John Chrysostom, On "Let a widow be chosen"

let us be diligent; and let us not say that so-and-so is wicked and not worthy to be treated well, so-and-so is lowly, so-and-so is an outcast. Do not look at the worth of the one needing help, but only at the need. For even if he is lowly and an outcast, even if contemptible, Christ so reckons your reward as if he himself had been treated well through that one. For so that we may not look at the worth of those who receive benefits, hear what he says: You saw me hungry, and you fed me. Then when they said, "When did we see you hungry, and fed you?" he added, saying, "As you did it to one of these little ones, you did it to me;" so that no excuse is left for us. For so that we do not say, "Where now to find one like Elijah? and where one like Elisha?" and, "Give me such men, and I will receive them with all eagerness, and I will not refuse to wash their feet and serve them in every way;" so that we do not say these things, which is much greater, the Lord himself of Elijah and Elisha and all the prophets has promised to come in to us through the poor, saying, "As you did it to one of these little ones, you did it to me." But do not pass by what has been said. For "You saw me hungry and you fed me" presents four necessities for almsgiving: the trustworthiness of the one asking, because the Lord is the one asking; the urgency of the need, because he is hungry; the ease of the giving, because he seeks to be fed and asks only for bread, not for luxury; the magnitude of the gift, because he promises a kingdom in return for these small things. Are you inhuman and cruel and merciless? "Revere," he says, "the dignity of the one asking." But does his dignity not move you? Be moved by his misfortune. But does not even his misfortune move you to mercy? Give because of the ease of the request. Can neither the dignity, nor the urgency of the need, nor the ease of giving persuade you? Therefore, because of the magnitude of the promised goods, give 51.337 to the one in need. Do you see four reasons able to rouse even stone itself, and the stingy, and the proud, and the merciless, and the most sluggish of all men? What forgiveness, then, will there be for those who, after so much exhortation and counsel, despise the needy? Let me say another thing in addition to these; let the initiated hear. He himself, when he must feed you, does not spare his own flesh; when he must give you drink, he does not spare his blood, nor does he begrudge it; but you do not even share bread, or a cup? And what forgiveness will you have, receiving such things, and so precious, yet sparing trivial things? See that you do not, often by sparing to give to Christ for profit, give to the devil for loss. For when we do not give to the poor, we give to informers; often thieves, or even wicked servants, taking it have gone away, or even other circumstances of affairs. And when we escape all these things, death, having come, has led us away naked. Therefore, so that these things may not happen, let us anticipate and give to Christ who asks, and let us lay up treasure in the inviolable treasury, so that we may be confident both about its safe-keeping and about its interest. For he not only keeps what he has received with exactness; but he returns them to you again with a greater 51.338 increase. Therefore, let us not think that our substance is diminished when we give alms. For it is not diminished, but increased; it is not spent, but multiplied, and what is done is a kind of business and a seed; or rather, more profitable and more secure than both of these. For trade is subject to winds and waves of the sea and many shipwrecks, and seeds to droughts and heavy rains and other irregularities of the weather; but the money placed into the hand of Christ is beyond all treachery. No one can snatch from the hand of the one who received what was once given; but it remains, producing for us much and unspeakable fruit, and bringing a rich harvest in its season. For he who sows sparingly, he says, will also reap sparingly; and he who sows in blessings, will also reap in blessings. Let us sow, therefore, with abundance, so that also

