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When we see ourselves accused on account of our age, we say, "Why were we not old men?" When our head turns white, again, "Where is our youth?" And in general we have countless reasons to be grieved. There is only one way free from this inconsistency: the way of virtue; or rather, even this has grief, but a grief not without benefit, but having profit and advantage. For either one has sinned, and through grief, being moved to compunction, has washed away his sins; or he has grieved with a fallen brother, and here again he has no small reward; for to grieve with those in misfortune gives us great boldness before God. 4. Hear how the divine Scripture philosophizes about Job; hear also what Paul says: "Weep with those who weep;" and again, "Associate with the lowly." For fellowship with those who are grieving is accustomed to remove the very burdensome part of grief. For just as with a burden, if someone shares in the weight, he has lightened the one carrying the load alone, so it is also in all other things. But now, when one of our own household has died, there are many who sit beside us, many who comfort us; and we often raise up a fallen donkey, but the falling souls of our brothers we overlook and pass by more than a donkey. And if we see him entering a tavern improperly, we do not 62.606 stop him; and if he is getting drunk, we do not prevent it, nor if he is doing anything else that is wrong; but rather we even join in. For this reason Paul said, "They not only do them themselves, but also approve of those who practice them;" and many form associations for drinking and drunkenness. Form, O man, associations, so as to put away the madness of drunkenness; these friendly things are good for those in bonds, for those who are in affliction. Paul also commanded something of this sort to the Corinthians, "so that when I come," he says, "there will be no collections then." But now we do everything for the sake of drunkenness and luxury and waste, and we make a common couch, and a common table, and a common wine, and a common expense; but no one has made almsgiving common. Such were the friendly things in the time of the apostles, they laid all their possessions in common. But I do not command everything, but a part. "Whatever one is prospered in," he says, "let each one on the first day of the week set apart, as if bringing a kind of tribute for the seven days, and lay it aside, and so give alms, whether small, or great." For you shall not appear, he says, empty before the Lord. These things were said to the Jews, how much more to us? For this reason the poor stand before the doors, so that no one may enter empty, so that he may enter with alms. You enter to receive mercy; first show mercy. And he who comes later, has a greater obligation; for when we begin, the second contributes more. Make God your debtor, and then ask him; lend, and then demand payment, that you may receive with interest; God wills this, he does not avoid it. If you ask with almsgiving, he is grateful; if you demand payment with almsgiving, you are lending and receiving interest. Yes, I beseech you. Being heard is not in the stretching out of the hands; stretch out your hands, not to heaven, but to the hands of the poor. If you stretch out your hand to the hands of the poor, you have touched the very summit of heaven; for He who sits there receives the alms; but if you stretch them out fruitless, you have gained nothing. For tell me, if the king, approaching you in his purple robes, asked you, would you not have eagerly given all that you possess? but now, being asked not by an earthly king, but by the heavenly One through the poor, do you stand by, overlooking and postponing the gift? And of how much punishment would you not be worthy? For being heard is not in the stretching out of the hands, nor in the multitude of words, but in deeds. For hear the prophet saying: "When you stretch out your hands, I will turn my eyes away from you, and if you multiply your prayer,"

5

