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transferring at different times to different people, and fanning the unstable prosperity, but to lay up in the safe storehouses stronger than those who plot against them. Gold is a heavy thing; but virtue is a light and upward-bearing thing. But indeed these are opposed to one another, weight and lightness. If then we must ascend to the things above, let us be poor in the things that drag us down, so that we may be among the things above. For it is impossible for one to become light who has attached himself to the weight of matter. And what is the way? The psalmody explains: He has scattered, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever and ever. The one, therefore, who has fellowship with the poor man, will place himself into the portion of Him who for our sakes became poor. Poverty is not an obstacle to almsgiving. And the widow is a witness, who cast in the two mites, and surpassed those who deposited much. -The blind man, being shown mercy, knows how to lead by the hand into the kingdom of heaven, and he who stumbles against walls, and slips into pits, this man becomes a road-maker of the ascent into heaven. Through the poor our judge is bribed; through the hand of the poor man knock on the side-door of the judge. For he receives your gifts through him, and pa 95.1469 alters the laws. He receives, and instead of being just he becomes merciful. He receives, and he places mercy before truth, and on the scale of sins he hangs as a counterweight the hand of the poor man. -When you nourish the poor man, consider that you nourish yourself. For such is the nature of the matter. From us to us the things given are transferred. For our merciful Master, seeing our small-mindedness, sends up the deed to an immeasurable excess, and calls himself a debtor of the almsgiving; he calls the good deed a loan to God. O how great is the power of almsgiving! a power that enters the divine court. Let us not fear a judge holding out his hand before the court. Let us not fear a judge who does not refuse to receive. -And Jesus, sitting opposite the treasury, was watching how the crowds put in copper. Passing by the altar, he runs to the treasury. Passing by those who are sacrificing, he comes upon the theater of good deeds; showing through their works that God delights in this spectacle alone; showing that the divine eye is able in this alone to be made like the one who formed it; showing that this alone joins man to God; showing that this alone brings the clay near to the potter. For be, he says, merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful. For there is one entrance into the divine family: the doing of good. -O the merciful soul! O the compassionate mind! poverty did not cut off the sympathy of her choice. poverty did not refute the generosity of her mind. want did not restrain the abundance of her soul. The matter of almsgiving wipes away sins, boasts against judgment, tames the flame of punishment, prevails upon the one judging, but rather joins to God, makes one numbered in the choirs of the saints; and it carries one to the city above, it procures the kingdom of heaven, unfading glory, a sure and steadfast hope; and what then? is it not among the things that perfect unto unshaken cheerfulness? -The one who distributes his own wealth to those in want and poverty, is never poor. For he who has mercy on the poor lends to God, he says. The one borrowing is creditworthy, the one receiving is faithful. He knows how to repay with interest what was given. Rich and generous is the one who has received the deposit of the merciful man. Do not wait to become good, but become so now. You shall not appear, he says, empty before me. Let no one be empty, nor unfruitful, nor any soul barren and fruitless. Let each from what he has bear fruit to God, and of his own things. -Let us be transformed by the splendor from there; in the bosom of Abraham in return for the compassion from here let us rest; Let us judge a jus 95.1472 t judgment; let us deliver the needy and the poor; let us have mercy on the widow and orphan; let us ransom those being killed; let us not overlook him who needs us; let us not pass by the

