Saint Symeon the New Theologian
Disease does harm to our body like the sin does harm to our soul
This is why the healing of the soul is to fight against sin and its causes, that is passions.
This is the most important thing to achieve. What will be our excuse at the crucial Day of Judgement?
Did we really care about the health of our soul or did we live our whole life by throwing ourselves in the vain pursuit of ephemeral pleasure?
If we cannot detect the disease of our soul and we cannot feel the pains and the evil it causes in our lives, we are misguided.
Every person is a little or very sick mentally.
However, someone, infected by the microbe of vanity, cannot detect the evil caused by this sin.
And as long as we cannot feel the malicious vanity in our soul, we think more high of ourselves.
Since the sinner generally is insensitive, he does not care for the health of his soul.
Since he loathes the health of his soul, he loathes the healer, too.
On the contrary, every Christian, who detects his disease in his soul, is deeply humiliated and tries to find the healer for his soul.
When we get sick, we feel the pain and we call the doctor. Likewise, we have to do with our soul.
The soul gets sick because of the sins, caused by the passions.
Still we do not detect the disease, we do not feel the pain, and we do not care for the treatment.
In this pitiful situation there are people who are very happy and do not repent for their sins, surrendered in ignorance and impassivity.
Let us look carefully at ourselves, and if we belong to the sinners, we should invite the healer of our souls and our bodies, Jesus Christ, as soon as possible.
We shall kneel down before Him. We shall ask him to heal our disease.
The worst diseases of the soul are the lust for wealth, pleasure and glory.
For these three great passions people fall into the sin of sloth, avarice, greed, vainglory, pride, envy.
Let us cry, let us grieve over this disease, let us beg the Lord for the mercy.
If we do not confess our sin, if we do not reveal the disease in our soul, He will not be able to heal us, even though He already knows our condition as the Omniscient God.
He waits for us to voluntarily call Him, and ask for His help.
And then he comes and heals with his grace our traumas.
This treatment is a remarkable change of mentality: What we have so far considered great and desirable, such material wealth, pleasures, honours, are considered insignificant and abominable, and we abhor them.
And what we despised before, such as the virtues, purification, sanctification, are now sought with zeal and enthusiasm.
Why?
God’s grace enlightened us, dispelled the darkness in our soul, opened our eyes and revealed to us the truth.
This shift, this illumination, this change is the beginning of the healing of our soul.
Its completion is a function of our own choice and will, our spiritual struggle and Christ’s help.
