[What are the Characters of Widows Falsely So Called.]

VII. In the same manner, therefore, the ears of the hearts of such widows as these are stopped, that they will not sit within in their cottages to speak to the Lord, but will run about with the design of getting, and by their foolish prattling fulfil the desires of the adversary. Such widows, therefore, are not affixed to the altar of Christ: for there are some widows which esteem gain their business; and since they ask without shame, and receive without being satisfied, render the generality more backward in giving. For when they ought to be content with their subsistence from the Church, as having moderate desires, on the contrary, they run from one of their neighbours’ houses  25  Probably the reading should be, “they go round the houses of the rich.” to another, and disturb them, heaping up to themselves plenty of money, and lend at bitter usury, and are only solicitous about mammon, whose bag is their god; who prefer eating and drinking before all virtue, saying, “Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die;”  26  Isa. xxii. 13; 1 Cor. xv. 32 who esteem these things as if they were durable and not perishing things. For she that uses herself to nothing but talking of money, worships mammon instead of God,—that is, is a servant to gain, but cannot be pleasing to God, nor resigned to His worship; not being able to intercede with Him continuously on account that her mind and disposition run after money: for “where the treasure is, there will the heart be also.”  27  Matt. vi. 21 For she is thinking in her mind whither she may go to receive, or that a certain woman her friend has forgot her, and she has somewhat to say to her. She that thinks of such things as these will no longer attend to her prayers, but to that thought which offers itself; so that though sometimes she would pray for anybody, she will not be heard, because she does not offer her petition to the Lord with her whole heart, but with a divided mind. But she that will attend to God will sit within, and mind the things of the Lord day and night, offering her sincere petition with a mouth ready to utter the same without ceasing. As therefore Judith, most famous for her wisdom, and of a good report for her modesty, “prayed to God night and day for Israel;”  28  Judith ix. 1, etc. so also the widow who is like to her will offer her intercession without ceasing for the Church to God. And He will hear her, because her mind is fixed on this thing alone, and is not disposed to be either insatiable, or covetous, or expensive; when her eye is pure, and her hearing clean, and her hands undefiled, and her feet quiet, and her mouth prepared for neither gluttony nor trifling, but speaking the things that are fit, and partaking of only such things as are necessary for her maintenance. So, being grave, and giving no disturbance, she will be pleasing to God; and as soon as she asks anything, the gift will come to her: as He says, “While thou art speaking, I will say, Behold, I am here.”  29  Isa. lviii. 9 Let such a one also be free from the love of money, free from arrogance, not given to filthy lucre, not insatiable, not gluttonous, but continent, meek, giving nobody disturbance, pious, modest, sitting at home, singing, and praying, and reading, and watching, and fasting; speaking to God continually in songs and hymns. And let her take wool, and rather assist others than herself want from them; being mindful of that widow who is honoured in the Gospel with the Lord’s testimony, who, coming into the temple, “cast into the treasury two mites, which make a farthing. And Christ our Lord and Master, and Searcher of hearts, saw her, and said, Verily I say unto you, that this widow hath cast into the treasury more than they all: for all they have cast in of their abundance, but this woman of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”  30  Mark xii. 42; Luke xxi. 3, 4

The widows therefore ought to be grave, obedient to their bishops, and their presbyters, and their deacons, and besides these to the deaconesses, with piety, reverence, and fear; not usurping authority, nor desiring to do anything beyond the constitution without the consent of the deacon: as, suppose, the going to any one to eat or drink with him, or to receive anything from anybody. But if without direction she does any one of these things, let her be punished with fasting, or else let her be separated on account of her rashness.

