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of salvation, almsgiving, in which all sins are wiped away, you have neglected so great a beneficence. For you did not receive money for this, that you might spend it on luxury, but that you might use it for almsgiving. For do you have what is your own? You have been entrusted with the things of the poor, whether you happen to have acquired it from just labors or from a paternal inheritance. For just because out of great love for humanity you were commanded to give from your own things, do not for this reason consider them to be your own, nor make the excess of love for humanity an excuse for ingratitude. For was God not able to take them from you? But He does not do this, making you lord of the generosity toward those in need. For what reason, then, did you not give? Do you disbelieve that you will receive again? And how could this make sense? For He who gave to one who had not given, how would He not much more give after receiving? For this reason God has allowed you to have more than others, not that you might spend it on fornication and drunkenness and gluttony and costly clothing and other foolishness, but that you might distribute it to those in need. For if you spend on yourself anything more than is necessary, you will render a most harsh account there. But I know many who have come to such a state of beastliness, as to overlook the starving poor because of a little reluctance, and saying these things to them: 'I have no servant with me now; I am far from my house; no one here is known to me.' O the cruelty! O the insolence! Even if it were necessary to walk ten stades, one ought not to shrink even then, because the reward is greater. For when you give, you receive a reward only for what is given; but when you yourself also walk, for this too a recompense is laid up for you. Since we especially admire the patriarch Abraham for this reason, that having three hundred and eighteen members of his household, he did not command any of them, but he himself ran to the cattle and seized the calf. Therefore do not be ashamed to serve the poor man with your 63.720 own hand. Christ is not ashamed to stretch out His hand and receive through the poor man, and are you ashamed to stretch out your hand and give money? And how is this not worthy of shame? For if only a cup of cold water brings about the kingdom of heaven, to make a poor man a sharer of your roof and table and to give him rest, how much fruit will it bear, tell me? Let us not, then, be ashamed of services to the poor, nor refuse to serve them ourselves; for our hands are sanctified through such a ministry; and if we should raise them in prayer after that service, God, seeing them, is more readily moved, and grants the request. For to give money might be the act of many; but to serve those in need with our own hands, and to do this with eagerness, requires a great and philosophic soul. If you see someone helping you in worldly matters, or assisting in a court of law, or in any other such thing, you both meet him, and receive him with great goodwill, and kiss his hands, and pay money, and do the work of servants; but if you see Christ entering, do you hesitate and shrink from His service? If you do not receive the stranger as Christ, do not receive him; but if you receive him as Christ, do not be ashamed to wash Christ's feet. But while the festival is set before us, let us buy almsgiving, or rather through almsgiving let us buy salvation. You clothe Christ when clothing the poor. For if a cup of cold water has its reward, are garments and money given as a kindness without reward? On the contrary, they have a great reward. For if where the gift is without cost, the grace of the benefaction is so great; where there is an abundance of garments, a supply of money, a superfluity of other good things, how great a reward must one expect from the just judge? I know that you have learned these and such things many times; but would that, having learned them many times, we might do what is good even a few times; For it is of great irrationality, when wishing to buy a field, to seek out the fertile land; but when heaven instead of earth is set before us, and it is possible to acquire a plot there, to remain on the earth, and endure the toils that come from it. Tell me now, if someone told you, that after a year this city will fall, the

