"Without me you can do nothing." To understand these words of Jesus better, we have to go back our own life-experience. There are always two forces in us, tearing us apart — good and evil; for we are created in God's image and likeness, yet we are corrupted by our sinfulness. Therefore, when we do good it is not simply because we ourselves are good, but because we are rooted in goodness itself. We are not the source of goodness; we all have to admit that. Otherwise we would not feel the influence of evil, tempting us to do the bad. The source of goodness is deep within us, yet beyond us — very paradoxical. Only when we respond to the call of the goodness in us are we able to do good, to bear good fruit. "Without me you can do nothing" refers to the good which we do and not to the bad.