The greatest temple, in which God delights to dwell,
is that which He skillfully crafted with His own hands,our entire being,
our soul, as long as it is pure. Purity of heart consists in the nous
being free from evil thoughts, from which evil and passionate feelings
originate which cause the body to be passionately excited. For it is
then that both soul and body are defiled, and to a certain degree their
purity and spotlessness are lost.
The first evil and passionate
thought,but primarily the corresponding passionate fantasy, is the
starting point of all forms of sin. No sin occurs in deed if an evil
thought does not precede it by means of the imagination. Therefore, in
order to attain the greatest good, purity in the full sense of the
word,we need to purify our nous from sinful imaginations and thoughts.
Only in this way is purity acquired with a firm foundation.
If we want
to stop doing evil deeds without paying attention to our inward
thoughts, we labor in vain. When we have taken care to purify our soul,
the God of glory will dwell in it and it will become His holy and
luxurious temple, giving forth the fragrance of the incense of unceasing
prayer to Him.
Elder Ephraim of Arizona
