John Chrysostom, On Almsgiving

table, like money to the banker, I am immediately accused by God, and I hear from Him: You ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. For on this account in the holy Gospels he also rebuked the one who was entrusted with the talent, and hid it. And how the prophet calls it money, listen: The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, purified seven times. Thus also God says to the prophet: Son of man, testify to this people; and again in another place, Comfort, O priests, my people; speak to the ears of Jerusalem. Having therefore received such commands, I exhort you all to come to almsgiving, so that I may not be accused by you at that hour, if, which may it never be, someone hears from the Judge on that fearful day: Wicked servant, why did you not have mercy on your fellow servant? And now how do you wish to receive mercy? And again: Repent now, because there is no time for repentance there; lest someone being accused at that dreadful hour should say, that I was not taught by the shepherd, I did not learn what a man will give in exchange for his soul, nor did he tell us that almsgiving atones for sins, he did not interpret for us the Scripture given to him by you which says, Blessed is he who has regard for the poor and needy; in the evil day the Lord will deliver him; but he only separated us from Jewish unbelief, and again forbade the superstition of the Greeks; from whose lawlessness we, having been taught, have departed. For if he had also instructed us toward almsgiving, we would have had the fruits of this to show. For this reason also, exhorting with boldness, I do not cease, but I admonish and testify to rich and poor alike, men together with women, spare your own souls, and ransom them through your money from the wrath to come; lighten the burden of your sins through almsgiving; have mercy, that you may receive mercy. For almsgiving has the power of holy baptism; and just as the holy font cleanses the sins of men, so also almsgiving cleanses the offenses of the soul of those who show mercy. The word is not mine, but the divine Scripture teaches, saying: by alms and faith sins are cleansed. Money, even if we do not wish it, remains here; but the soul, even if we do not want it, is removed from here, bearing the accountability for its sins. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ also said in the Gospels: What will it profit a man, if he gains the world, but loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Hear then, I beseech you, this saying, that in peace it is despised, but in times of necessity it shows the power of the law of God. For the hearer often hears: What will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul? and he runs past the power of this saying. And if he despises the saying in peace, he learns in times of necessity the power of Him who spoke it. For what does God do, when He sees someone clinging to money, but turning away from almsgiving, and choosing to suffer anything rather than give up his money? In times of necessity He teaches him to know the law of God; and how, listen: Consider for me a certain merchant sailing the sea, and having his 60.751 mind only on money, choosing to suffer anything rather than to lose one obol, taking countless oaths against his soul, so as not to give up any of his own things. But such a cruel and calculating man in the hour of necessity, when he is violently stormed and is in danger on the sea; for the surge comes on, the sea raises huge waves, they are lifted up to heaven the

τράπεζαν, ὥσπερ ἀργύριον ἐπὶ τὸν τραπεζίτην, εὐθέως ἐγκαλοῦμαι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀκούω παρ' αὐτοῦ· Ἐχρῆν σε τὸ ἀργύριόν μου καταβαλεῖν τοῖς τραπεζίταις, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐλθὼν ἀπῄτησα τὸ ἐμὸν σὺν τόκῳ. