If the Lord places more importance on beauty of soul than on that of the body, what must he think of artificial beautification when he abhors so thoroughly every sort of lie? We walk by faith, not by sight.^[1] As a matter of fact, it is the Lord who plainly teaches by the example of Abraham that one who obeys God will make small account of even father and relations and possessions and of his entire fortune. He made Abraham an exile, and then, because of that, gave him the name friend, because he was so little attached to the things of his own home.^[2] Yet, Abraham was of a noble family and had possessed a large fortune. A proof of this is that he overcame the four kings who had captured Lot, with 318 servants belonging to him.^[3] As for women, the only one we know of who used ornaments without blame is Esther. Her action in making herself beautiful had a mystical significance, however, for, as the wife of her king, she obtained deliverance for her people by her beauty when they were being slaughtered.

The fact that Esther put on all her royal robes on the third day undoubtedly signifies that the church of the nations, in the third time of the world, that is, after the incarnation, passion and resurrection of Christ, clothed herself through the sacrament of baptism and the confession of the Holy Trinity with faith, hope and charity, and the ornament of every virtue so that she might become worthy of the royal marriage while the love of (the Lord) remained constantly fervent. She stood in the inner court of the royal palace, that is, in the pious actions of this life which look at the future reward in heaven where the king himself sits on the supreme throne and fulfills the prayers of those who implore him piously. He, who held out to that queen the golden scepter that was in his hand, showed the power of his rule, that is, the cross of his passion through which he gained authority over heaven, earth and the underworld so that at his name every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth.^[1] And (the church) lovingly kissed it, that is, worshiped it with all her devotion. And with regard to her petition, the king answered that he would listen to it, as it is said in the gospel as well, Ask, and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.^[2] And again: Ask, and you will receive, that you joy may be full.^[3] Indeed the full joy of the church is provided nowhere but in the perception of the heavenly kingdom where the queen will happily reign with the king Christ forever. But she, after choosing her petition, invited him to the banquet that she had prepared. This cannot be better interpreted than as the full and perfect devotion of her faith of which the supervisor and arbiter of all things himself nourishes in her. To that magnificent repast, that is, to the communion of wholesome faith, the church invites not only her friends but also her enemies and persecutors, namely the pagans, the Jews, and the heretics so that, after abandoning the wrong path of error, they may rejoice in the one house of universal confession for the common good.

Notice how the will of the inviting queen and the order of the commanding king agree. But woe to the one who comes to the banquet of the Lord with an evil mind! Even though such a person has his heart defiled by hatred and a corrupt conscience, he is not ashamed to enter unworthily the banquet of the Lord. Even though he comes after being invited, he does not bask in the joy of the guests. But when the king comes and sees that he sits there without wearing a wedding robe, he will rebuke his temerity and will order him to be bound hand and foot and thrown into the outer darkness^[1] where he will be forced to suffer the evil of his deception which he was wickedly preparing against the innocent, as Solomon says, The wicked will be caught in his snares.

This postponement of the petition is not due to a fault of laziness but must be attributed to the virtue of patience, clearly indicating that the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the sinners are reserved for the future. Tomorrow, in fact, must be interpreted as the future, as in that comforting sentence, Do not worry about tomorrow.^[1] And in Genesis Jacob says to Laban, My justice will answer for me tomorrow.^[2] And in Exodus, when the rules about the eating of the Passover lamb are given, it is added, You shall let none of it remain until the morning.^[3] Therefore when the day of future judgment comes and the entire human race, both righteous and sinners, is brought before the supreme Judge, then it will be revealed with which mind each person lived in this world. The righteous will be invited to reach the kingdom of the heavenly homeland through the sentence of this judge, and the sinners will be punished and expelled together with the devil into the torments of hell.