ποιώμεθα σπουδήν· καὶ μὴ λέγωμεν, ὅτι ὁ δεῖνα πονηρὸς καὶ οὐκ ἄξιος εὖ πα-θεῖν, ὁ δεῖνα εὐτελὴς, ὁ δεῖνα ἀπεῤῥιμμένος. Μὴ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν ἴδῃς τοῦ δεομένου τῆς θεραπείας, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν μόνον. Κἂν γὰρ εὐτελὴς ᾖ καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένος, κἂν εὐκαταφρόνητος, ὁ Χριστὸς οὕτω σοι λογίζεται τὸν μισθὸν, ὡς αὐτὸς εὖ παθὼν δι' ἐκείνου. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν βλέπωμεν τῶν εὐεργετουμένων, ἄκουσον τί φησι· Πεινῶντά με εἴ-δετε, καὶ ἐθρέψατε. Εἶτα ἐκείνων λεγόντων· Πότε σε εἴδομεν πεινῶντα, καὶ ἐθρέψαμεν; ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Ἐφ' ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τῶν μικρῶν τού- των, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε· ὥστε οὐδεμία ἡμῖν καταλέλει-πται πρόφασις. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωμεν, ὅτι Ποῦ νῦν κατὰ τὸν Ἠλίαν εὑρεῖν; ποῦ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἐλισσαῖον; καὶ, ∆ός μοι τοιούτους ἄνδρας, καὶ μετὰ πάσης αὐ-τοὺς ὑποδέξομαι τῆς προθυμίας, καὶ οὐ παραιτήσο-μαι νίψαι τοὺς πόδας καὶ παντὶ θεραπεῦσαι τρόπῳ· ἵνα μὴ ταῦτα λέγωμεν, ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζόν ἐστιν, αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ Ἠλίου καὶ τοῦ Ἐλισσαίου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν ∆εσπότης ἁπάντων διὰ τῶν πενήτων ὑπέσχετο πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἰσιέναι, λέγων· Ἐφ' ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν μικρῶν, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. Ἀλλὰ μὴ παραδράμῃς τὸ εἰρημένον. Τὸ γὰρ, Πει-νῶντά με εἴδετε καὶ ἐθρέψατε, τέσσαρας ἀνάγκας ἐφίστησιν ἐλεημοσύνης· τὸ ἀξιόπιστον τοῦ αἰτοῦντος, ὅτι ∆εσπότης ἐστὶν ὁ αἰτῶν· τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς χρείας, ὅτι πεινᾷ· τὸ εὔκολον τῆς δόσεως, ὅτι τραφῆναι ζητεῖ καὶ ἄρτον αἰτεῖ μόνον, οὐχὶ τρυφήν· τὸ μέγεθος τῆς δωρεᾶς, ὅτι βασιλείαν ἀντὶ τούτων τῶν μικρῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται. Ἀπάνθρωπος εἶ καὶ ὠμὸς καὶ ἀνηλεής; Αἰδέσθητι, φησὶ, τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ αἰτοῦντος. Ἀλλ' οὐ δυσωπεῖ σε τὸ ἀξίωμα; Πρὸς τὴν συμφορὰν ἐπι-κάμφθητι. Ἀλλ' οὔτε τὰ τῆς συμφορᾶς εἰς ἔλεόν σε ἐπικάμπτει; ∆ιὰ τὸ τῆς αἰτήσεως εὔκολον δός. Οὔτε τὸ ἀξίωμα, οὔτε τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς χρείας, οὔτε τὸ εὔκολον τῆς δόσεως δύναταί σε πεῖσαι; Οὐκοῦν διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν παράσχες 51.337 τῷ δεομένῳ. Ὁρᾷς τέσσαρας αἰτίας δυναμένας καὶ τὸν λίθον αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸν μικρολόγον, καὶ τὸν τετυφω-μένον, καὶ τὸν ἀνηλεῆ, καὶ τὸν νωθρότατον ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων διαναστῆσαι; Τίς οὖν ἔσται συγγνώμη τοῖς μετὰ τοσαύτην παραίνεσιν καὶ συμβουλὴν τῶν δεο-μένων ὑπερορῶσιν; Εἴπω δὴ καὶ ἕτερον πρὸς τού-τοις· ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ μεμυημένοι. Αὐτὸς, ὅταν δέῃ σε θρέψαι, οὐδὲ τῆς σαρκὸς φείδεται τῆς ἑαυτοῦ· ὅταν δέῃ σε ποτίσαι, οὐδὲ τοῦ αἵματος φείδεται, οὐδὲ φθο-νεῖ· σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ ἄρτου μεταδίδως, οὐδὲ ποτηρίου; Καὶ ποίαν ἕξεις συγγνώμην τοιαῦτα λαμβάνων, καὶ οὕτω τίμια, καὶ τῶν εὐτελῶν φειδόμενος; Ὅρα μὴ πολλάκις φειδόμενος τῷ Χριστῷ δοῦναι ἐπὶ κέρδει, δῷς ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῷ διαβόλῳ. Ὅταν γὰρ πένησι μὴ δῶμεν, συκοφάνταις διδόαμεν· κλέπται πολλάκις, ἢ καὶ οἰκέται κακοῦργοι λαμβάνοντες ἀπῆλθον, ἢ καὶ ἕτεραι πραγμάτων περιστάσεις. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ὅταν διαφύγωμεν ἅπαντα, θάνατος ἐπελθὼν γυμνὸν ἀπ-ήγαγεν. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ ταῦτα γίνηται, προλαβόντες δῶ-μεν αἰτοῦντι τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἄσυλον ἀποθώ-μεθα θησαυρὸν, ἵνα καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς φυλακῆς καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς προσόδου θαῤῥῶμεν. Οὐ γὰρ διατηρεῖ μόνον, ἅπερ ἔλαβε, μετὰ ἀκριβείας· ἀλλὰ μετὰ πλείονος 51.338 αὐτὰ ἀποδίδωσί σοι τῆς προσθήκης πάλιν. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίζωμεν ἡμῖν ἐλαττοῦσθαι τὴν οὐσίαν, ὅταν ἐλεη-μοσύνην παρέχωμεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐλαττοῦται, ἀλλ' αὔξε-ται· οὐ δαπανᾶται, ἀλλὰ πλεονάζει, καὶ πραγματεία τίς ἐστι καὶ σπόρος τὸ γινόμενον· μᾶλλον δὲ ἀμφο-τέρων τούτων κερδαλεώτερον καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐμπορία καὶ πνεύμασι καὶ κύμασι θαλάσσης ὑπόκειται καὶ ναυαγίοις πολλοῖς, καὶ τὰ σπέρματα καὶ αὐχμοῖς καὶ ἐπομβρίαις καὶ ἑτέραις ἀέρων ἀνωμαλίαις· τὰ δὲ εἰς τὴν χεῖρα τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατα-βαλλόμενα χρήματα ἀνώτερα πάσης ἐστὶν ἐπιβουλῆς. Οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάζειν ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ λαβόντος τὰ δοθέντα ἅπαξ· ἀλλὰ μένει πολὺν ἡμῖν καὶ ἄφατον ἐργαζόμενα τὸν καρπὸν, καὶ τὸν ἄμητον ἐν καιρῷ φέροντα πλούσιον. Ὁ σπείρων γὰρ φειδομένως, φησὶ, φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει· καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἐπ' εὐλογίαις, ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει. Σπείρωμεν τοίνυν μετὰ δαψιλείας, ἵνα καὶ