On Works and Alms.

 1. Many and great, beloved brethren, are the divine benefits wherewith the large and abundant mercy of God the Father and Christ both has laboured and

 2. The Holy Spirit speaks in the sacred Scriptures, and says, “By almsgiving and faith sins are purged.” Not assuredly those sins which had been previ

 3. Let us then acknowledge, beloved brethren, the wholesome gift of the divine mercy and let us, who cannot be without some wound of conscience, heal

 4. Finally, beloved brethren, the divine admonition in the Scriptures, as well old as new, has never failed, has never been silent in urging God’s peo

 5. The remedies for propitiating God are given in the words of God Himself the divine instructions have taught what sinners ought to do, that by work

 6. Neither, beloved brethren, are we so bringing forward these things, as that we should not prove what Raphael the angel said, by the testimony of th

 7. Therefore in the Gospel, the Lord, the Teacher of our life and Master of eternal salvation, quickening the assembly of believers, and providing for

 8. In fine, He calls those the children of Abraham whom He sees to be laborious in aiding and nourishing the poor. For when Zacchæus said, “Behold, th

 9. If you dread and fear, lest, if you begin to act thus abundantly, your patrimony being exhausted with your liberal dealing, you may perchance be re

 10. You are afraid lest perchance your estate should fail, if you begin to act liberally from it and you do not know, miserable man that you are, tha

 11. Are you afraid that your patrimony perchance may fall short, if you should begin to do liberally from it? Yet when has it ever happened that resou

 12. Unless you imagine that he who feeds Christ is not himself fed by Christ, or that earthly things will be wanting to those to whom heavenly and div

 13. Wherefore do you applaud yourself in those vain and silly conceits, as if you were withheld from good works by fear and solicitude for the future?

 14. You are mistaken, and are deceived, whosoever you are, that think yourself rich in this world. Listen to the voice of your Lord in the Apocalypse,

 15. But you who are such as this, cannot labour in the Church. For your eyes, overcast with the gloom of blackness, and shadowed in night, do not see

 16. But neither let the consideration, dearest brethren, restrain and recall the Christian from good and righteous works, that any one should fancy th

 17. Thus that widow in the third book of Kings, when in the drought and famine, having consumed everything, she had made of the little meal and oil wh

 18. Moreover, also, (you say) there are many children at home and the multitude of your children checks you from giving yourself freely to good works

 19. Neither should you think that he is father to your children who is both changeable and infirm, but you should obtain Him who is the eternal and un

 20. Be rather such a father to your children as was Tobias. Give useful and saving precepts to your pledges, such as he gave to his son command your

 21. What sort of gift is it, beloved brethren, whose setting forth is celebrated in the sight of God? If, in a gift of the Gentiles, it seems a great

 22. And that the indolent and the barren, and those, who by their covetousness for money do nothing in respect of the fruit of their salvation, may be

 23. What do we reply to these things, dearest brethren? With what reason do we defend the minds of rich men, overwhelmed with a profane barrenness and

 24. And therefore, dearest brethren, whose fear is inclined towards God, and who having already despised and trampled under foot the world, have lifte

 25. Let us consider, beloved brethren, what the congregation of believers did in the time of the apostles, when at the first beginnings the mind flour

 26. What, dearest brethren, will be that glory of those who labour charitably—how great and high the joy when the Lord begins to number His people, an

9. If you dread and fear, lest, if you begin to act thus abundantly, your patrimony being exhausted with your liberal dealing, you may perchance be reduced to poverty; be of good courage in this respect, be free from care: that cannot be exhausted whence the service of Christ is supplied, whence the heavenly work is celebrated. Neither do I vouch for this on my own authority; but I promise it on the faith of the Holy Scriptures, and on the authority of the divine promise. The Holy Spirit speaks by Solomon, and says, “He that giveth unto the poor shall never lack, but he that turneth away his eye shall be in great poverty;”28    Prov. xxviii. 27. showing that the merciful and those who do good works cannot want, but rather that the sparing and barren hereafter come to want. Moreover, the blessed Apostle Paul, full of the grace of the Lord’s inspiration, says: “He that ministereth seed to the sower, shall both minister bread for your food, and shall multiply your seed sown, and shall increase the growth of the fruits of your righteousness, that in all things ye may be enriched.”29    2 Cor. ix. 10. And again: “The administration of this service shall not only supply the wants of the saints, but shall be abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;”30    2 Cor. ix. 12. because, while thanks are directed to God for our almsgivings and labours, by the prayer of the poor, the wealth of the doer is increased by the retribution of God. And the Lord in the Gospel, already considering the hearts of men of this kind, and with prescient voice denouncing faithless and unbelieving men, bears witness, and says: “Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For these things the Gentiles seek. And your Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”31    Matt. vi. 31–33. He says that all these things shall be added and given to them who seek the kingdom and righteousness of God. For the Lord says, that when the day of judgment shall come, those who have laboured in His Church are admitted to receive the kingdom.

IX. Si vereris et metuis ne, si operari plurimum coeperis, patrimonio tuo larga operatione finito ad penuriam forte redigaris, esto in hac parte intrepidus, 0608C esto securus; finiri non potest unde in usus Christi impenditur, unde opus coeleste celebratur. Nec hoc tibi de meo spondeo, sed de sanctarum Scripturarum fide et divinae pollicitationis auctoritate promitto. Loquitur per Salomonem Spiritus sanctus et dicit: Qui dat pauperibus, numquam egebit; qui autem avertit oculum suum, in magna penuria erit (Prov. XXVIII, 27); ostendens misericordes atque operantes egere non posse, magis parcos et steriles ad inopiam postmodum devenire. Item beatus apostolus Paulus, Dominicae inspirationis gratia plenus: Qui administrat, inquit, semen seminanti, et panem ad edendum praestabit, et multiplicabit seminationem vestram, et augebit incrementa frugum justitiae vestrae, ut in omnibus locupletemini. Et iterum: Administratio 0608Dhujus officii non tantum supplebit ea quae sanctis desunt, 0609Ased et abundabitper multam gratiarum actionemin Deum (II Cor. IX, 10-12); quoniam, dum gratiarum actio ad Deum pro eleemosynis atque operationibus nostris pauperum oratione dirigitur, census operantis Dei retributione cumulatur. Et Dominus in Evangelio, jam tunc ejusmodi hominum corda considerans, et perfidis atque incredulis praescia voce denuntians, contestatur et dicit: Nolite cogitare dicentes: Quid edemus, aut quid bibemus, aut quid vestiemur? haec enim nationes quaerunt. Scit autemPater vester quia omnium horum indigetis. Quaerite primum regnum Dei et justitiam ejus , et omnia ista apponentur vobis (Matth. VI, 31-33). Eis omnia apponi dicit et tradi qui regnum et justitiam Dei quaerunt. Eos enim Dominus, cum judicii dies venerit, 0609B ad percipiendum regnum dicit admitti qui fuerint in Ecclesia ejus operati.