[7] Τὸν αὐτὸν οὖν τρόπον καὶ τῶν τοιούτων χηρῶν ἐκλείσθη τὰ ὦτα τῆς καρδίας εἰς τὸ μὴ καθεζομένας ἔνδον ἐν ταῖς στέγαις αὐτῶν προσλαλεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀλλὰ περιτρεχούσας ἐν ἐπινοίᾳ πορισμοῦ διὰ τῶν φλυαριῶν τὰ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ἐπιθυμήματα πράσσειν. Αἱ τοιαῦται οὖν χῆραι οὐ προσήρτηνται τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἰσὶ γὰρ ἔνιαι χῆραι ἐργασίαν ἡγούμεναι τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἀναισχύντως αἰτοῦσιν καὶ ἀπλήστως λαμβάνουσιν, ἤδη καὶ ὀκνηροτέρους τοὺς πολλοὺς πρὸς τὸ διδόναι κατέστησαν: δέον γὰρ ἀρκεῖσθαι αὐτὰς τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς διὰ μετριότητα γνώμης, ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐμπεριτρέχουσαι τοὺς τῶν πλουσίων οἴκους διασείουσιν, εὐπορίαν χρημάτων ἑαυταῖς ἐπισωρεύουσιν καὶ ἐπὶ πικροῖς τόκοις δανείζουσιν καὶ μόνου τοῦ μαμωνᾶ φροντίζουσιν, ὧν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ βαλλάντιον, αἳ τὸ φαγεῖν καὶ τὸ πιεῖν προκρίνουσιν πάσης ἀρετῆς λέγουσαι: «Φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν, αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν.» Αἳ ὡς ἑστῶτα ταῦτα ἐλογίσαντο καὶ οὐχ ὡς φεύγοντα. Ἡ γὰρ ἠσκηκυῖα περὶ τὸ χρηματολογεῖν ἀντὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρεύει τῷ μαμωνᾷ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν δουλεύει τῷ κέρδει, τῷ δὲ Θεῷ εὐάρεστος εἶναι οὐ δύναται οὐδὲ ταῖς λατρείαις αὐτοῦ ὑπήκοος, συνεχῶς οὐ δυναμένη ἐντυγχάνειν αὐτῷ, ἐπὶ τὸ ἀργυρολογεῖν τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν διάθεσιν ἔχουσα, ἐπείπερ ὅπου ὁ θησαυρός, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτῆς. Ἐν νῷ γὰρ διαλαμβάνει, ποῦ πορευθῇ λήμματος χάριν, ἢ ὅτι ἡ δεῖνα ἡ φίλη αὐτῆς ἐπιλέλησται καὶ λόγον τινὰ ταύτῃ προσενεγκεῖν ὀφείλει: ἡ δὲ τοιαῦτα λογιζομένη οὐκέτι τῇ προσευχῇ προσέξει, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐμπιπτούσῃ ἐννοίᾳ. Διὸ κἄν ποτε θελήσῃ προσεύξασθαι ὑπέρ τινος, οὐκ εἰσακουσθήσεται: οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας προσφέρει τὴν δέησιν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀλλὰ μεμερισμένῃ διανοίᾳ. Ἡ δὲ Θεῷ βουλομένη προσανέχειν καθημένη ἔνδον φρονεῖ τὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ἀκαταπαύστῳ στόματι δέησιν προσφέρουσα εἰλικρινῆ. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἡ σοφωτάτη Ἰουδίθ, μαρτυρουμένη ἐπὶ σωφροσύνῃ, νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ἐδέετο τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἡ ὁμοία αὐτῇ χήρα ἔντευξιν ἀκατάπαυστον ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προσοίσει τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ εἰσακούσεται αὐτῆς διὰ τὸ τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῆς πρὸς μόνῳ τούτῳ ἠρτῆσθαι καὶ μήτε πρὸς ἀπληστίαν μήτε πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν πολυδάπανον ἐκκεῖσθαι: ὅ τε ὀφθαλμὸς αὐτῆς ἁγνὸς καὶ ἡ ἀκοὴ καθαρὰ καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἀμόλυντοι καὶ οἱ πόδες ἥσυχοι καὶ τὸ στόμα οὔτε πρὸς λαιμαργίαν οὔτε πρὸς φλυαρίαν ἕτοιμον, ἀλλὰ λαλοῦν μὲν τὰ δέοντα, μεταλαμβάνον δὲ ὧν προσῆκεν διὰ μόνην τὴν σύστασιν: οὕτως οὖν σεμνὴ καὶ ἀτάραχος ὑπάρχουσα εὐάρεστος ἔσται τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἅμα τῷ αἰτήσασθαι αὐτήν τι προφθάσει αὐτὴν ἡ δόσις: «Ἔτι γάρ σου λαλοῦντος, φησίν, ἐρῶ: ἰδοὺ πάρειμι.» Τοιαύτη δὲ οὖσα ὑπαρχέτω ἀφιλάργυρος, ἄτυφος, μὴ αἰσχροκερδής, μὴ ἄπληστος, μὴ λίχνη: ἀλλ' ἐγκρατής, πραεῖα, ἀτάραχος, εὐλαβής, αἰδήμων, καθημένη ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτῆς ψάλλουσα, προσευχομένη, ἀναγινώσκουσα, ἀγρυπνοῦσα, νηστεύουσα, Θεῷ πάντοτε προσομιλοῦσα ᾠδαῖς καὶ ὕμνοις πνευματικοῖς. Ἔριά τε ἐκλαμβάνουσα ἑτέροις μᾶλλον ἐπιχορηγείτω, ἤπερ αὐτή τινος δεέσθω, μιμνησκομένη τῆς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ μεμαρτυρημένης ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου χήρας, ἤτις ἐλθοῦσα ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον τὰ δύο λεπτά, ὅπερ ἐστὶ κοδράντης: καὶ θεασάμενος αὐτὴν ὁ καρδιογνώστης Χριστὸς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ διδάσκαλος εἶπεν: «Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι αὕτη ἡ χήρα πλεῖον πάντων ἔβαλεν εἰς τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον, ὅτι οἱ πάντες ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύματος αὐτῶν ἔβαλον, αὕτη δὲ ὅλον τὸν βίον αὐτῆς, ὃν εἶχεν ἔβαλεν.»