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But what? Be merciful as your Father who is in heaven. This is the work of God. If therefore you do not have this, what do you have? I desire mercy, he says, and not sacrifice.

CHAP. II. My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord

Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. For what reason do you think highly of yourself, he says? Or why again does another debase himself? Are we not all one body, both great and small? When, therefore, we are one in the main point and members of one another, why do you puff yourself up with arrogance? why do you shame your brother? For just as he is a member of you, so you are of him, and in this there is great equality of honor. Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Being of the same mind toward one another. The poor man has arrived; be like him in your mindset; do not put on greater airs because of wealth; there is no poor and rich in Christ.

Therefore, do not be ashamed because of the outward clothing, but accept him because of the inward faith. Listen, my beloved brethren, has not God chosen the poor of the world, rich 64.1044 in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? but you have dishonored the poor man. But we, as though greatly wronged, thus insult and turn away those who beg; You give nothing and you cause pain? Admonish, said Paul, as brothers, do not insult as enemies; he who admonishes his brother does not do this publicly; he does not parade the insult, but in private and with great care, and grieving and being stung, weeping and lamenting. Therefore, we provide from a brotherly mind, we admonish from a brotherly disposition, not as grieving at the giving, but as grieving that he transgresses the commandment for the sake of gain. For if after giving you insult, you spoil the pleasure of the gift. But when you do not give, and you do insult, how great an evil have you worked on that wretched and miserable man? He approached to be pitied by you, but having received a mortal wound, he departed, and wept all the more. For when he is forced to beg because of his need, and because of his begging he is insulted, see how great the punishment is for the one who insults. He provokes the one who made him; for if God himself allowed him to be poor for your sake, so that you might have the means to care for him, and you insult the one who is poor for your sake, how great is this ingratitude? of how great ungratefulness is this deed! Do not the rich oppress you, and they themselves drag you into courts? do they not blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you? Bear their acts of greed nobly. They destroy themselves, not you.

They deprive you of money, but they strip themselves of the goodwill and help of God; but he who is deprived of that, even if he should encompass all the wealth of the world, is poorer than all. So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For it is better to frighten you with words, so that you may not suffer in deeds. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Almsgiving is a certain most excellent art and protectress of those who practice it. For she is a friend of God, and always stands near Him, easily asking grace for whomsoever she wishes, only if she is not wronged by us; and she is wronged, when we give alms out of what has been plundered. As if she is pure, she gives much boldness to those who send her up; and she prays for those who have stumbled, so great is her strength, and for those who have sinned; she breaks the bonds, dispels the darkness, extinguishes the fire, kills the worm, drives away the gnashing of teeth; 64.1045 for her the gates of heaven are opened with much confidence. -And after a few things; For she is truly a queen, making men like God; For you shall be, he says, merciful, as your Father who is in heaven; she is winged and light, having golden wings; having a flight that greatly delights the angels.

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ἀλλὰ τί; Γίνεσθε οἰκτίρμονες ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Τοῦτο Θεοῦ ἔργον. Ἐὰν οὖν τοῦτο μὴ ἔχῃς, τί ἔχεις; Ἔλεον θέλω, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. Ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ἐν προσωποληψίαις ἔχετε τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν

Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς δόξης. Τίνος ἕνεκεν σὺ μέγα φρονεῖς, φησίν; Ἢ διατί πάλιν ἕτερος ἑαυτὸν ἐξευτελίζει; Οὐχὶ σῶμά ἐσμεν ἅπαντες ἓν, καὶ μεγάλοι καὶ μικροί; Ὅταν οὖν κατὰ τὸ κεφάλαιον ἓν ὦμεν καὶ ἀλλήλων μέλη, τί τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ αὐχίζεις σαυτόν; τί αἰσχύνῃ τὸν ἀδελφόν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνός σου μέλος, οὕτω κἀκείνου σὺ, καὶ πολλὴ κατὰ τοῦτο ἡ ὁμοτιμία. Οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν; Τὸ αὐτὸ εἰς ἀλλήλους φρονοῦντες. Παρεγένετο ὁ πένης· γενοῦ κατ' αὐτὸν τῷ φρονήματι· μὴ μείζονα καταβάλῃς ὄγκον διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον· οὐκ ἔστι πένης καὶ πλούσιος ἐν Χριστῷ.

