John Chrysostom, On Fasting and Almsgiving

was corrupted. For this reason in the intervening times it did not appear; but when Jesus Christ the Son of God came, born of a virgin, then it appeared again. Do you wish to know the greatness of virginity? Moses parted the sea, changed the air, brought down manna, and they spoke against him concerning his own wife, the Ethiopian, because he had a wife; and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and also Joseph, even if he was chaste, yet after these things he had a wife. Do you wish to learn how great virginity is? Christ, having come, did not bind it by necessity; for while he heightened the other virtues, he did not heighten this one, so that, if you should achieve it willingly, you might be crowned. Those who practice continence, also first take up poverty. For there are eunuchs who were born so; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, not by cutting off their members, but by cutting off licentious desire. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it. And the Apostle, having gone through all the virtues, knowing its vastness, says: Now concerning virgins I have no commandment from the Lord. Do you see how great virginity is? And yet without almsgiving it did not save; but almsgiving without virginity did save. The five foolish virgins, because they did not have oil, but only virginity, did not enter into the bridal chamber; for they say to the wise: Give us some of your oil. And they were rightly called foolish, because having accomplished the more laborious thing, they did not do the thing without labor; they brought down the great adversary, and were defeated by the lesser. And when the bridegroom came, the wise entered into the bridal chamber; and those others also came knocking; and he says to them: I do not know you. Why? Because you saw me hungry, and you did not feed me. But may it not happen for us to hear such a voice; but to those who have accomplished almsgiving he says: Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Why? because they kept their virginity? Not at all; but because I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me. And so that you may learn how great almsgiving is, I wish to remind you again of this story. There were ten virgins, five wise, and five foolish; and there was a cry at midnight. Arise, the bridegroom is coming. The midnight is the resurrection, when the angels will raise us all. And rising, the virgins trimmed their lamps. And the lamp is virginity, the pure, the sharp, the bright. The foolish say to the wise: Give us some of your oil. The wise say to them: We are afraid that there may not be enough for us and for you (but it was not out of envy that they did not give; for what need is there of gold there anymore? for there is not rich and poor there), but go and buy. And who are the sellers? The poor; for you rather receive than give; you give to him earthly things, and you receive heavenly things. Therefore, as they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready entered into the bridal chamber, and the doors were shut. And when those others came, they knocked, and he says to them: I do not know you. Do you see, because they did not have almsgiving, they also failed in the labor of virginity, and remained outside the bridal chamber. Therefore, having learned the profit of almsgiving, brothers, let us perform almsgiving, so that we may both attain the bridal chamber, and enjoy the eternal good things, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, with the holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

