Matthew 23:23-26
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. You blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
Homily:
It is easy to clean the outside of a thing and have the inside remain a mess.
It is hard to clean the inside of a thing and have the outside remain a mess.
Sooner than later, what is within always overcomes what is without.
I can stretch it and say what is within is all there is.
I usually use eating right and working out as a personal example. When I am doing these 2 right, my external appearance naturally follows.
But when I focus on just getting nice clothes and a nice haircut, eating right and working out does not naturally follow.
A focus on the external creates conflict within.
A focus on the internal creates harmony without.