Virosis
Even while Jesus was physically present in their midst, the disciples who were invested by Jesus with the mandate to proclaim the Gospel to the world were already sick; they were already affected by virosis and their fever was already high, so high as to cause delirium. The virosis they were affected with was ambition which causes fever in people's minds, an extremely high fever that leads to delirium, total disorientation, uncontrolled behaviour, a state of confused hallucinations manifesting themselves through two psycho-emotional wounds: the need for contest and the need for conflict. The virosis of ambition forces the victim to live psycho-emotionally, always and continuously, in a state of suspension, because he/she is always challenged, always racing, always competing, always intent on protecting his/her own results and at discrediting those of others, thus transforming his/her own life into a fierce race against the competition.
The virosis of ambition forces the victim to live spiritually, always and constantly in a state of separation with him/herself, because he/she secretly fears that he/she is incapable of dealing with the situation and in a state of separation from others, because the delirium due to fever causes, in the sick person, the necessity to fight, to fight relentlessly and ceaselessly, and to continually generate enemies. The virosis of ambition forces the victim to live physically, always and constantly in a state of tension, because he/she can never indulge in behaviour, attitudes, gestures, or words that are not in some way threats, intimidations, provocations.
Not even Jesus could save His disciples from contracting the virosis of ambition, from contracting a feverish delirium leading them first to discuss animatedly among themselves about who the greatest, and then to look for enemies all around, to have something to fight over. Jesus, with infinite patience, tried to cure the delirious fever of His friends with words of peace, and then He revealed to them the antidote to the virosis of ambition, which is humility. Humility of the heart, psyche, and spirit heals us from the virosis of ambition and gives peace within, peace that no one can take away from the heart. Humility does not need a contest to feel victorious, it does not need to fight to feel important, it does not need to generate enemies to feel right. Humility does not force, does not besiege, does not seek its own space, it does not enter into conflict, attack, or block. It does not eliminate, separate, control, silence. It does not dominate, possess, reject, but, above all, humility does not fight, it never fights and, in the eyes of God, it always wins.