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by mercies to the poor; perhaps there will be forgiveness for your transgressions. He said this thus, not doubting (for he was strongly persuaded), but wanting to cast him into greater fear, and a greater necessity of doing these things. For if he had spoken in an assured manner, that man would have become more supine. So we too then especially push some, when we say: Entreat so-and-so, and do not add, that he will certainly listen, but, that perhaps he will listen; for from the uncertainty, the fear becoming greater, pushes him more. For this reason he did not make it 60.196 clear. What are you saying? Will there be forgiveness for so many impieties? Yes. There is not a sin which almsgiving cannot cleanse, which it cannot extinguish; every sin stands lower than this; it is a medicine suitable for every wound. What is worse than a tax collector? It is the subject of all injustice; but Zacchaeus washed all this away. See how Christ also shows this, by how He was diligent to have a money-box, and to carry what was put in it. And Paul also says: Only that we should remember the poor; and the word throughout all the Scriptures concerning this matter is much. A man's own wealth, he says, is the ransom for his soul; and Christ: If you wish to be perfect, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and come, follow me. This is perfection, rightly so. But almsgiving does not consist in money only, but also in deeds. For example, what I mean is: It is possible to give protection, it is possible to offer a hand; often protection through deeds has saved more than money. 4. Come then, let us set in motion all the present forms of almsgiving. Are you able to through money? Do not hesitate. Are you able to through protection? Do not say, since there is no money, this is nothing. This too is very great; be so disposed, as if having given gold. Are you able to through service? Do this also. For example, are you a physician by profession? Take care of the sick; this too is great. Are you able to through counsel? This is by far greater than all; this is better than all, or even more, inasmuch as the gain is also greater; for you do not relieve a famine, but a grievous death. Of such were the apostles also filled in abundance; for this reason they entrusted the distribution of money to those after them, while they themselves demonstrated that which is through words. Or do you think it is a small alms, to be able to deliver from its sickness a soul that is in perplexity, in danger of the last things, held by a burning fever? For example, you see a friend held by love of money? Have mercy on the man. Is he choking? Extinguish his fire. What then, if he is not persuaded? You do your part, and do not shrink back. You saw him held in bonds? (for money is truly bonds.) Go to him, visit him, comfort him, try to release him from the bonds. If he is not willing, he himself will bear the blame. You saw him naked and a stranger? (for he who does not take care for a right life is truly naked and a stranger to the heavens.) Take him into your lodging, clothe him with the garments of virtue, give him the city in heaven. What then, if I am naked, he says? Clothe yourself first also; if you know that you are naked, you certainly also know that you ought to be clothed. If you only understand the manner of this nakedness, you will be able to know easily also its remedy. How many women wear silken garments, but are truly naked of the garments of virtue? Let their husbands clothe them. But they do not accept those garments, but want these? Do this first: bring them to the desire of those garments, show that they are naked, discourse concerning the future judgment; say: We need other things there, not these. But if you would bear with me, I too will show the nakedness. The naked man, when it is cold, is frozen and trembles, and stands huddled, gathering his arms together; but when it is summer, no longer. If, then, I show that rich men and rich women are 60.197 the more naked, the more they are clothed, do not be angry. What then, tell me, when we stir up discourses about Gehenna, and those torments, are not more

