On sickness

The sickest are the least aware of their illness.  In physical illness, a man with a high fever is unaware of himself or his illness.  Neither does a madman say of himself that he is mad.  Beginners in unrighteousness feel ashamed of their sickness for a while, but repeated sinning swiftly leads to the habit of sin, and this to the inebriation and delirium of unrighteousness in a state in which the soul has no longer any sense of itself or its sickness…

Ponder, then, on all this; listen to Christ’s parable and decide for yourself how apt it is.  If you say in amazement: “This parable does not apple to me”, then this means that you are sickened in the illness known as unrighteousness.  If you protest: “I am righteous; this applies to the sinners around me,” then this means your sickness has reached its peak.  If, though, you beat your breast in repentance and reply: “It’s true; I’m sick and need a doctor”, then this means you are on the way to healing.  Don’t be afraid then; You’ll get well.

– From a sermon on the Publican and Pharisee by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic (1881–1956)

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