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σωτηρίας τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην, ἐν ᾗ ἐξαλείφεται πάντα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, παρήκατε τοσαύτην εὐεργεσίαν. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ χρήματα ἔλαβες, ἵνα εἰς τρυφὴν δαπανήσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα εἰς ἐλεημοσύνην ἀναλώσῃς. Μὴ γὰρ τὰ σαυτοῦ ἔχεις; τὰ τῶν πενήτων ἐνεπιστεύθης, κἂν ἐκ πόνων δικαίων, κἂν ἀπὸ κλήρου πατρῴου κεκτημένος τύχῃς. Μὴ γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ πολλῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐκ τῶν σῶν ἐκελεύσθης διδόναι, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ σαυτοῦ νομίζῃς εἶναι ταῦτα, μηδὲ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ὑπόθεσιν ποιοῦ ἀγνωμοσύνης. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἠδύνατο αὐτὰ ὁ Θεὸς ἀφελέσθαι σου; ἀλλ' οὐ ποιεῖ τοῦτο, σὲ κύριον ποιῶν τῆς εἰς τοὺς δεομένους φιλοτιμίας. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἔδωκας; ἀπιστεῖς ὅτι λήψῃ πάλιν; καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι τοῦτο λόγον; ὁ γὰρ τῷ μὴ δεδωκότι δοὺς πῶς ἂν οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν δώσει; ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτό σοι πλείονα τῶν ἄλλων ἔχειν συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχ ἵνα εἰς πορνείας καὶ μέθην καὶ ἀδηφαγίαν καὶ ἱματίων πολυτέλειαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην βλακείαν ἀναλώσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῖς δεομένοις αὐτὰ διανέμῃς. Ἂν γὰρ πλέον τι τῆς χρείας εἰς σαυτὸν ἀναλώσῃς τῆς ἀναγκαίας, χαλεπωτάτας ἐκεῖ τὰς εὐθύνας παρέξεις. Ἀλλ' οἶδα πολλοὺς εἰς τοῦτο θηριωδίας ἐλθόντας, ὡς δι' ὄκνον μικρὸν λιμώττοντας περιορᾷν τοὺς πένητας, καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγοντας· Οὐ πάρεστιν οἰκέτης ἐμοὶ νῦν· πόῤῥω τῆς οἰκίας εἰμί· οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐνταῦθά ἐστί μοι γνώριμος. Ὢ τῆς ὠμότητος! ὢ τῆς ὕβρεως! εἰ καὶ δέκα στάδια βαδίσαι ἐχρῆν, οὐδ' οὕτως ὀκνῆσαι ἔδει, ὅτι μείζων ὁ μισθός. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ δῷς, ὑπὲρ τοῦ διδομένου λαμβάνεις μισθὸν μόνον· ὅταν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς βαδίσῃς, καὶ τούτου σοι πάλιν κεῖται ἡ ἀμοιβή. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην Ἀβραὰμ διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα θαυμάζομεν, ὅτι τριακοσίους δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ οἰκογενεῖς ἔχων, οὐδενὶ τούτων ἐπέταξεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τὰς βοῦς ἔδραμε καὶ τὸ μοσχάριον ἥρπασε. Μὴ οὖν ἐπαισχυνθῇς διὰ τῆς σαυ 63.720 τοῦ χειρὸς θεραπεῦσαι τὸν πένητα. Ὁ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται χεῖρα ἐκτεῖναι καὶ λαβεῖν διὰ τοῦ πένητος, καὶ σὺ χεῖρα ἐκτεῖναι καὶ δοῦναι ἀργύριον ἐπαισχύνῃ; καὶ πῶς τοῦτο οὐκ αἰσχύνης ἄξιον; Εἰ γὰρ ποτήριον ψυχρὸν μόνον βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν προξενεῖ, τὸ καὶ ὁμοῤῥόφιον ποιῆσαι καὶ τραπέζης κοινωνὸν καὶ ἀναπαῦσαι πένητα, πόσον οἴσει τὸν καρπὸν, εἰπέ μοι; Μὴ τοίνυν ἐπαισχυνώμεθα ταῖς τῶν πενήτων θεραπείαις, μηδὲ παραιτώμεθα δι' ἑαυτῶν θεραπεύειν αὐτούς· ἁγιάζονται γὰρ ἡμῶν αἱ χεῖρες διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης διακονίας· κἂν εἰς εὐχὰς αὐτὰς ἀνατείνωμεν ἀπὸ τῆς θεραπείας ἐκείνης, ὁρῶν αὐτὰς ὁ Θεὸς, δυσωπεῖται μᾶλλον, καὶ τὴν αἴτησιν δίδωσι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ χρήματα δοῦναι πολλῶν ἂν εἴη· τὸ δὲ δι' ἑαυτῶν θεραπεῦσαι τοὺς δεομένους, καὶ μετὰ προθυμίας ποιῆσαι τοῦτο, μεγάλης ψυχῆς δεῖται καὶ φιλοσόφου. Εἴ τινα ἴδοις ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς σοι βοηθοῦντα πράγμασιν, ἢ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ συμπράττοντα, ἢ ἐν ἄλλῳ τινὶ τοιούτῳ, καὶ ἀπαντᾷς, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς δέχῃ τῆς εὐνοίας, καὶ χεῖρας καταφιλεῖς, καὶ ἀργύρια καταβάλλεις, καὶ τὰ τῶν θεραπόντων ποιεῖς· ἂν δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν εἰσελθόντα ἴδῃς, ὀκνεῖς καὶ ἀναδύῃ πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ θεραπείαν; Εἰ μὴ ὡς τὸν Χριστὸν δέχῃ τὸν ξένον, μὴ δέξῃ· εἰ δὲ ὡς τὸν Χριστὸν δέχῃ, μὴ ἐπαισχυνθῇς τοῦ Χριστοῦ νίψαι τοὺς πόδας. Ἀλλ' ἐν ὅσῳ πρόκειται ἡ πανήγυρις, ἀγοράσωμεν ἐλεημοσύνην, μᾶλλον δὲ διὰ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ἀγοράσωμεν τὴν σωτηρίαν. Χριστὸν ἐνδύεις πτωχὸν ἐνδύων. Εἰ γὰρ ποτήριον ψυχρὸν ἔμμισθον, ἱμάτια καὶ χρήματα διδόμενα δι' εὐεργεσίαν οὐκ ἔμμισθα; Τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν καὶ πολύμισθα. Εἰ γὰρ ὅπου ἀδάπανος ἡ δόσις, τοσαύτη τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἡ χάρις· ὅπου ἱματίων ἀφθονία, χρημάτων χορηγία, τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν ἡ περιουσία, πόσον ἀπεκδέχεσθαι χρὴ μισθὸν παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ; Οἶδα ὅτι ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πολλάκις μεμαθήκατε· ἀλλ' εἴθε πολλάκις μαθόντες, κἂν ὀλιγάκις τὸ καλὸν εἰργαζόμεθα· Καὶ γὰρ πολλῆς ἀλογίας, ἀγρὸν μὲν βουλόμενον ὠνήσασθαι, τὴν εὔφορον οὖσαν γῆν ἐπιζητεῖν· οὐρανοῦ δὲ ἀντὶ γῆς προκειμένου, παρὸν ἐκεῖ κτήσασθαι χωρίον, μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ τῶν ἐκ ταύτης ἀνέχεσθαι πόνων. Εἰπὲ δή μοι, εἴ τίς σοι ἔλεγεν, ὅτι μετὰ ἐνιαυτὸν πεσεῖται αὕτη ἡ πόλις, ἡ