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οἰκτιρμοῖς πενήτων· ἴσως ἔσται συγγνώμη τοῖς παραπτώμασί σου. Τοῦτο οὕτως εἶπεν, οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλων (σφόδρα γὰρ ἦν πεπεισμένος), ἀλλὰ βουλόμενος αὐτὸν εἰς μείζονα ἐμβαλεῖν φόβον, καὶ πλείονα ἀνάγκην τοῦ ταῦτα ποιῆσαι. Εἰ γὰρ εἶπεν ὡμολογημένως, ὑπτιώτερος ἂν ἐγένετο ἐκεῖνος. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς τότε μάλιστα ὠθοῦμέν τινας, ὅταν λέγωμεν· Παρακάλεσον τὸν δεῖνα, καὶ μὴ ἐπαγάγωμεν, ὅτι πάντως ἀκούσεται, ἀλλ', ὅτι ἴσως ἀκούσεται· ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἀμφισβητήσεως μείζων ὁ φόβος γενόμενος, μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ὠθεῖ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δῆλον 60.196 αὐτὸ οὐκ ἐποίησε. Τί λέγεις; τοσούτοις ἀσεβήμασιν ἔσται συγγνώμη; Ναί. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἁμάρτημα, ὃ μὴ δύναται καθαρίσαι ἐλεημοσύνη, ὃ μὴ δύναται σβέσαι· πᾶσα ἁμαρτία κατωτέρα ταύτης ἕστηκε· φάρμακόν ἐστι πρὸς πᾶν τραῦμα ἐπιτήδειον. Τί τελώνου χεῖρον; Πάσης ἀδικίας ἐστὶν ὑπόθεσις· ἀλλὰ ταύτην πᾶσαν ἀπενίψατο ὁ Ζακχαῖος. Ὅρα πῶς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦτο δείκνυσι, δι' ὧν ἐσπούδασε γλωσσόκομον ἔχειν, καὶ τὰ βαλλόμενα βαστάζειν. Καὶ Παῦλος δέ φησι· Μόνον τῶν πτωχῶν ἵνα μνημονεύωμεν· καὶ πολὺς πανταχοῦ τῶν Γραφῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πράγματος τούτου ὁ λόγος. Λύτρον ψυχῆς ἀνδρὸς, φησὶν, ὁ ἴδιος πλοῦτος· καὶ ὁ Χριστός· Εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο, ἀκολούθει μοι. Τοῦτο τελειότης εἰκότως. Ἐλεημοσύνη δὲ οὐκ ἐν χρήμασι γίνεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πράγμασιν. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ἔστι καὶ προστῆναι, ἔστι καὶ χεῖρα ὀρέξαι· πολλάκις καὶ χρημάτων μειζόνως ἔσωσεν ἡ διὰ πραγμάτων προστασία. δʹ. Οὐκοῦν φέρε πάντα κινήσωμεν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τὰ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης εἴδη. ∆ύνασαι διὰ χρημάτων; Μὴ ὄκνει. ∆ύνασαι διὰ προστασίας; Μὴ εἴπῃς, ἐπειδὴ χρήματα οὐκ ἔστι, τοῦτο οὐδέν ἐστι. Σφόδρα καὶ τοῦτο μέγα· ὥσπερ χρυσίον δεδωκὼς, οὕτω διάκεισο. ∆ύνασαι διὰ θεραπείας; Καὶ τοῦτο ποίησον. Οἷον, ἰατρὸς εἶ τὴν ἐπιστήμην; Ἐπιμελήθητι ἀῤῥωστούντων· καὶ τοῦτο μέγα. ∆ύνασαι διὰ συμβουλῆς; Πολλῷ τοῦτο πάντων μεῖζον· αὕτη βελτίων πάντων, ἢ καὶ πλείων, ὅσῳ καὶ μεῖζον ἔχει τὸ κέρδος· οὐ γὰρ λιμὸν λύεις, ἀλλὰ θάνατον χαλεπόν. Τοιαύτης καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐκ περιουσίας ἦσαν ἐμπεπλησμένοι· διὰ τοῦτο τὴν τῶν χρημάτων διανομὴν τοῖς μετ' αὐτοὺς ἐνεχείρισαν, αὐτοὶ τὴν διὰ τῶν λόγων ἐπιδεικνύμενοι. Ἢ μικρὰν ἐλεημοσύνην οἴει εἶναι, ψυχὴν ἀπορουμένην, κινδυνεύουσαν περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων, ὑπὸ πυρώσεως συνεχομένην, δυνηθῆναι ἀπαλλάξαι τῆς νόσου; Οἷον, ὁρᾷς φίλον ὑπὸ φιλαργυρίας κατεχόμενον; Ἐλέησον τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἀποπνίγεται; Σβέσον αὐτοῦ τὸ πῦρ. Τί οὖν, ἂν μὴ πείθηται; Σὺ τὸ σαυτοῦ ποίησον, καὶ μὴ κατοκνήσῃς. Εἶδες αὐτὸν ἐν δεσμοῖς κατεχόμενον; (δεσμὰ γὰρ ὄντως τὰ χρήματα.) Ἄπελθε πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐπίσκεψαι αὐτὸν, παραμύθησαι, πειράθητι τῶν δεσμῶν ἀπολῦσαι. Ἂν μὴ βούληται, τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτὸς ὑπομενεῖ. Εἶδες γυμνὸν καὶ ξένον; (γυμνὸς γὰρ ὄντως καὶ ξένος ἐστὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ὁ βίου ὀρθοῦ μὴ ἐπιμελούμενος.) Λάβε εἰς τὸ καταγώγιον τὸ σὸν, περίβαλε ἱμάτια τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς, δὸς πόλιν τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ. Τί οὖν, ἂν ἐγὼ γυμνὸς ὦ, φησί; Καὶ σαυτὸν ἔνδυσον πρῶτον· εἰ οἶδας ὅτι γυμνὸς εἶ, πάντως καὶ ὅτι ἐνδυθῆναι ὀφείλεις οἶδας. Εἰ ταύτης μόνον τῆς γυμνότητος ἐπίστασαι τὸν τρόπον, δυνήσῃ γνῶναι ῥᾳδίως καὶ τὴν αὐτῆς καταστολήν. Πόσαι γυναῖκες σηρικὰ ἱμάτια φοροῦσι, γυμναὶ δὲ ὄντως εἰσὶ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἱματίων; Ταύτας οἱ ἄνδρες περιβαλέτωσαν. Ἀλλ' οὐ προσίενται τὰ ἱμάτια ἐκεῖνα, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα βούλονται; Τοῦτο πρῶτον ποίησον· εἰς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτὰς τῶν ἱματίων ἐκείνων κατάστησον, δεῖξον ὅτι γυμναί εἰσι, διαλέχθητι περὶ τῆς κρίσεως τῆς μελλούσης· εἰπέ· Ἄλλων ἡμῖν ἐκεῖ δεῖ, οὐ τούτων. Εἰ δὲ ἀνέχοισθέ μου, καὶ ἐγὼ τὴν γυμνότητα δείξω. Ὁ γυμνὸς, ψύχους μὲν ὄντος, πέπηγε καὶ τρέμει, καὶ συνεσταλμένος ἕστηκε, συναγαγὼν τοὺς βραχίονας· θέρους δὲ ὄντος, οὐκ ἔτι. Ἂν τοίνυν δείξω καὶ τοὺς πλουτοῦντας καὶ τὰς πλουτούσας 60.197 τοσούτῳ μάλιστα γυμνὰς, ὅσῳ μάλιστα ἂν περιβάλωνται, μὴ ἀπεχθάνεσθε. Τί οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, ὅταν τοὺς περὶ γεέννης ἀνακινῶμεν λόγους, καὶ τῶν βασανιστηρίων ἐκείνων, οὐχὶ μᾶλλον