[That She Who Has Been Kind to the Poor Ought Not to Make a Stir and Tell Abroad Her Name, According to the Constitution of the Lord. ]

XIV. But if any woman has been good, let her, as a prudent person, conceal her own name, not sounding a trumpet before her, that her alms may be with God in secret, as the Lord says: “Thou, when thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand cloth, that thine alms may be in secret.”  42  Matt. vi. 3, 4. And let the widow pray for him that gave her the alms, whosoever he be, as being the holy altar of Christ;  43  Instead of “Christ,” one V. ms. reads “of God.” and “the Father, who seeth in secret, will render to him that did good openly.” But those widows which will not live according to the command of God, are solicitous and inquisitive what deaconess it is that gives the charity, and what widows receive it. And when she has learned those things, she murmurs at the deaconess who distributed the charity, saying, Dost not thou see that I am in more distress, and want of thy charity? Why, therefore, hast thou preferred her before me? She says these things foolishly, not understanding that this does not depend on the will of man, but the appointment of God. For if she is herself a witness that she was nearer, and, upon inquiry, was in greater want, and more naked than the other, she ought to understand who it is that made this constitution, and to hold her peace, and not to murmur at the deaconess who distributed the charity, but to enter into her own house, and to cast herself prostrate on her face to make supplication to God that her sin may be forgiven her. For God commanded the deaconess who brought the charity not to proclaim the same, and this widow murmured because she did not publish her name, that so she might know it, and run to receive; nay, did not only murmur, but also cursed her, forgetting Him that said: “He that blesseth thee is blessed, and he that curseth thee is cursed.”  44  Gen. xxvii. 29. But the Lord says: “When ye enter into an house, say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you.”  45  Luke x. 5, 6; Matt. x. 12, 13.

[14] Ἡ μέντοι εὖ ποιοῦσα ἀποκρυψάτω τὸ οἰκεῖον ὄνομα ὡς σοφή, μὴ σαλπίζουσα ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῆς, ἵνα γένηται ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐν κρυπτῷ πρὸς Θεόν, καθώς φησιν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι: «Σοῦ δὲ ποιοῦντος τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην, μὴ γνώτω ἡ ἀριστερά σου τί ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου, ὅπως ᾖ σου ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ.» Καὶ ἡ χήρα προσευχέσθω ὑπὲρ τοῦ δεδωκότος, ὅστις ποτ' ἂν ᾖ, ἅγιον θυσιαστήριον Θεοῦ ὑπάρχουσα, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει τῷ εὖ ποιήσαντι ἐν τῷ φανερῷ. Ἀλλ' αἱ μὴ κατ' ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ ζῆν θέλουσαι χῆραι φροντίζουσιν πολυπευστεῖν, τίς ἡ διακονησαμένη καὶ τίνες αἱ λαβοῦσαι, καὶ μαθοῦσα ἐπιμέμφεται τῇ διακονησαμένῃ λέγουσα, ὅτι οὐκ ᾔδεις, ὅτι ἐγώ σοι μᾶλλον ἐγγυτέρα παρ' ἐκείνην ὑπῆρχον καὶ μᾶλλον παρ' ἐκείνην θλιβομένη; Διὰ τί οὖν προετίμησας ἐκείνην ἐμοῦ; Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει ἄφρων ὑπάρχουσα, οὐ νοοῦσα, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνθρώπου τοῦτο θέλημα γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ Θεοῦ πρόσταγμα. Εἰ γὰρ μαρτυρεῖ αὕτη, ὅτι ἐγγυτέρα ὑπῆρχεν καὶ ἐν πλείονι ἐνδείᾳ ἐξητάζετο καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτὴ γυμνὴ ἢ ἐκείνη, ὀφείλει νοεῖν τὸν διαταξάμενον καὶ ἀποσιγήσασα καὶ μὴ μεμψαμένη τὴν διακονήσασαν, εἰσελθοῦσα εἰς οἶκον ἑαυτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἑαυτὴν βαλοῦσα ἱκετεῦσαι τὸν Θεὸν ἀφεθῆναι αὐτῇ τὸ πλημμέλημα. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἐνετείλατο τῇ εὖ ποιούσῃ μὴ τραγῳδεῖν τὴν εὐποιΐαν, ἡ δὲ ἐμέμφετο, ὅτι μὴ ἐκήρυξεν αὐτῆς τὸ ὄνομα, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὴ μαθοῦσα δράμῃ εἰς τὸ λαβεῖν: καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐμέμφετο, ἀλλά γε καὶ κατηρᾶτο αὐτῇ, ἐπιλαθομένη τοῦ εἰπόντος: «Ὁ εὐλογῶν σε εὐλογημένος, καὶ ὁ καταρώμενός σε κεκατήραται.» Λέγει δὲ ὁ Κύριος: «Ὅταν εἰσέρχησθε εἰς οἶκον, λέγετε: Εἰρήνη τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ, καὶ ἐὰν μὲν ᾖ ἐκεῖ υἱὸς εἰρήνης, ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπαναπαύσεται ἐπ' αὐτόν: ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ ἄξιος, ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπιστρέφει.»