Tuesday. [II Cor. 2:14-3:3; Matt. 23:23-28]

   Cleanse the inner so the outer will be clean. Our outer behaviour in society is almost always proper—we fear the judgment of people and restrain ourselves. If outwardly we give ourselves over to vices, it is already a most serious affair; it means that all shame is lost. But when one’s visible behaviour is proper, the inner tenor of thoughts and feelings is not always proper. Here self-pleasure is given complete freedom which is outwardly complied with as far as human eye can bear it and as far as it can hide its deeds from human sight. This is precisely a whited sepulchre. Furthermore, inner uncleanness makes what is on the outside unclean. Cleanse yourself inwardly, and then the exterior will become clean, and you will be all clean, you will be made a vessel which is fit for all good uses of a householder. One must marvel at how the inside remains neglected; for indeed, nobody wants perdition. Truly the enemy keeps such a soul in a blindness—[he says] that there is no problem as long as there are no obvious sins, or he teaches the soul to put off this important thing until tomorrow. “Tomorrow we will work seriously on ourselves, as one ought; but now let my soul take some pleasure in passionate thoughts and dreams, if not deeds.” Let us be on our guard that we might not grow old in such a frame of mind, so that correction for us will not become impossible, like teaching an old man new things.