Μὴ τοίνυν ἐπαισχύνῃς διὰ τὴν ἔξωθεν περιβολὴν, ἀλλὰ ἀπόδεξαι διὰ τὴν ἔνδον πίστιν. Ἀκούσατε, ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοὶ, οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς ἐξελέξατο τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοῦ κόσμου, πλου 64.1044 σίους ἐν πίστει, καὶ κληρονόμους τῆς βασιλείας ἧς ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν; ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς τὰ μέγιστα ἠδικημένοι οὕτω τοὺς προσαιτοῦντας ὑβρίζομεν, ἀποστρεφόμεθα· οὐ δίδους τι καὶ λυπεῖς; Νουθετεῖτε, εἶπεν ὁ Παῦλος, ὡς ἀδελφοὺς, οὐχ ὑβρίζετε ὡς ἐχθρούς· ὁ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ νουθετῶν, οὐ δημοσίᾳ τοῦτο ποιεῖ· οὐκ ἐκπομπεύει τὴν ὕβριν, ἀλλ' ἰδίᾳ καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς προσοχῆς, καὶ ἀλγῶν καὶ δακνόμενος δακρύων καὶ ὀδυρόμενος. Ἀπὸ ἀδελφικῆς τοίνυν παρέχομεν τῆς διανοίας, ἀπὸ ἀδελφικῆς νουθετοῦμεν τῆς προαιρέσεως, μὴ ὡς ἀλγοῦντες ἐπὶ τῷ διδόναι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀλγοῦντες ἐπὶ τῷ ἐκεῖνον παραβαίνειν τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κέρδος. Εἰ γὰρ μετὰ τὸ δοῦναι ὑβρίζεις, λυμαίνῃ τῇ τῆς δόσεως ἡδονῇ. Ὅταν δὲ μήτε δῷς καὶ ὑβρίσῃς, πόσον οὐκ εἰργάσω κακὸν τὸν ἄθλιον ἐκεῖνον καὶ ταλαίπωρον; Προσῆλθεν ὡς ἐλεησόμενος παρὰ σοῦ, λαβὼν δὲ καιρίαν τὴν πληγὴν ἀπῆλθε, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐδάκρυσεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀναγκάζηται διὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν προσαιτεῖν, διὰ δὲ τὸ προσαιτεῖν ὑβρίζεται, ὅρα πόση τῷ ὑβρίζοντι ἡ τιμωρία. Παροξύνει τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτόν· εἴπερ γάρ μοι αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἀφῆκε πένεσθαι διὰ σὲ, ἵνα σὺ ἔχῃς θεραπεύειν αὐτὸν, καὶ σὺ τὸν διὰ σὲ πενόμενον ὑβρίζεις, πόσης ἀγνωμοσύνης ταῦτα; πόσης ἀχαριστίας τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον! Οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια; οὐκ αὐτοὶ βλασφημοῦσι τὸ καλὸν ὄνομα τὸ ἐπικληθὲν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς; Φέρετε γενναίως τὰς πλεονεξίας. Ἑαυτοὺς ἀναιροῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι, οὐχ ὑμᾶς.

Ὑμᾶς μὲν ἀποστεροῦσι χρημάτων, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ γυμνοῦσι τῆς εὐνοίας τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς βοηθείας· ὁ δὲ ἐκείνης στερηθεὶς κἂν ἅπαντα περιβάληται τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸν πλοῦτον, πάντων ἐστὶ πενέστερος. Οὕτως λαλεῖτε καὶ οὕτως ποιεῖτε, ὡς διὰ νόμου ἐλευθερίας μέλλοντες κρίνεσθαι. Βέλτιον γὰρ τοῖς ῥήμασιν ὑμᾶς φοβῆσαι, ἵνα μὴ τοῖς πράγμασιν ἀλγήσητε. Κατακαυχᾶται ἔλεον κρίσεως. Ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη τέχνη τις ἀρίστη ἐστὶ καὶ προστάτις τῶν ἐργαζομένων αὐτήν. Φίλη γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι, καὶ ἀεὶ πλησίον ἕστηκεν αὐτοῦ, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἂν βούληται εὐκόλως αἰτοῦσα χάριν, μόνον ἂν μὴ ἀδικῆται παρ' ἡμῶν· ἀδικεῖται δὲ, ὅταν ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς αὐτῶν ἐργαζώμεθα, ὡς ἐὰν ᾖ καθαρὰ, πολλὴν τοῖς ἀναπέμπουσιν αὐτὴν δίδωσι τὴν παῤῥησίαν· καὶ ὑπὲρ προσκεκρουκότων δεῖται, τοσαύτη αὐτῆς ἡ ἰσχὺς, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμαρτηκότων· αὕτη διαῤῥήγνυσι τὰ δεσμὰ, λύει τὸ σκότος, σβέννυσι τὸ πῦρ, θανατοῖ τὸν σκώληκα, ἀπελαύνει τὸν τῶν ὀδόντων βρυγμόν· 64.1045 ταύτῃ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀδείας ἀνοίγονται τῶν οὐρανῶν αἱ πύλαι. -Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Βασίλισσα γὰρ ὄντως ἐστὶν ὁμοίως ἀνθρώπους ποιοῦσα Θεῷ· Ἔσεσθε γὰρ, φησὶν, οἰκτίρμονες, ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· ὑπόπτερός ἐστι καὶ κούφη, πτέρυγας ἔχουσα χρυσᾶς· πτῆσιν ἔχουσα πάνυ τέρπουσαν τοὺς ἀγγέλους.