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we find them not accused for their faith, but punished for an evil life, only; just as elsewhere some are not accused for their life, but perish on account of a perverted dogma; for these things are connected to one another. Do you see that, when we do not do the will of God, we are in the snare of the devil? And not only from our life, but often from a single fault we enter into Gehenna, when other good things do not counterbalance it. Since the virgins were not accused of fornication, nor adultery, nor envy, nor malice, nor drunkenness, nor unbelief, but of a lack of oil; that is, they did not practice almsgiving; for this is what the oil is. And those who were condemned, "Depart, you cursed, into the eternal fire," were again not accused of any of these things, but they too, because they did not feed Christ. Do you see that a lack of almsgiving is sufficient to lead one into the fire of Gehenna? For where will he be useful, tell me, who does not practice almsgiving? Do you fast every day? but so did those virgins then, but they gained nothing. Do you pray? and what of that? Without almsgiving, prayer is fruitless; all things are unclean without it, all things are useless; the greater part of virtue is cut off. He who does not love his brother, it says, does not know God. But how do you love, when you are not willing to share with him even these small and cheap things? Tell me now, are you chaste? For what reason? is it not from fear of punishment? Not at all, but you pursue the thing by nature; since, if you are chaste from fear of punishment, and endure such violence and such tyranny, much more ought you to practice almsgiving. For it is not the same to control the desire for money and for bodies, but the labor is greater here. Why so? Because the pleasure is natural, and is sown and implanted in our body, but that for money is not. This is that by which we can be made like God, by showing mercy and 62.634 pitying; when, therefore, we do not have this, we are deprived of everything. He did not say, "If you fast, you are like your Father;" He did not say, "If you are virgins," nor did He say, "If you pray, you are like your Father;" for none of these things is about God, nor does God do any of these things; but what? "Be merciful, as your Father in heaven is." This is a work of God. If, then, you do not have this, what do you have? "I desire mercy," He says, "and not sacrifice." God made the heaven, He made the earth, the sea; these things are great, and worthy of His wisdom; but by none of these did He draw human nature to Himself as by mercy and loving-kindness; for this is a work of wisdom and power and goodness; but much more, that He became a servant. Do we not marvel at Him more for this? are we not more astounded at Him for this? Nothing so draws God to us as mercy. And all the prophets, up and down, say much about these things. But I speak of mercy not that with covetousness; for this is not mercy. For the root of a thorn never bears oil, but that of an olive tree; just as, then, the root of covetousness does not bear mercy, nor that of injustice, nor of robbery. Do not slander almsgiving, do not make it be accused by all. For if you rob for this purpose, that you may show mercy, nothing is worse than this almsgiving. For when it is born of robbery, this is not almsgiving; it is a kind of harshness and cruelty, this is an insult to God. If Cain, who offered the lesser things of his own, thus gave offense, how will he not give offense who offers the things of others? An offering is nothing else but a sacrifice, a purification, not an impurity. And with defiled hands you do not dare to pray, but when offering defilement and impurity from robbery you think you are doing nothing terrible? Not allowing your hands to be filled with defilement and impurity, but having made them clean, so you offer; and yet this defilement brings no charge, but that one is worthy of accusation and slander.

