John Chrysostom, On Almsgiving

You see that if you give to the poor man, you give to God. If therefore you do not give to him, how will you also ask Him on that day, that He might have mercy on you? Will He not accuse you, saying, 'You saw Me hungry, and did not feed Me to the full; you saw Me thirsty, and did not give Me drink; you saw Me naked, and did not clothe Me'? What then will you say to Him? What excuse will you have? You are clothed in silks and garments of rabbit-hair and goat-hair, and the poor man has not a rag; and you eat pheasants or fowl and geese and whatever there is among delicacies; and the poor man is not able to fill his own belly with bread and vegetables; you have gold-roofed walls and variegated Lacedaemonian marble, and columns and golden capitals of columns; and the poor man does not have a hut. And sometimes you have your house from plunder, from greed; and you die, and you depart having nothing, and your house remains a perpetual accuser, convicting your deeds. For each person passing by will say: 'This is the house of that plunderer, of that greedy man; how many widows did he mistreat? how many orphans did he oppress? how many possessions did he seize? how many poor men did he take advantage of?' Do not tell me, 'I am a Prefect.' I do not know rank, nor do I slander it, but those who are evil, using what is good badly. It is good to be rich; for if God made something, all things are very good. You see a poor man, and are arrogant, and you do not consider that you are a man, and the poor man is a man; man, the most cherished creature of God; man, for whom heaven was stretched out; man, for whom the sun runs its courses; man, for whom the moon knows its setting; man, for whom the stars give their light, for whom the sea was spread out, for whom the earth was founded upon the waters; for whom are mountains and glens and hills, for whom are groves and woods and ravines and plains, for whom are springs and rivers and lakes, for whom the earth brought forth the blade of grass, and the waters bring forth living creatures, for whom are cattle, and 60.709 four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds, for whom are seasons and years and months and days and hours and nights, for whom are angels and archangels, principalities and powers, thrones, dominions, the Cherubim and the Seraphim. But why do I say much? For whom the Lord poured out His blood. A man bought with precious blood, and you overlook him? is he not a man, just as you are, because he is poor? for this reason you are arrogant toward him? Did God not choose the poor? Not the rich? Peter, the chief of the apostles, the foundation of the Church, the one who is truly Peter both in name and in deed, was he not poor? Was he not pitiable and rejected? Was he not lowly and despised? Was he not a fisherman? Likewise also James and John, were they not poor and fishermen? And passing by, Jesus saw them and their father Zebedee mending torn nets. O the excess of poverty! They were so poor, that they were not able to buy nets for the fishing catch, but they were mending the old ones and were combining craft with craft, mending with fishing. And likewise also Matthew, was he not a tax collector? And passing by, Jesus saw him sitting at the tax office, and says to him: 'Arise, and follow Me.' And rising up, he followed Him. And he did not consider that he held a royal office, but he considered that the King of kings was calling; and he who once seized the things of others, now has made himself a stranger to his own possessions; and he who was once a wolf, is now a sheep. Peter cast aside the nets, and received the keys of the heavens. Matthew left the tax office, and received the gospel. Likewise also Paul, was he not a craftsman? did he not hold a chisel, and cut leathers? Did he not receive letters from the rulers of the synagogue, that he might go and take the saints captive? And Jesus appeared to him on the road, And a light shone around him, and says: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' And turning he says: 'Who are you, Lord?' And He says, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you persecute.' And falling on his face he was blinded. Why did He add, 'the Nazarene'? Lest he might think that one person

ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐὰν δίδως τῷ πένητι, τῷ Θεῷ δίδως. Ἐὰν μὴ δώσῃς οὖν αὐτῷ, πῶς καὶ σὺ αἰτήσεις αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ἵνα σε ἐλεήσῃ; ἆρα οὐκ ἐγκαλέσει σοι, ὅτι Πεινῶντά με εἶδες, καὶ οὐκ ἐχόρτασας· διψῶντά με εἶδες, καὶ οὐκ ἐπότισας· γυμνὸν εἶδες, καὶ οὐκ ἐνέδυσας; τί ἄρα ἐρεῖς αὐτῷ; ποίαν ἕξεις συγγνώμην; Σὺ σηρικὰ καὶ λαγῷα καὶ αἴγεια περιβέβλησαι, καὶ ὁ πένης ῥάκος οὐκ ἔχει· καὶ σὺ μὲν τρώγεις φασιανοὺς ἢ ὄρνεις καὶ χῆνας καὶ ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐν ἐδέσμασι· καὶ ὁ πένης οὐκ ἰσχύει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κοιλίαν χορτάσαι ἄρτῳ καὶ λαχάνοις· σὺ ἔχεις τοίχους χρυσορόφους καὶ μάρμαρα Λακεδαιμόνια ποικίλα, καὶ κίονας καὶ περικεφαλαίας κιόνων χρυσᾶς· καὶ ὁ πένης οὐκ ἔχει καλύβην. Καὶ ἐνίοτε ἔχεις τὸν οἶκον ἀπὸ ἁρπαγῆς, ἀπὸ πλεονεξίας· καὶ σὺ τελευτᾷς, καὶ ὑπάγεις μηδὲν ἔχων, καὶ μένει σου ὁ οἶκος διηνεκὴς κατήγορος ἐλέγχων τὰς σὰς πράξεις. Ἕκαστος γὰρ παρερχόμενος μέλλει λέγειν· Οὗτος ὁ οἶκός ἐστιν ἐκείνου τοῦ ἅρπαγος, τοῦ πλεονέκτου· πόσας χήρας ἐκάκωσε; πόσους ὀρφανοὺς κατεπόνησε; πόσα ὑπάρχοντα διήρπασε; πόσους πένητας ἐπλεονέκτησε; Μή μοι λέγε, ὅτι Ὕπαρχός εἰμι. Οὐκ οἶδα ἀξίωμα ἐγὼ, οὐδὲ διαβάλλω, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κακοὺς τῷ καλῷ κακῶς χρωμένους. Καλὸν τὸ πλουτεῖν· εἴ τι γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε, πάντα καλὰ λίαν. Βλέπεις πένητα, καὶ ὑπερηφανεῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἐννοεῖς, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος εἶ, καὶ ὁ πένης ἅνθρωπός ἐστιν· ἄνθρωπος, τὸ περισπούδαστον ζῶον τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἄνθρωπος, δι' ὃν οὐρανὸς ἐτανύσθη· ἄνθρωπος δι' ὃν ὁ ἥλιος δρόμους τρέχει· ἄνθρωπος, δι' ὃν ἡ σελήνη ἐπιγινώσκει δυσμάς· ἄνθρωπος, δι' ὃν ἄστρα δίδωσι τὸ φέγγος αὐτῶν, δι' ὃν θάλασσα ἡπλώθη, δι' ὃν ἡ γῆ ἐθεμελιώθη ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων· δι' ὃν ὄρη καὶ νάπαι καὶ βουνοὶ, δι' ὃν ἄλση καὶ δρυμοὶ καὶ φάραγγες καὶ πεδιάδες, δι' ὃν πηγαὶ καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ λίμναι, δι' ὃν ἡ γῆ ἀνέτειλε βοτάνην χόρτου, καὶ τὰ ὕδατα ἐκβάλλουσι ψυχὰς ζώσας, δι' ὃν κτήνη, τε 60.709 τράποδα καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ πετεινὰ, δι' ὃν χρόνοι καὶ ἐνιαυτοὶ καὶ μῆνες καὶ ἡμέραι καὶ ὧραι καὶ νύκτες, δι' ὃν ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι, ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι, θρόνοι, κυριότητες, τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ τὰ Σεραφίμ. Τί δὲ πολλὰ λέγω; ∆ι' ὃν ὁ ∆εσπότης τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐξέχεεν. Ἄνθρωπος τιμίῳ αἵματι ἀγορασθεὶς, καὶ τοῦτον παραβλέπεις; οὐκ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν, ὡς καὶ σὺ, ὅτι πένης ἐστί; διὰ τοῦτο ὑπερηφανεῖς αὐτόν; οὐχὶ πένητας ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεός; μὴ γὰρ πλουσίους; Πέτρος, ὁ κορυφαῖος τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἡ κρηπὶς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὁ ὄντως Πέτρος καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι καὶ τῷ πράγματι, οὐχὶ πένης ἦν; οὐχὶ οἰκτρὸς καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένος; οὐκ εὐτελὴς καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος; οὐχὶ ἁλιεὺς ἦν; Ὁμοίως καὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης οὐ πένητες ἦσαν καὶ ἁλιεῖς; Καὶ παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶδεν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν Ζεβεδαῖον ῥάπτοντας δίκτυα διεῤῥηγμένα. Ὢ πενίας ὑπερβολή· τοσοῦτον πένητες ἦσαν, ὡς οὐκ ἴσχυον δίκτυα ἀγοράσαι πρὸς τὴν θήραν τὴν ἁλιευτικὴν, ἀλλὰ τὰ παλαιὰ ἔῤῥαπτον καὶ τέχνῃ τέχνην συνέκρουον, τῇ ῥαπτικῇ τὴν ἁλιευτικήν. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ματθαῖος οὐ τελώνης ἦν; Καὶ παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶδεν αὐτὸν καθήμενον ἐπὶ τὸ τελώνιον, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἔγειρε, καὶ ἀκολούθει μοι. Καὶ ἀναστὰς ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ. Καὶ οὐκ ἐνόησεν, ὅτι βασιλικὸν λόγον κατεῖχεν, ἀλλ' ἐνενόησεν ὅτι βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων καλεῖ· καὶ ὁ ποτὲ τὰ ἀλλότρια ἁρπάζων, νῦν ξένον ἑαυτὸν πεποίηκε τῶν ἰδίων πραγμάτων· καὶ ὁ ποτὲ λύκος, νῦν πρόβατον. Ἔῤῥιψε Πέτρος τὰ δίκτυα, καὶ ἔλαβε τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἀφῆκε Ματθαῖος τελώνιον, καὶ ἔλαβε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. Ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ Παῦλος οὐκ ἦν χειροτέχνης; οὐ σμίλην κατεῖχε, καὶ δέρματα ἔτεμεν; οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπιστολὰς παρὰ τῶν ἀρχισυναγώγων, ἵνα ἐλθὼν τοὺς ἁγίους αἰχμαλωτίσῃ; Καὶ ὤφθη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, Καὶ φῶς αὐτὸν περιήστραψε, καὶ λέγει· Σαοὺλ, Σαοὺλ, τί με διώκεις; Ὁ δὲ στραφεὶς λέγει· Τίς εἶ, Κύριε; Καὶ λέγει, Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος, ὃνσὺ διώκεις. Καὶ πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐτυφλώθη. ∆ιὰ τί προσέθηκεν, Ναζωραῖος; Ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃ, ὅτι ἄλλος μέν