Ailing

homily \HAH-muh-lee\, noun:

1. A sermon; a discourse on a religious theme.
2. A moralizing lecture or discourse.
3. An inspirational saying; also, a platitude. 

Trumpets sounded, wine ran from fountains, bishops delivered homilies, magistrates presented the keys to their cities, triumphal arches sprang up along the way.
-- Christine Pevitt, Philippe, Duc D'Orleans: Regent of France

He launched into a homily about marriage as a garden that requires care.
-- Janet Maslin, "Somehow Form a Family': Between the Hills and Gilligan's Island", New York Times, June 7, 2001

Fathers Cyprien and Marie-Nizier were the first to nod off during the homily on bad thoughts.
-- Rémy Rougeau, "Cello"

The book consisted of easy-to-remember rhyming homilies on the subjects of selling, winning, and making money ("If you want to earn your dough, get up in the morning and GO, GO, GO!").
-- Brad Barkley, Money, Love

A Washington homily fit the situation: "That which must be done eventually is best done immediately."
-- Ward Just, Echo House

Homily ultimately derives from Greek homilia, "instruction," from homolein, "to be together or in company with," hence "to have dealings with," from homilos, "an assembled crowd," from homos, "same." One who delivers homilies is a homilist. Homiletic means "of or pertaining to a homily."