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εὑρίσκομεν ὑπὲρ μὲν πίστεως οὐδὲν ἐγκαλουμένους, ἀπὸ δὲ βίου πονηροῦ κολαζομένους, μόνον· ὥσπερ ἀλλαχοῦ ὑπὲρ βίου μὲν οὐδὲν ἐγκαλουμένους, διὰ δὲ δόγμα διεστραμμένον ἀπολλυμένους· ταῦτα γὰρ ἀλλήλων ἔχεται. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι, ὅταν μὴ ποιῶμεν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὑπὸ τὴν παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου ἐσμέν; Οὐκ ἀπὸ βίου δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ ἑνὸς ἐλαττώματος πολλάκις εἰσερχόμεθα εἰς τὴν γέενναν, ὅταν μὴ τὰ ἄλλα ἀντίῤῥοπα ᾖ ἀγαθά. Ἐπεὶ καὶ αἱ παρθένοι οὐ πορνείαν ἐνεκλήθησαν, οὐ μοιχείαν, οὐ φθόνον, οὐ βασκανίαν, οὐ μέθην, οὐ κακοπιστίαν, ἀλλ' ἔλλειψιν ἐλαίου· τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐποίουν ἐλεημοσύνην· τὸ γὰρ ἔλαιον τοῦτό ἐστι. Καὶ ἐκεῖνοι οἱ κατακριθέντες, Ἀπέλθετε οἱ κατηραμένοι εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, οὐδὲν πάλιν τούτων ἐνεκαλοῦντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔθρεψαν τὸν Χριστόν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἀρκεῖ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐλλειφθεῖσα εἰσαγαγεῖν εἰς τὸ τῆς γεέννης πῦρ; Ποῦ γὰρ ἔσται χρήσιμος, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ ποιῶν; Νηστεύεις καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν; ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ παρθένοι τότε ἐκεῖναι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἀπώναντο. Εὔχῃ; καὶ τί τοῦτο; Ἐλεημοσύνης χωρὶς ἄκαρπος ἡ εὐχή· πάντα ἀκάθαρτα ταύτης χωρὶς, πάντα ἀνόνητα· τὸ πλέον τῆς ἀρετῆς μέρος ἐκκόπτεται. Ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑτοῦ, φησὶ, τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ οἶδε. Σὺ δὲ πῶς ἀγαπᾷς, μηδὲ τῶν μικρῶν τούτων καὶ εὐτελῶν αὐτῷ μεταδοῦναι βουλόμενος; Εἰπὲ δή μοι, σωφρονεῖς; τίνος ἕνεκεν; οὐχὶ δεδοικὼς τὴν κόλασιν; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ φύσει τὸ πρᾶγμα μετέρχῃ· ἐπεὶ, εἰ σωφρονεῖς δεδοικὼς τὴν κόλασιν, καὶ τοσαύτην ὑπομένεις βίαν καὶ τοσαύτην τυραννίδα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐλεημοσύνας ποιεῖν ἔδει. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον ἐπιθυμίας κρατῆσαι χρημάτων, καὶ σωμάτων, ἀλλὰ μείζων ὁ πόνος ἐνταῦθα. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι ἡ μὲν ἡδονὴ φυσικὴ, καὶ ἐνέσπαρται καὶ ἐμπεφύτευται ἡμῶν τῷ σώματι, τὰ δὲ τῶν χρημάτων οὐκέτι. Τοῦτό ἐστιν, ᾧ ἐξισοῦσθαι δυνάμεθα τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ ἐλεεῖν καὶ 62.634 οἰκτείρειν· ὅταν οὖν τοῦτο μὴ ἔχωμεν, τοῦ παντὸς ἀπεστερήμεθα. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐὰν νηστεύητε, ὅμοιοί ἐστε τῷ Πατρὶ ὑμῶν· οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐὰν παρθενεύσητε, οὐδὲ εἶπεν, Ἐὰν εὔχησθε, ὅμοιοί ἐστε τῷ Πατρὶ ὑμῶν· οὐδὲν γὰρ τούτων περὶ Θεὸν, οὐδὲ ἐργάζεταί τι τούτων ὁ Θεός· ἀλλὰ τί; Γίνεσθε οἰκτίρμονες, ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Τοῦτο Θεοῦ ἔργον. Ἐὰν οὖν τοῦτο μὴ ἔχῃς, τί ἔχεις; Ἔλεον θέλω, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. Ἐποίησεν οὐρανὸν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐποίησε γῆν, θάλασσαν· μεγάλα ταῦτα, καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ σοφίας ἄξια· ἀλλ' οὐδενὶ τούτων ἐφειλκύσατο τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, ὡς τῷ ἐλέῳ καὶ τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ σοφίας ἔργον καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγαθότητος· πολλῷ δὲ μᾶλλον, ὅτι δοῦλος ἐγένετο. Οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτῳ μᾶλλον αὐτὸν θαυμάζομεν; οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτῳ μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἐκπληττόμεθα; Οὐδὲν οὕτως ἐπισπᾶται τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς ἔλεος. Καὶ πολλὰ περὶ τούτων ἅπαντες διαλέγονται ἄνω καὶ κάτω οἱ προφῆται. Ἔλεον δὲ λέγω οὐ τὸν μετὰ πλεονεξίας· οὐ γάρ ἐστι τοῦτο ἔλεος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀκάνθης ῥίζα ἔλαιον τίκτει ποτὲ, ἀλλ' ἐλαίας· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ πλεονεξίας ῥίζα ἔλεον τίκτει, οὐδὲ ἀδικίας, οὐδὲ ἁρπαγῆς. Μὴ διαβάλῃς τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ ποίει αὐτὴν κατηγορεῖσθαι ὑπὸ πάντων. Εἰ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἁρπάζεις, ἵνα ἐλεήσῃς, οὐδὲν τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ταύτης χεῖρον. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς τίκτηται, οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο ἐλεημοσύνη· ἀπήνειά τίς ἐστι καὶ ὠμότης, ὕβρις τοῦτο εἰς τὸν Θεόν. Εἰ ὁ τὰ ἐλάττονα τῶν αὐτοῦ προσενεγκὼν οὕτω προσέκρουσεν ὁ Κάϊν, ὁ τὰ ἀλλότρια προσφέρων πῶς οὐ προσκρούσει; Προσφορὰ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἢ θυσία, κάθαρσις, οὐκ ἀκαθαρσία. Καὶ ῥυπαραῖς μὲν χερσὶν οὐ τολμᾷς εὔξασθαι, ῥύπον δὲ καὶ ἀκαθαρσίαν προσφέρων ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς οὐδὲν ἡγῇ ποιεῖν δεινόν; Τὰς χεῖρας οὐκ ἀφιεὶς ῥύπου καὶ ἀκαθαρσίας πληροῦσθαι, ἀλλὰ καθαρὰς εἶναι ποιήσας, οὕτω προσφέρεις· καίτοι οὗτος ὁ ῥύπος οὐδὲν ἔγκλημα φέρει, ἐκεῖνος δὲ κατηγορίας ἄξιος καὶ διαβολῆς.