, should not be proud, should not be arrogant to each other, the most wise Lord has given to different men different natural and beneficial advantages, so that they may have need of each other. In this manner each one of us must involuntarily acknowledge this or that infirmity and humble himself before God and men. Lord, Thou Thyself hast said by Thy most pure lips: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." I long to be perfect. Be Thou therefore every perfection for me, for Thou hast also said: "For without Me ye can do nothing."  All prayers assume the great poverty and misery of our fallen nature; they also assume that the Lord is the ever flowing source of every perfection, every blessing; that He is our inexhaustible treasury. 

Truly 

we must have poverty of spirit during prayer and at all times. " Blessed are the poor in spirit."  Consider how great is man: "God dwelleth in him, and he in God;" so that in a pious Christian it is as though not a man but Christ Himself lives. "Nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me;" because the whole soul becomes Christ's, as iron in a furnace itself becomes fiery like a burning coal: it is all fire, all light, all warmth.