John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

doing so, do not grow weary, toward all men, but especially toward those of the household of faith. If we scrutinize and meddle with the unworthy, not even the worthy will ever easily fall into our hands; but if we also provide for the unworthy, surely both the worthy and those worth all of those others will come into our hands; just as, then, also happened in the case of the blessed Abraham, who, not scrutinizing nor meddling with those passing by, was able even to receive angels at one time. Let us also emulate him, and with him his descendant, Job. For he also imitated the magnanimity of his forefather with all exactness, and because of this he said: My door was open to everyone who came; it was not open to this one, but closed to another, but it was opened simply to all. 2. Let us also do this, I entreat you, scrutinizing nothing beyond what is necessary. For the worth of the poor man is his need alone; and if anyone ever comes to us with this, let us not be overly curious about anything more. for we do not give to the character, but to the man; nor do we pity him because of his virtue, but because of his misfortune, so that we ourselves also may draw down great mercy from the Lord, so that we ourselves also, being unworthy, may obtain loving-kindness. For if we were to seek for worth in our fellow-servants, and to scrutinize them, God will do this to us also; and seeking to demand an account from our fellow-servants, we ourselves will fall from the loving-kindness from above; For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, he says. But let us return our discourse to the subject again. Seeing him, therefore, in the bosom of Abraham, he says: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus. For what reason did he not direct his word to Lazarus? It seems to me that he was ashamed and blushed, and from his own affairs he thought that he would certainly bear a grudge. For if I, he says, enjoying so much wealth, and having been wronged in nothing, despised the man when he was in so many evils, and did not even share my crumbs, much more will he himself who was so despised not assent to the favor. We say these things not accusing Lazarus; for he was certainly not so disposed, may it not be so; but that this man, fearing these things, did not call him, but called upon Abraham, whom he thought was ignorant of what had happened. And he sought for that finger, which he had many times allowed to be licked all over by the tongues of the dogs. What then did he say? Child, you have received your good things in your life. See the wisdom, see the tender affection of a righteous man. He did not say: O inhuman, and cruel, and all-wicked man, having inflicted so many evils on the man, are you now mindful of loving-kindness and mercy and forgiveness? Do you not blush, nor are you ashamed? But what? Child, he says, you have received your good things. For do not further trouble an afflicted soul, he says. The things of his punishment are sufficient for him; let us not tread upon his misfortunes. And otherwise, also that he might not think, that, bearing a grudge for past events, he prevented Lazarus from going, 48.991 he calls him 'child,' almost making an apology for himself through the address. Of what I am lord, I give to you, he says; but for him to go from here to there is not ours to grant. You have received your good things. And why did he not say, 'you took,' but, 'you have received'? From this I see a great sea of meanings opening up to us. Wherefore, having guarded all the things that have been said with exactness, both those said now and those said before, let us store them away with all safety, and from what has been said, prepare yourselves to be more fit for the hearing of the things that are to be said; and if it should be possible for you, remember all of them for me; but if you cannot remember all, in place of all, that one thing, I entreat you, 48.992 remember continually, that not sharing with the poor from one's own possessions, is robbery of the poor and a deprivation of their life; and we hold not our own things, but theirs. For if we are thus disposed, we will certainly send forth our money, and having fed the hungry Christ here, and having stored up great merchandise there, we will be able to attain the good things to come,