Ὅταν ἴδωμεν κατηγορουμένους ἡμᾶς διὰ ἡλικίαν, φαμὲν, ∆ιὰ τί μὴ ἦμεν γέροντες; ὅταν λευκαίνηται ἡ κεφαλὴ, πάλιν, Ποῦ ἡ νεότης; Καὶ ὅλως μυρίας ἔχομεν ἀφορμὰς τοῦ λυπεῖσθαι. Μία μόνη ἐστὶν ὁδὸς ταύτης ἀπηλλαγμένη τῆς ἀνωμαλίας, ἡ κατὰ ἀρετήν· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ λύπην ἔχει, ἀλλὰ λύπην οὐκ ἀνόνητον, ἀλλὰ κέρδος καὶ ὠφέλειαν ἔχουσαν. Ἢ γὰρ ἥμαρτέ τις, καὶ διὰ τῆς λύπης κατανυγεὶς, ἀπενίψατο τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· ἢ ἀδελφῷ πεπτωκότι συνήλγησε, καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν ἔχει τὸν μισθὸν οὐ μικρόν· τὸ γὰρ συναλγεῖν τοῖς ἐν συμφοραῖς οὖσι, πολλὴν ἡμῖν πρὸς Θεὸν δίδωσι τὴν παῤῥησίαν. δʹ. Ἄκουσον ὅσα περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ φιλοσοφεῖ ἡ θεία Γραφή· ἄκουσον καὶ Παῦλος τί φησι· Κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων· καὶ πάλιν, Τοῖς ταπεινοῖς συναπαγόμενοι. Ἡ γὰρ κοινωνία τῶν λυπουμένων τὸ σφόδρα φορτικὸν τῆς λύπης ἀφαιρεῖν εἴωθεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ φορτίου, ἂν τοῦ βάρους τις κοινωνήσῃ, ἐπελάφρυνε τὸν μόνον τὸ ἄχθος φέροντα, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων. Νῦν δὲ τῶν μὲν οἰκείων ἡμῖν τινος τετελευτηκότος, πολλοὶ οἱ παρακαθήμενοι, πολλοὶ οἱ παραμυθούμενοι· καὶ ὄνον πεσόντα πολλάκις διεγείρομεν, τῶν δὲ ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν τὰς ψυχὰς πιπτούσας ὄνου μᾶλλον παραβλέπομεν καὶ παρατρέχομεν. Καὶ ἐὰν εἰς καπηλεῖον αὐτὸν ἴδωμεν ἀσέμνως εἰσιόντα, οὐκ ἀνα 62.606 κόπτομεν· κἂν μεθύοντα, οὐ κωλύομεν, κἂν ὅ τι δήποτε ἕτερον ποιοῦντα τῶν ἀτόπων· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καὶ συμπράττομεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Παῦλος ἔλεγεν, Οὐ μόνον αὐτοὶ ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσι τοῖς πράττουσι· καὶ συμμορίας πότου καὶ μέθης ποιοῦσιν οἱ πολλοί. Ποίησον, ἄνθρωπε, συμμορίας, ὥστε ἀποθέσθαι τὴν μανίαν τῆς μέθης· τοῖς δεδεμένοις καλὰ ταῦτα τὰ φιλικὰ, τοῖς ἐν θλίψει οὖσι. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ Κορινθίοις ἐπέταξεν ὁ Παῦλος, Ἵνα μὴ, ὅταν ἔλθω φησὶ, τότε λογίαι γίνωνται. Νῦν δὲ μέθης μὲν καὶ τρυφῆς καὶ σπατάλης ἕνεκεν πάντα πράττομεν, καὶ κλίνην κοινὴν, καὶ τράπεζαν κοινὴν, καὶ οἶνον κοινὸν, καὶ ἀνάλωμα κοινὸν ποιοῦμεν· ἐλεημοσύνην δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐποιήσατο κοινήν. Τοιαῦτα ἦν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων τὰ φιλικὰ, πάντα εἰς μέσον κατετίθεντο τὰ ὑπάρχοντα. Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ πάντα κελεύω, ἀλλὰ μέρος τι. Ὃ ἄν τις εὐοδῶται, φησὶν, ὁρισάτω ἕκαστος κατὰ μίαν τῶν σαββάτων, ὥσπερ τινὰ φόρον φέρειν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν, καὶ κατατίθεσθαι, καὶ οὕτω διδόναι ἐλεημοσύνην, κἂν μικρὸν, κἂν μέγα. Οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ γὰρ, φησὶ, κενὸς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου. Ἰουδαίοις ταῦτα ἐλέγετο, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡμῖν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἑστήκασιν οἱ πένητες πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν, ἵνα μηδεὶς εἰσίῃ κενὸς, ἵνα μετὰ ἐλεημοσύνης εἰσίῃ. Εἰσέρχῃ ἐλεηθῆναι· ἐλέησον πρότερον. Ὁ δὲ ὕστερον ἐρχόμενος, πλέον ὀφείλει· ὅταν γὰρ ἀρξώμεθα ἡμεῖς, ὁ δεύτερος πλέον κατατίθησι. Ποίησόν σοι ὀφειλέτην τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τότε αὐτὸν αἴτησαι· δάνεισον, καὶ τότε ἀπαίτει, ἵνα μετὰ τόκου λάβῃς· βούλεται τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἀποφεύγει. Ἂν μετὰ ἐλεημοσύνης αἰτῇς, χάριν ἔχει· ἂν μετὰ ἐλεημοσύνης ἀπαιτῇς, δανείζεις καὶ τόκους λαμβάνεις. Ναὶ, παρακαλῶ. Οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἐκτάσει τῶν χειρῶν τὸ ἀκούεσθαί ἐστιν· ἔκτεινόν σου τὰς χεῖρας, μὴ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰς τῶν πενήτων χεῖρας. Ἂν εἰς τὰς τῶν πενήτων χεῖρας ἐκτείνῃς τὴν χεῖρα, αὐτῆς ἥψω τῆς κορυφῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ὁ γὰρ ἐκεῖ καθήμενος λαμβάνει τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην· ἂν δὲ ἀκάρπους ἀνατείνῃς, οὐδὲν ὤνησας. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἴ σε προσελθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ᾔτησε μετὰ τῆς ἁλουργίδος, οὐκ ἂν προθύμως ἅπαντα τὰ ὄντα δέδωκας; νῦν δὲ οὐχ ὑπὸ ἐπιγείου βασιλέως, ἀλλὰ τοῦ οὐρανίου διὰ τῶν πενήτων αἰτούμενος ἕστηκας παρορῶν καὶ τὴν δόσιν ὑπερτιθέμενος; καὶ πόσης οὐκ ἂν εἴης κολάσεως ἄξιος; Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἐκτάσει τῶν χειρῶν, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τὸ ἐπακούεσθαί ἐστιν. Ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Ὅταν τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν ἐκτείνητε, ἀποστρέψω τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἀφ' ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐὰν πληθύνητε τὴν δέησιν,