In striving to live lives of holiness, we have to balance what you might call the ‘interior’ life and the ‘exterior’ life. You could also think of it as faith versus works, or the contemplative life and the active life.
The ‘interior’ life is the foundation for all that we do. Our lives simply don’t work if this foundation is missing. By placing greater priority in the exterior life, we begin to neglect the interior prayer life. Our spiritual lives would dry up — faith and love for God must be our foundation.
Furthermore, it’s from the ‘interior’ foundation that all our ‘exterior’ works flow. As Saint James tells us, “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17)
Our hope is that our spiritual lives bear fruit, and whatever fruits bear from our interior lives, they are meant to be shared. We’re not supposed to hide them behind the walls of our souls. We’re called to bring those fruits to the world.
“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:18-20)