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One of the great temptations of the spiritual life is to think ourselves to be holier than we really are. As St. John Climacus puts it,
The sun shines on all alike, and vainglory beams on all activities. For instance, I am vainglorious when I fast; and when I relax the fast in order to be unnoticed, I am again vainglorious over my prudence. When well-dressed I am quite overcome by vainglory, and when I put on poor clothes I am vainglorious again. When I talk I am defeated, and when I am silent I am again defeated by it. However I throw this prickly-pear, a spike stands upright.
This is why he adds, “He who is without this sickness is near to salvation.”