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐνεκάλεσεν ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις Εὐαγγελίοις τῷ πιστευθέντι τὸ δηνάριον, καὶ κατακρύψαντι. Καὶ πῶς ἀργύριον ὁ προφήτης λέγει, ἄκουσον· Τὰ λόγια Κυρίου λόγια ἁγνά· ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ κεκαθαρισμένον ἑπταπλασίως. Οὕτω καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ λέγει ὁ Θεός· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, διαμαρτύρου τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ· καὶ πάλιν ἄλλως, Παρακαλεῖτε, οἱ ἱερεῖς, τὸν λαόν μου· λαλεῖτε εἰς τὰ ὦτα Ἱερουσαλήμ. Τοιαύτας οὖν παραγγελίας δεξάμενος παρακαλῶ πάντας ὑμᾶς πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην ἐλθεῖν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ παρ' ὑμῶν κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ὥραν διαβληθῶ, ἐὰν, ὅπερ μὴ γένοιτο, ἀκούσῃ τις παρὰ τοῦ Κριτοῦ κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν φοβερὰν ἡμέραν· Πονηρὲ δοῦλε, διὰ τί οὐκ ἠλέησας τὸν σύνδουλόν σου; καὶ νῦν σὺ πῶς θέλεις ἐλεηθῆναι; Καὶ πάλιν· Μετανοεῖτε νῦν, ὅτι ἐκεῖ οὐκ ἔστι καιρὸς μετανοίας· μήποτε ἐγκαλούμενός τις κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν φρικτὴν ὥραν εἴπῃ, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐδιδάχθην παρὰ τοῦ ποιμένος, οὐκ ἔμαθον τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ εἶπεν ἡμῖν, ὅτι ἐλεημοσύνη ἐξιλάσκεται ἁμαρτίας, οὐχ ἡρμήνευσεν ἡμῖν τὴν παρὰ σοῦ δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ Γραφὴν τὴν λέγουσαν, Μακάριος ὁ συνιὼν ἐπὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα· ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονηρᾷ ῥύσεται αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος· ἀλλὰ μόνον τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀπιστίας ἀπεχώρισεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ πάλιν Ἑλλήνων τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν ἀπηγόρευσεν· ὧν καὶ τῆς παρανομίας διδαχθέντες ἀπέστημεν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην ἐπαίδευσεν ἡμᾶς, εἴχομεν καὶ ταύτης τοὺς καρποὺς δείξασθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας παρακαλῶν οὐ παύομαι, ἀλλὰ νουθετῶ καὶ διαμαρτύρομαι πλουσίους ἅμα καὶ πένητας, ἄνδρας ὁμοῦ καὶ γυναῖκας, φείσασθε τῶν ὑμετέρων ψυχῶν, καὶ λυτρώσασθε ταύτας διὰ τῶν χρημάτων ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς· κουφίσατε τὸ φορτίον τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων διὰ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης· ἐλεήσατε, ἵνα ἐλεηθῆτε. Ἡ γὰρ ἐλεημοσύνη βαπτίσματος ἁγίου δύναμιν ἔχει· καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ ἅγιον λουτρὸν ἀποκαθαίρει τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη καθαίρει τῶν ἐλεούντων τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς πλημμελήματα. Οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ἡ θεία Γραφὴ διδάσκει λέγουσα· ἐλεημοσύναι καὶ πισταί εἰσιν· ἐκκαθαίρονται ἁμαρτίαι. Τὰ χρήματα, κἂν μὴ βουλώμεθα, ἐνταῦθα μένει· ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ, κἂν μὴ θέλωμεν, ἐκεῖθεν μεθοδεύεται, τὰς εὐθύνας ὑπέχουσα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ἔλεγε· Τί ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον κερδάνῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ ζημιωθῇ; ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; Ἄκουε γοῦν, παρακαλῶ, τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, ὅτι ἐν μὲν εἰρήνῃ καταφρονεῖται, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἀνάγκαις δείκνυσι τοῦ νόμου τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν. Ἀκούει γὰρ πολλάκις ὁ ἀκροατής· Τί ὠφεληθήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδάνῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ ζημιωθῇ; καὶ παρατρέχει τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου τὴν δύναμιν. Καὶ ἐὰν καταφρονήσῃ ἐν εἰρήνῃ τοῦ ῥήματος, μανθάνει ἐν ταῖς ἀνάγκαις τοῦ εἰρηκότος τὴν δύναμιν. Τί γὰρ ποιεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅταν τινὰ ἴδῃ χρημάτων μὲν ἀντεχόμενον, ἐλεημοσύνην δὲ ἀποστρεφόμενον, καὶ πάντα αἱρούμενον παθεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ προδοῦναι τὰ χρήματα; Ἐν ταῖς ἀνάγκαις αὐτὸν διδάσκει γνωρίζειν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον· καὶ πῶς, ἄκουε· Ἐννόησόν μοί τινα ἔμπορον θαλαττεύοντα, καὶ περὶ χρήματα μόνον τὸν 60.751 νοῦν ἔχοντα, πάντα αἱρούμενον παθεῖν, ἢ ἕνα ὀβολὸν ἀπολέσαι, ὅρκους μυρίους ἐπάγοντα κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς, ὥστε μὴ προδοῦναί τι τῶν ἰδίων. Ἀλλ' ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀπηνὴς καὶ περίψηφος ἐν ὥρᾳ ἀνάγκης, ὅταν σφοδρῶς χειμάζηται καὶ κινδυνεύῃ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ· ἐφίσταται γὰρ ὁ κλύδων, ἐγείρει τρικυμίας ἡ θάλασσα, ὑψοῦνται μέχρι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὰ