18

It is better to be called the father of ten thousand children, than to have ten thousand staters in a purse. For you will leave your money here, even unwillingly; but the honor for good works you will carry away to the Lord; when a whole people, presenting you before the common Judge, call you nourisher and benefactor, and all the names of philanthropy; God will be the one who accepts; angels praising; the people from creation blessing; eternal glory, crowns of righteousness, the kingdom of heaven will be your prize.

Wealth, when scattered in the way the Lord commands, is made to remain; but when held fast, to be alienated. If you guard it, you do not have it; but if you scatter it, you will not lose it. He has scattered, he has given to the poor.

Piety is a good burial shroud. Depart having clothed everyone. Make your wealth your own adornment; have it with you. Be persuaded by a good counselor, Christ who loved you, who for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might become rich.

Of the Theologian. Almsgiving, freed from all injustice; this makes all things clean. This is better than fasting and sleeping on the ground; and although those things are more toilsome and laborious, this is more profitable, it colors the soul, refines it, makes it beautiful and lovely.

15Ε_076 We shall gain only those things that we send ahead there. Those things alone are ours which are the soul's right actions, almsgiving and philanthropy; for it is not possible to depart taking money; rather let us send it ahead, so as to prepare a dwelling for us in the eternal mansions.

Without almsgiving, the soul is fruitless. All things are unclean without it, all things unprofitable. This is that by which we are able to be like God, to show mercy and to pity. When therefore we do not have this, we have been deprived of everything. He did not say, If you believe you are like your Father. He did not say, If you live as virgins; but what? Be merciful, as your Father in heaven is. For I desire mercy, he says, and not sacrifice.

Whatever things we wish to receive from God, we ought to be the first to share these with our neighbors. But if we deprive our neighbors of these things, how do we wish to receive them? Blessed, he says, are the merciful, 768 for they shall obtain mercy; but judgment without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.

Stretch out your hands, not to heaven, but to the hands of the poor. If you stretch out your hand to the poor, you have touched the very summit of heaven; for he who is seated there receives the alms. But if you raise them up empty, you have profited nothing. For it is not in the stretching out of hands, nor in the multitude of words, but in deeds that one is heard. For hear the Prophet saying: When you stretch out your hands, I will turn my eyes from you; and if you make many prayers, I will not listen to you. But rather judge for the orphan and the lowly, and do justice to the widow, and learn to do good.

If there were no poor, the great part of sins would not be cut off. The poor are physicians of our wounds; they offer us their hands as medicines. A physician does not provide healing so much by 15Ε_078 stretching out hands and applying medicines, as a poor person, by stretching out a hand and receiving from us, is a cleansing-instrument for our evils. You gave the silver, and sins went out with it. For such are the priests, they will eat the sins of my people.

18

Κρεῖττον μυρίων παίδων πατέρα προσαγορεύεσθαι, ἤ μυρίους στατῆρας ἔχειν ἐν βαλαντίῳ. Τά μέν γάρ χρήματα καταλείψεις ἐνταῦθα, καί μή βουλόμενος· τήν δέ ἐπί τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἔργοις φιλοτιμίαν ἀποκομίσεις πρός τόν ∆εσπότην· ὅταν δῆμος ὅλος ἐπί τοῦ κοινοῦ Κριτοῦ παριστάντες σε, τροφέα καί εὐεργέτην, καί πάντα τά τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἀποκαλῶσιν ὀνόματα· Θεός ἔσται ὁ ἀποδεχόμενος· ἄγγελοι εὐφημοῦντες· οἱ ἀπό κτίσεως ἄνθρωποι μακαρίζοντες· δόξα αἰώνιος, στέφανοι δικαιοσύνης, βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἆθλός σοι ἔσται.

Σκορπιζόμενος ὁ πλοῦτος, καθ᾿ ὅν ὁ Κύριος ἐπιτάττεται τρόπον, πέφηκε παραμένειν· συνεχόμενος δέ, ἀλλοτριοῦσθαι. Ἐάν φυλάσσεις, οὐκ ἔχει· ἐάν δέ σκορπίσεις, οὐκ ἀπολέσεις. Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησι.

Καλόν ἐντάφιον ἡ εὐσέβεια. Πάντας περιβαλόμενος ἄπελθε. Οἰκεῖον κόσμον τόν πλοῦτόν σου ποίησον· ἔχε αὐτόν μετά σεαυτοῦ. Πείσθητι καλῶς συμβούλῳ τῷ ἀγαπήσαντί σε Χριστῷ, τῷ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντι, ἵν᾿ ἡμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν.

Θεολόγου. Ἐλεημοσύνη, ἡ πάσης ἀπηλλαγμένη ἀδικίας· αὕτη πάντα καθαρά ποιεῖ. Τοῦτο καί νηστείας βέλτιον καί χαμευνίας· καίτοιγε ἐκεῖνα μοχθηρότερα καί ἐπιπονώτερα, ἀλλ᾿ αὕτη κερδαλεωτέρα, χρωτίζει ψυχήν, λεπτύνει, καλήν καί ὡραίαν ποιεῖ.

15Ε_076 Ἐκεῖνα μόνα κερδήσομεν, ὅσα ἄν ἐκεῖ προπέμψωμεν. Ἐκεῖνα μίνα ἐστίν ἡμέτερα, ὅσα τῆς ψυχής ἐστι κατορθώματα, ἐλεημοσύνη καί φιλανθρωπία· οὐ γάρ δυνατόν χρήματα λαβόντα ἀπελθεῖν· μᾶλλον δέ καί προπέμψωμεν αὐτά, ὥστε ἑτοιμάσαι ἡμῖν σκηνήν ἐν ταἰς αἰωνίαις μοναῖς.

Ἐλεημοσύνης χωρίς, ἄκαρπος ἡ ψυχή. Πάντα ἀκάθαρτα ταύτης χωρίς, πάντα ἀνόνητα. Τοῦτό ἐστιν ᾧ ἐξισοῦσθαι δυνάμεθα τῷ Θεῷ, τό ἐλεεῖν καί οἰκτείρειν. Ὅταν οὖν τοῦτο μή ἔχωμεν, τοῦ παντός ἀπεστερήμεθα. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐάν πιστεύσητε ὅμοιοί ἐστε τῷ Πατρί ὑμῶν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐάν παρθενεύσητε· ἀλλά τί; Γίνεσθε οἰκτίρμονες, ὡς ὁ Πατήρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἔλεον γάρ, φησί, θέλω, καί οὐ θυσίαν.

Ὧν βουλόμεθα τυχεῖν παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ, τούτων πρότεροι μεταδιδόναι, τοῖς πλησίον ὀφείλομεν. Ἄν δέ τούς πλησίον τούτων ἀποστερῶμεν, πῶς τούτων τυχεῖν βουλόμεθα. Μακάριοι, φησίν, οἱ ἐλεήμονες, 768 ὅτι αὐτοί ἐλεηθήσονται· ἀνίλεως δέ κρίσις τῷ μή ποιήσαντι ἔλεος.

Ἔκτεινόν σου τάς χεῖρας, μή εἰς τόν οὐρανόν, ἀλλ᾿ εἰς τάς τῶν πενήτων χεῖρας. Ἐάν εἰς τάς τῶν πενήτων ἐκτείνῃς τήν χεῖρα, αὐτῆς ἥψω τῆς κορυφῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ὁ γάρ ἐκεῖ καθήμενος λαμβάνει τήν ἐλεημοσύνην. Ἄν δέ ἀκάρπους ἀνατείνῃς, οὐδέν ὤνησας. Οὐ γάρ ἐν τῇ ἐκτάσει τῶν χειρῶν, οὐδέ ἐν τῷ πλήθει τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις ἐπακούεσθαι ἔστιν. Ἄκουε γάρ τοῦ Προφήτου λέγοντος· Ὅταν τάς χεῖρας ὑμων ἐκτείνητε, ἀποστρέψω τούς ὀφθαλμούς μου ἀφ᾿ ὑμῶν· καί ἐάν πληθύνητε τήν δέησιν, οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι ὑμῶν. Κρίνατε δέ μᾶλλον ὀρφανῷ καί ταπεινῷ, καί δικαιώσατε χήραν, καί μάθετε καλόν ποιεῖν.

Εἰ μή πένητες ἦσαν,οὐκ ἄν τό πολύ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὑποτέμνετο. Ἰατροί τῶν τραυμάτων εἰσί τῶν ἡμετέρων οἱ πένητες· φάρμακα ἡμῖν παρέχουσι τάς αὐτῶν χεῖρας. Οὐχ οὕτως ἰατρός 15Ε_078 χεῖρας ἐκτείνων καί φάρμακα ἐπιτιθείς, τήν ἰατρείαν παρέχει, ὡς πένης χεῖρα ἐκτείνων καί τά παρ᾿ ἡμῶν λαμβάνων, ἐκμαγεῖον τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐστί κακῶν. Ἔδωκας τό ἀργύριον, συνεξῆλθε καί ἁμαρτήματα. Τοιοῦτοι γάρ οἱ ἱερεῖς, ἁμαρτίας λαοῦ μου φάγονται.