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ἄλλοτε εἰς ἄλλους μετατιθέντων, καὶ ῥιπιζόντων τὴν ἄστατον εὐπορίαν, ἀλλὰ εἰς τὰς ἀσφαλεῖς ἀποθήκας ἀποτίθεσθαι τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων ἰσχυροτέρας. Βαρύ τι χρῆμα τὸ χρυσίον ἐστί· κοῦφον δέ τι καὶ ἀνωφερὲς πρᾶγμα ἡ ἀρετή. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἀντίκειται ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις τὸ βάρος καὶ ἡ κουφότης. Εἰ οὖν χρὴ τοῖς ἄνω προσβαίνειν, τῶν καθελκόντων πτωχεύσωμεν, ἵνα ἐν τοῖς ἄνω γενώμεθα. Ἀμήχανον γὰρ κοῦφόν τινα γενέσθαι τὸν τῷ βάρει τῆς ὕλης ἑαυτὸν συνηλώσαντα. Τίς δὲ ὁ τρόπος ὑφηγεῖται ἡ ψαλμῳδία· Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν· ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ὁ τῷ πτωχῷ τοίνυν κοινωνήσας, εἰς τὴν μερίδα τοῦ δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντος ἑαυτὸν καταστήσει. Οὐκ ἔστι κώλυμα πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην πενία. Καὶ μάρτυς ἡ χήρα, ἡ τὰ δύο λεπτὰ βαλοῦσα, καὶ τοὺς πολλὰ καταθέντας ὑπερακοντίσασα. -Τυφλὸς οἶδεν ἐλεούμενος εἰς οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν χειραγωγεῖν, καὶ ὁ τοίχοις προσκρούων, καὶ βόθροις ἐνολισθαίνων, οὗτος ὁδοποιὸς γίνεται τῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναβάσεως. ∆ιὰ πενήτων ὁ ἡμέτερος δικαστὴς δωροδοκεῖται· διὰ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πένητος τοῦ δικαστοῦ τὴν παράθυρον κροῦσον. ∆έχεται γάρ σου τὰ δι' αὐτοῦ δῶρα, καὶ πα 95.1469 ραχαράττει τοὺς νόμους. ∆έχεται, καὶ ἀντὶ δικαίου φιλάνθρωπος γίνεται. ∆έχεται, καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας προτάττει τὸν ἔλεον, καὶ τῇ πλάστιγγι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀντικρεμᾷ τὴν χεῖρα τοῦ πένητος. -Ὅταν διαθρέψῃς τὸν πένητα, σαυτὸν νόμιζε διατρέφειν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ πράγματος φύσις. Ἐξ ἡμῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς μεταχωρεῖ τὰ διδόμενα. Ὁ γὰρ φιλάνθρωπος ἡμῶν δεσπότης τὸ ἡμέτερον ἐπιδὼν μικρόψυχον, εἰς ὑπερβολὴν ἄμετρον ἀναπέμπει τὸ ἔργον, καὶ ἑαυτὸν χρεώστην τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης καλεῖ· Θεοῦ δάνεισμα τὴν εὐποιΐαν προσαγορεύει. Ὦ πόση τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ἡ δύναμις! δύναμις τὸ θεῖον ὑπεισέρχεται δικαστήριον. Μὴ φοβηθῶμεν δικαστὴν πρὸ τοῦ δικαστηρίου τὴν χεῖρα προτείνοντα. Μὴ φοβηθῶμεν δικαστὴν οὐκ ἀρνούμενον τοῦ λαβεῖν. -Καθίσας ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπέναντι τοῦ γαζοφυλακίου, ἐθεώρει πῶς οἱ ὄχλοι βάλλουσι χαλκόν. Παραδραμὼν τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῷ γαζοφυλακίῳ προστρέχει. Παραδραμὼν τοὺς θύοντας ἐπὶ τὸ τῆς εὐποιΐας ἐπιγίνεται θέατρον· δεικνὺς διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν ὅτι μόνῳ Θεὸς τούτῳ ἐπιτέρπεται τῷ θεάματι· δεικνὺς ὅτι τὸν θεῖον ὀφθαλμὸν τούτου μόνου δυνατὸν ἀφομοιοῦσθαι τῷ πλάσαντι· δεικνὺς ὅτι τοῦτο μόνον ἄνθρωπον συνάπτει Θεῷ· δεικνὺς ὅτι τοῦτο μόνον τὸν πηλὸν προσπελάζει τῷ πλάστῃ. Γίνεσθε γὰρ, φησὶ, οἰκτίρμονες, ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος οἰκτίρμων ἐστίν. Μία γάρ ἐστι τῆς θείας συγγενείας εἴσοδος ἡ εὐποιΐα. -Ὢ τῆς φιλανθρώπου ψυχῆς! ὢ τῆς ἐλεήμονος γνώμης! οὐκ ἐξέτεμεν ἡ πτωχεία τὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως συμπαθές. Οὐκ ἐξήλεγξεν ἡ πτωχεία τὸ τῆς γνώμης φιλότιμον. Οὐ συνέστειλεν ἡ ἔνδεια τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς δαψιλές. Τὸ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης χρῆμα διασμήχει ἁμαρτίας, κατακαυχᾶται κρίσεως, ἡμεροῖ τὴν τῆς κολάσεως φλόγα, δυσωπεῖ τὸν δικάζοντα, μᾶλλον δὲ συνάπτει Θεῷ, τοῖς τῶν ἁγίων χοροῖς ἐναρίθμιον ἀπεργάζεται· ἀποφέρει δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν ἄνω πόλιν, βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν προξενεῖ, δόξαν ἀμάραντον, ἐλπίδα βεβαίαν καὶ ἐρηρεισμένην· καὶ τί γάρ; οὐχὶ τῶν τελειούντων εἰς ἀκλόνητον εὐθυμίαν; -Ὁ τοῖς ἐν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ πτωχευομένοις τὸν ἴδιον διανέμων πλοῦτον, οὐ πτωχεύει ποτέ. Ὁ γὰρ ἐλεῶν πτωχὸν Θεῷ δανείζει, φησίν. Ἀξιόχρεως ὁ δανειζόμενος, πιστὸς ὁ δεχόμενος. Οἶδεν ἐκτίσαι σὺν τόκῳ τὸ δοθέν. Πλούσιος καὶ φιλότιμος, ὁ τὴν τοῦ φιλοικτίρμονος παρακαταθήκην λαβών. Μὴ ἀναμείνῃς γενέσθαι χρηστὸς, ἀλλ' ἤδη γενοῦ. Οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ, φησὶ, κενὸς ἐνώπιόν μου. Μηδεὶς ἔστω κενὸς, μηδὲ ὁ ἄκαρπος, μηδέ τις στεῖρα ψυχὴ καὶ ἄγονος. Ἕκαστος ἐκ τῶν παρόντων καρποφορεῖ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τῶν οἰκείων. -Μεταποιηθῶμεν τῆς ἐκεῖθεν λαμπρότητος· ἐν κόλποις Ἀβραὰμ ἀντὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν εὐσπλαγχνίας ἀναπαυσώμεθα· Κρῖμα δί 95.1472 καιον κρίνωμεν· ἐξελώμεθα πένητα καὶ πτωχόν· χήραν καὶ ὀρφανὸν ἐλεήσωμεν· ἐκπριώμεθα κτεινομένους· μὴ παρίδωμεν τὸν δεόμενον ἡμῶν· μὴ παραδράμωμεν τὸν