Christ the Teacher
It is quite possible to appear perfectly Christian on the outside – going to Mass,
avoiding drunkenness and obviously lewd behavior, saying prayers –
while giving in to evil thoughts and entertaining selfish desires over and over again on the inside.
That kind of divided life cannot endure for long.
Where our hearts are, there our treasure is, as our Lord says elsewhere in the Gospels
(Matthew 6:21).
We can never be satisfied with merely exterior piety, and we can never consider ourselves superior to others just because our sins are less visible.
The heart that loves is never satisfied with how much it can do for its beloved;
if we find ourselves smug in our life of faith, like the Pharisees, chances are we’re running low on love.