There
is nothing on earth that I need, except that which is most essential. What do I
need, what is most essential? I need the Lord, I need His grace, His kingdom
within me. On earth, which is the place of my wanderings, my temporary being,
there is nothing that is truly mine, everything belongs to God and is temporal,
everything serves my needs temporarily.
What do I need? I need true
and active Christian love; I need a loving heart which takes compassion on its
neighbours; I need joy over their prosperity and well-being, and sorrow over
their sorrows and illnesses, their sins, failings, disorders, woes, poverty; I
need warm and sincere compassion for all the circumstances of their lives, joy
for those who are joyous and tears for those who are in tears.
Enough of selfishness,
egoism, living only for oneself and acquiring everything only for oneself:
riches, pleasures, the glory of this world; enough of spiritual dying instead
of living, grieving instead of rejoicing, and carrying within oneself the
poison of selfishness, for selfishness is a poison that is continuously poured
into our hearts by Satan.
O, let me cry out with King
David: Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I
desire besides Thee. My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my
heart. Grant me, O Lord, true life, dispel the darkness of my passions,
disperse their power with Thy strength, for with Thee all things are possible!
From the Spiritual Diary
of St. John of Kronstadt, “My Life in Christ”
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