κατεφθάρη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς μέσοις χρόνοις οὐκ ἐφαίνετο· ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν ὁ ἐκ παρθένου γεννηθεὶς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, τότε ἐφάνη πάλιν. Θέλεις δὲ γνῶναι τῆς παρθενίας τὸ μέγεθος; Μωϋσῆς τὴν θάλασσαν ἔσχισε, τὸν ἀέρα μετέβαλε, μάννα κατήγαγε, καὶ κατελάλησαν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς ἰδίας γυναικὸς, τῆς Αἰθιοπίσσης, ὅτι γυναῖκα εἶχε· καὶ Ἀβραὰμ δὲ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλὰκαὶ Ἰωσὴφ, εἰ καὶ σωφρονῶν, ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ ταῦτα γυναῖκα ἔσχε. Βούλει μαθεῖν, ὅσον ἐστὶν ἡ παρθενία; Ὁ Χριστὸς ἐλθὼν οὐ κατέδησεν αὐτὴν ἀνάγκῃ· ὁμοῦ γὰρ τὰς ἄλλας ἐπιτείνας ἀρετὰς, ταύτην οὐκ ἐπέτεινεν, ἵνα, ἐὰν ἑκουσίως κατορθώσῃς, στεφανωθῇς. Οἱ ἐγκράτειαν ἀσκοῦντες, καὶ τὴν ἀκτημοσύνην πρώτην αὐτὴν μεταχειρίζονται. Εἰσὶ γὰρ εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτω· καὶ εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες εὐνουχίσθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ εἰσὶν εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, οὐ τὰ μόρια κόψαντες, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκόλαστον ἐπιθυμίαν ἀποκοψάμενοι. Ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν, χωρείτω. Καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐπελθὼν πάσας, εἰδὼς αὐτῆς τὸ πέλαγος, λέγει· Περὶ δὲ τῶν παρθένων ἐπιταγὴν Κυρίου οὐκ ἔχω. Εἶδες πῶς μεγάλη ἡ παρθενία; Καὶ ὅμως χωρὶς ἐλεημοσύνης οὐκ ἔσωσεν· ἐλεημοσύναι δὲ χωρὶς παρθενίας ἔσωσαν. Αἱ πέντε παρθένοι αἱ μωραὶ, ἐπειδὴ ἔλαιον οὐκ εἶχον, ἀλλὰ μόνην τὴν παρθενίαν, οὐκ ἐσῆλθον εἰς τὸν νυμφῶνα· λέγουσι γὰρ ταῖς φρονίμοις· ∆ότε ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ ἐλαίου ὑμῶν. ∆ικαίως δὲ ἐκλήθησαν μωραὶ, ὅτι τὸ ἐπιπονώτερον κατορθώσασαι, τὸ χωρὶς πόνου οὐκ ἐποίησαν· τὸν μέγαν ἀνταγωνιστὴν κατήνεγκαν, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐλάττονος ἡττήθησαν. Καὶ ἐλθόντος τοῦ νυμφίου, εἰσῆλθον αἱ φρόνιμοι εἰς τὸν νυμφῶνα· καὶ ἦλθον κἀκεῖναι κρούουσαι· καὶ λέγει αὐταῖς· Οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι πεινῶντά με εἴδετε, καὶ οὐκ ἐθρέψατε. Ἡμᾶς δὲ μὴ γένοιτο ἀκοῦσαι φωνῆς τοιαύτης· τοῖς δὲ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην κατορθώσασι λέγει· ∆εῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. ∆ιὰ τί; ὅτι παρθενίαν ἐτήρησαν; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' ὅτι Ἐπείνασα, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν· ἐδίψησα, καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με· ξένος ἤμην, καὶ συνηγάγετέ με· γυμνὸς, καὶ περιεβάλετέ με· ἀσθενὴς καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ, καὶ ἐπεσκέψασθέ με. Ἵνα δὲ μάθῃς πόσον ἐστὶν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη, βούλομαι πάλιν ὑμᾶς ὑπομνῆσαι τῆς ἱστορίας ταύτης. ∆έκα παρθένοι ἦσαν, αἱ πέντε φρόνιμοι, καὶ αἱ πέντε μωραί· καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο κατὰ τὸ μεσονύκτιον. Ἀνάστητε, ὁ νυμφίος ἔρχεται. Τὸ μεσονύκτιον ἡ ἀνάστασίς ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ ἄγγελοι πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπεγείρωσιν. Ἀναστᾶσαι δὲ αἱ παρθένοι ἐκόσμησαν τὰς λαμπάδας ἑαυτῶν. Ἡ δὲ λαμπὰς ἡ παρθενία ἐστὶ, τὸ καθαρὸν, τὸ ὀξὺ, τὸ φωτεινόν. Λέγουσιν αἱ μωραὶ ταῖς φρονίμοις· ∆ότε ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ ἐλαίου ὑμῶν. Λέγουσιν αὐταῖς αἱ φρόνιμοι· Φοβούμεθα μή ποτε οὐκ ἀρκέσῃ ἡμῖν καὶ ὑμῖν (ἀλλ' οὐχὶ βασκαίνουσαι οὐκ ἔδωκαν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ τίς χρεία χρυσίου λοιπόν; οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐκεῖ πλούσιος καὶ πένης), ἀλλ' ἀπελθοῦσαι ἀγοράσατε. Καὶ τίνες οἱ πωλοῦντες; Πένητες· σὺ γὰρ μᾶλλον λαμβάνεις ἢ δίδως· δίδως αὐτῷ σὺ γήϊνα, καὶ λαμβάνεις ἐπουράνια. Ὡς οὖν ἀπῆλθον ἀγοράσαι, ἦλθεν ὁ νυμφίος· καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸν νυμφῶνα αἱ ἕτοιμοι, καὶ ἐκλείσθησαν αἱ θύραι. Ἐλθοῦσαι δὲ ἐκεῖναι ἔκρουσαν, καὶ λέγει αὐταῖς· Οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς. Ὁρᾷς, ἐπειδὴ ἐλεημοσύνην οὐκ εἶχον, καὶ τοῦ πόνου τῆς παρθενίας ἀπέτυχον, καὶ ἔξω τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἔμειναν. Μαθόντες οὖν τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης τὸ κέρδος, ἀδελφοὶ, ποιήσωμεν ἐλεημοσύνην, ἵνα καὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐπιτύχωμεν, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν, χάριτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ ἀγαθῷ καὶ ζωοποιῷ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.