ποιοῦντες μὴ ἐκκακῆτε, πρὸς πάντας μὲν, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους τῆς πίστεως. Ἂν τοὺς ἀναξίους περιεργαζώμεθα καὶ πολυπραγμονῶμεν, οὐδὲ ἄξιοί ποτε ῥᾳδίως ἐμπεσοῦνται ἡμῖν· ἂν δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀναξίοις παρέχωμεν, πάντως καὶ οἱ ἄξιοι καὶ οἱ πάντων ἐκείνων ἀντάξιοι εἰς τὰς ἡμετέρας ἥξουσι χεῖρας· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μακαρίου γέγονεν Ἀβραὰμ, ὃς οὐ περιεργαζόμενος, οὐδὲ πολυπραγμονῶν τοὺς παριόντας, ἐδυνήθη καὶ ἀγγέλους ὑποδέξασθαί ποτε. Τοῦτον καὶ ἡμεῖς ζηλώσωμεν, καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ τὸν ἔγγονον τὸν ἐκείνου τὸν Ἰώβ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὗτος τὴν τοῦ προγόνου μεγαλοψυχίαν μετὰ πάσης ἐμιμήσατο τῆς ἀκριβείας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· Ἡ θύρα μου παντὶ ἐλθόντι ἀνέῳκτο· οὐχὶ τῷ δεῖνι μὲν ἀνέῳκτο, ἑτέρῳ δὲ ἀπεκέκλειστο, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς ἀνεῖτο. ʹ. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν, παρακαλῶ, μηδὲν ἀκριβολογούμενοι πέρα τοῦ δέοντος. Ἀξία γὰρ τοῦ πένητος ἡ χρεία μόνον ἐστί· κἂν ὁστισοῦν μετὰ ταύτης ἔλθῃ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ποτε, μηδὲν περιεργαζώμεθα πλέον οὐ γὰρ τῷ τρόπῳ παρέχομεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ· οὐδὲ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν συμφορὰν ἐλεῶμεν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὸν πολὺν ἔλεον ἐπισπασώμεθα, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ, ἀνάξιοι ὄντες, φιλανθρωπίας ἐπιτύχωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ μέλλοιμεν τὴν ἀξίαν ἐπιζητεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν συνδούλων τῶν ἡμετέρων, καὶ ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι, τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἐργάσεται· καὶ ζητοῦντες τοὺς ὁμοδούλους ἀπαιτῆσαι εὐθύνας, αὐτοὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐκπεσούμεθα φιλανθρωπίας· Ἐν ᾧ γὰρ κρίματι κρίνετε, κριθήσεσθε, φησίν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν πάλιν τὸν λόγον ἐπαναγάγωμεν. Ἰδὼν τοίνυν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, φησί· Πάτερ Ἀβραὰμ, ἐλέησόν με, καὶ πέμψον Λάζαρον. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ πρὸς τὸν Λάζαρον τὸν λόγον ἀπέτεινεν; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ ὅτι ᾐσχύνθη καὶ ἠρυθρίασε, καὶ ἐκ τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν πραγμάτων ἐνόμιζεν αὐτὸν μνησικακήσειν πάντως. Εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ, φησὶ, τοσαύτης ἀπολαύων εὐπορίας, καὶ μηδὲν ἠδικημένος, ἐν τοσούτοις ὄντα κακοῖς ὑπερεῖδον τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ οὐδὲ ψιχίων μετέδωκα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον αὐτὸς ὁ οὕτως ὑπεροφθεὶς οὐκ ἐπινεύσει τῇ χάριτι. Ταῦτα οὐχὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου κατηγοροῦντες λέγομεν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ οὕτως ἐκεῖνος διέκειτο, μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ' ὅτι οὗτος ταῦτα δεδοικὼς, οὐκ ἐκάλεσεν ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐφώνησεν, ὃν ἀγνοεῖν ᾤετο τὰ γεγενημένα· καὶ τὸν δάκτυλον ἐπεζήτησεν ἐκεῖνον, ὃν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν κυνῶν ἀφῆκε περιλειχθῆναι πολλάκις. Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνος; Τέκνον, ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου. Ὅρα φιλοσοφίαν, ὅρα φιλοστοργίαν δικαίου. Οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἀπάνθρωπε καὶ ὠμὲ καὶ παμπόνηρε, τοσαῦτα κακὰ διαθεὶς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, φιλανθρωπίας μέμνησαι νῦν καὶ ἐλέου καὶ συγγνώμης; οὐκ ἐρυθριᾷς, οὐδὲ αἰσχύνῃ; Ἀλλὰ τί; Τέκνον, φησὶν, ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου. Ψυχὴν γὰρ κεκακωμένην μὴ προσταράξῃς, φησίν. Ἀρκεῖ τὰ τῆς τιμωρίας αὐτῷ· μὴ προσεπεμβαίνωμεν αὐτοῦ ταῖς συμφοραῖς. Ἄλλως δὲ, καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃ, ὅτι μνησικακῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν παρελθόντων ἐκώλυσεν ἀπελθεῖν τὸν Λάζαρον, 48.991 τέκνον αὐτὸν καλεῖ, μονονοὺχ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ διὰ τῆς προσηγορίας ἀπολογούμενος. Οὗ κύριός εἰμι, σοὶ, φησὶ, μεταδίδωμι· τὸ δὲ ἐντεῦθεν ἀπελθεῖν ἐκεῖ οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμέτερον λοιπόν. Ἀπέλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου. Καὶ διὰ τί οὐκ εἶπεν, ἔλαβες, ἀλλὰ, ἀπέλαβες; Πολὺ πέλαγος ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν νοημάτων ὁρῶ ἀνοιγόμενον. ∆ιὸ δὴ πάντα τὰ εἰρημένα μετὰ ἀκριβείας φυλάξαντες, τά τε νῦν, τά τε πρώην λεχθέντα, μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἁπάσης ἀποθώμεθα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν μελλόντων ῥηθήσεσθαι ἀκρόασιν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐπιτηδειοτέρους ἑαυτοὺς κατασκευάσατε· καὶ εἰ μὲν δυνατὸν ὑμῖν γένοιτο, πάντα μοι μνημονεύετε· εἰ δὲ μὴ δύνασθε πάντα, ἀντὶ πάντων ἐκεῖνο, παρακαλῶ, 48.992 μέμνησθε διηνεκῶς, ὅτι τὸ μὴ μεταδιδόναι πένησιν ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων χρημάτων, ἁρπαγὴ πενήτων ἐστὶ καὶ ἀποστέρησις τῆς ἐκείνων ζωῆς· καὶ οὐ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκείνων κατέχομεν. Ἂν γὰρ οὕτως ὦμεν διακείμενοι, πάντως προησόμεθα τὰ χρήματα, καὶ πεινῶντα θρέψαντες τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ πολλὴν ἐκεῖ τὴν ἐμπορίαν ἀποθέμενοι, δυνησόμεθα τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν,