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you ask for the favor of food; but he for ten thousand shameless things, for avarice. So that the rich are the ones in need of many things. Why do I say many things? And often things unworthy of themselves; for instance; They are often in need of soldiers in the ranks and of slaves. But the poor man does not even need the emperor himself, and if he should need him, it is a marvel that he has brought himself to this state, when it was in his power to be rich. Let no one, then, blame poverty, as being the cause of ten thousand evils, nor speak against Christ, who said that this is the perfection of virtue, saying: If you 63.138 wish to be perfect; For this He both said through His words, and showed through His works, and taught through His disciples. Let us then pursue poverty; for it is the greatest good for those who are sober-minded. Perhaps some of the listeners even take it as a bad omen. I do not disbelieve it; great is this disease among the majority of people, and so great is the tyranny of money, that they cannot bear the rejection of it even in words, but even take it as a bad omen. Far be these things from the Christian soul; for nothing is richer than one who chooses poverty willingly and with eagerness. How, I say; and, if you wish, I declare that he who willingly chooses poverty is richer even than the emperor himself. For the latter is in need of many things, and is in anxiety, and fears lest the provisions for the army should fail him; but the former has everything in abundance, and fears about nothing, and if he does fear, it is not for so many things. Who then, tell me, is rich, the one demanding every day, and striving to collect many things, and fearing lest they should ever fail; or the one collecting nothing, and being in great abundance and needing nothing? For virtue gives boldness, and the fear of God, not money; for that even enslaves. For gifts and presents, it says, blind the eyes of the wise, and as a muzzle in the mouth turn away reproofs. Consider how that poor man Peter punished the rich Ananias; was not the one rich, and the other poor? but see this one speaking with authority, and saying, Tell me, did you sell the land for so much? and the other saying with reservation, Yes, for so much. And who will grant me, he says, to be like Peter? It is possible for you to be like Peter, if you are willing to cast away what you have; scatter, give to the poor, follow Christ, and you will be such a person. How? He, they say, performed signs. Is this then, tell me, what made Peter wonderful, or the boldness that came from his way of life? Do you not hear Christ saying: Do not rejoice that the demons are subject to you. If you wish to be perfect, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Hear what Peter also says: Silver and gold I do not have; but what I do have, this I give to you. If someone has silver and gold, he does not have those things. What then, he says, that many have neither those things, nor these things? Because they are not poor willingly; since those who are poor willingly have all good things. For even if they do not raise the dead, nor the lame, yet what is greater than all, they have boldness before God; they will hear on that day that blessed voice saying: Come, you blessed of my Father. What is better than this? Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and in prison, and you visited me. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Let us therefore flee from avarice, that we may obtain the kingdom of heaven; let us feed the poor, that we may feed Christ, that we may become co-heirs with Him, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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τροφῆς τὴν χάριν αἰτεῖς· ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὑπὲρ μυρίων ἀναισχυντῶν πραγμάτων, ὑπὲρ πλεονεξίας. Ὥστε οἱ πλούσιοί εἰσιν οἱ πολλῶν δεόμενοι. Τί λέγω πολλῶν; καὶ ἀναξίων ἑαυτῶν πολλάκις· οἷόν τι λέγω· Τῶν ἐν ταῖς τάξεσι στρατιωτῶν καὶ δούλων ὄντων πολλάκις ἐν χρείᾳ καθίστανται. Ὁ δὲ πένης οὐδὲ αὐτοῦ δεῖται τοῦ βασιλέως, κἂν δεηθῇ, θαυμάζεται ὅτι εἰς τοῦτο κατέστησεν ἑαυτὸν, παρὸν αὐτῷ πλουτεῖν· μηδεὶς τοίνυν αἰτιάσθω τὴν πενίαν, ὡς μυρίων οὖσαν κακῶν αἰτίαν, μηδὲ ἀντιφθεγγέσθω τῷ Χριστῷ, ὃς τελειότητα ταύτην ἔφησεν εἶναι τῆς ἀρετῆς, εἰπών· Εἰ θέ 63.138 λεις τέλειος εἶναι· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ διὰ τῶν λόγων αὐτὸς εἶπε, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἔδειξε, καὶ διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν ἐδίδαξε. ∆ιώξωμεν οὖν τὴν πενίαν· μέγιστον γάρ ἐστιν ἀγαθὸν αὕτη τοῖς νήφουσι. Τάχα τινὲς καὶ οἰωνίζονται τῶν ἀκουόντων. Οὐκ ἀπιστῶ· πολλὴ ἡ νόσος αὕτη παρὰ τοῖς πλείοσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τοσαύτη τῶν χρημάτων ἡ τυραννὶς, ὡς μηδὲ μέχρι ῥημάτων αὐτῆς τὴν παραίτησιν φέρειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἰωνίζεσθαι ταύτην. Πόῤῥω ταῦτα τῆς τοῦ Χριστιανοῦ ψυχῆς· οὐδὲν γὰρ πλουσιώτερον τοῦ πενίαν αἱρουμένου ἑκοντὶ καὶ μετὰ προθυμίας. Πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω· καὶ, εἰ βούλεσθε, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως πλουσιώτερον ὄντα ἀποφαίνω τὸν ἑκοντὶ τὴν πενίαν αἱρούμενον. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ δεῖται πολλῶν, καὶ ἐν φροντίδι ἐστὶ, καὶ δέδοικε μὴ ἐπιλίπῃ αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς τροφῆς τῆς στρατιωτικῆς· οὗτος δὲ πάντα ἀφθόνως ἔχει, καὶ περὶ οὐδενὸς, δέδοικε, καὶ εἰ δέδοικεν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοσούτων. Τίς οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, πλούσιος, ὁ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀπαιτῶν, καὶ σπουδάζων πολλὰ συλλέγειν, καὶ δεδοικὼς μήποτε ἐπιλίπῃ· ἢ ὁ μηδὲν συλλέγων, καὶ ἐν ἀφθονίᾳ ὢν πολλῇ καὶ μηδενὸς δεόμενος; τὴν παῤῥησίαν γὰρ ἀρετὴ δίδωσι καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος, οὐ τὰ χρήματα· ἐκεῖνα γὰρ καὶ καταδουλοῦνται· Ξένια γὰρ καὶ δῶρα, φησὶν, ἐκτυφλοῖ ὀφθαλμοὺς σοφῶν, καὶ ὡς φιμὸς ἐν στόματι ἀποτρέπει ἐλεγμούς. Σκόπει πῶς ὁ πένης ἐκεῖνος Πέτρος Ἀνανίαν τὸν πλούσιον ἐκόλασεν· οὐχ ὁ μὲν πλούσιος ἦν, ὁ δὲ πένης; ἀλλ' ὅρα τοῦτον μὲν μετὰ αὐθεντίας διαλεγόμενον, καὶ λέγοντα, Εἰπέ μοι, Εἰ τοσούτου τὸ χωρίον ἀπέδοσθε; ἐκεῖνον δὲ μετὰ ὑποστολῆς λέγοντα, Ναὶ, τοσούτου. Καὶ τίς δώσει μοι, φησὶ, κατὰ Πέτρον εἶναι; Ἔξεστί σοι κατὰ Πέτρον εἶναι, ἐὰν θέλῃς ῥῖψαι ἃ ἔχεις· σκόρπισον, δὸς πένησιν, ἀκολούθησον τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ ἔσῃ τοιοῦτος. Πῶς; ἐκεῖνος, φησὶ, σημεῖα ἐποίησε. Τοῦτο οὖν ἐστιν, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ τὸν Πέτρον ποιῆσαν θαυμαστὸν, ἢ ἡ παῤῥησία ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς πολιτείας; Οὐκ ἀκούεις τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Μὴ χαίρετε ὅτι τὰ δαιμόνια ὑμῖν ὑπακούει. Ἐὰν θέλῃς τέλειος εἶναι, πώλησον τὰ ὑπάρχοντά σου, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἄκουσον τί καὶ ὁ Πέτρος φησίν· Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει μοι· ὃ δὲ ἔχω, τοῦτό σοι δίδωμι. Εἴ τις ἔχει ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, ἐκεῖνα οὐκ ἔχει. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ὅτι πολλοὶ οὔτε ἐκεῖνα, οὔτε ταῦτα ἔχουσιν; Ὅτι οὐχ ἑκόντες πένονται· ἐπεὶ οἱ ἑκόντες πενόμενοι πάντα ἔχουσι τὰ ἀγαθά. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ νεκροὺς ἀνιστῶσι, μηδὲ χωλοὺς, ἀλλ' ὃ πάντων μεῖζόν ἐστι, παῤῥησίαν ἔχουσι πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· ἀκούσονται κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς μακαρίας ἐκείνης φωνῆς τῆς λεγούσης· ∆εῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου. Τί τούτου κρεῖττον; Κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. Ἐπείνασα γὰρ, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν· ἐδίψησα, καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με· ξένος ἤμην, καὶ συνηγάγετέ με· γυμνὸς ἤμην, καὶ περιεβάλετέ με· ἀσθενὴς ἤμην, καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ, καὶ ἐπεσκέψασθέ με. Κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. Φεύγωμεν τοίνυν τὴν πλεονεξίαν, ἵνα τύχωμεν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· τρέφωμεν τοὺς πένητας, ἵνα τρέφωμεν τὸν Χριστὸν, ἵνα συγκληρονόμοι αὐτοῦ γενώμεθα, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.