Глава XIII. О том, что должно быть страннолюбивым и творить милостыню с доброхотством

1. Abba Apollos said about the reception of the brethren: we must bow to the coming brethren, for we bow not to them, but to God. When you see your brother, you see the Lord your God, and this we received from Abraham (Gen. 18:2). And in order to receive the brethren and force them to rest, we learned this from Lot, who forced the Angels to enter the house (Gen. 19:3). 2. Blessed Epiphanius said that God gives justification for the smallest thing to those who are looking to buy it for a small piece of bread, for wretched clothes, for a cup of water, for one obol. He also added the following: when a person, out of poverty or for trade needs, borrows from another person, then, while giving, although he expresses gratitude, he gives secretly out of shame. And the Lord - God, on the contrary, borrows secretly, and pays it back in the presence of Angels, Archangels and the righteous. 3. Abba Daniel once came to Alexandria with his disciple and saw a naked man from Ommat, who was sitting on the street and said: give, have mercy! The elder said to his disciple: Do you see this Ommatite? I tell you that he is of great measure. Would you like me to show you who he is? Stay here. The elder came up and said to the man: do mercy, brother! I don’t have anything to buy money to work and eat. The Ommatian answers him: what do you see in me, Abba? I am naked, like a beggar, and despite this you say: give me something to buy a tree for work! However, wait! The elder gave a sign to his disciple to follow them. They go out of town to Saint Mark, for he had a cell there, and the Ommatian says to the elder: Wait for me, Abba! Then he brought the old man a basket of grapes, apples and figs, three keratii (sixth of a scupula) of small coins, then he took one trimisium (coin) out of his mouth and gave it to the old man, saying: pray for me, Abba! Coming to his disciple, the elder began to cry and said: How many hidden servants does God have! The Lord lives! I will not reject anything from his blessing, for it is a gift of love. A few days later, after they were removed from there, they heard that the steward was very ill and was lying with Saint Mark, and that the holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark appeared to him and said: call such and such an Ommatian; he will lay his hand on the place of illness, and you will be healed. When this was done, and he prayed and laid his hand on him, the illness immediately passed away. It became known throughout the city; and the pope himself, having heard, went out to see him, but found him already resting in the Lord. Then the rumor about this spread throughout the city and in the Skete, and that old man came from there with his disciple and with many fathers, and together with the townspeople they were all blessed by the blessed one, and they carried out his body with great thanksgiving and glorification, and laid it on top of Abba Mark the Fool. His life was like this: with what he received in alms, he bought apples, grapes, dates and, through others, distributed them to strangers and the sick on Sunday; and for forty-eight years he practiced this virtue of serving others for the glory of God. 4. One day Abba Daniel, a monastery presbyter, was in Thebaid with one of his disciples. Sailing from there down the river, they, according to the elder’s instructions, landed at one place, and the elder said: now we will stay here. The disciple began to grumble: How long will we wander? Let's go to Skete. The elder said: no; but now we will stay here. And they sat down in the middle of the village like strangers. The brother asked the elder: does God want us to sit here like the laity? Let's at least go to the martyr's church! But the elder insisted: no; We'll sit here until late in the evening. The brother began to argue with the elder and said: because of you, I have the evil to die. While they were talking, an old layman approached, tall and all gray. Seeing Abba Daniel, he began to kiss his feet with tears, he also kissed his disciple and said to them: command them to enter the house. He carried a lantern and walked around the streets of the village, looking for strangers. Taking the elder and his disciple, and together some strangers he found, he went to his house. There he poured water into the laver and washed his feet with it. He had none of his relatives either in his house or in any other place except God alone. He offered them a meal, and after eating, he threw the remaining pieces to the village dogs, for it was his custom not to leave a single crumb from evening to morning. The elder took him to a special place and talked with him about salvation with many tears almost until dawn. In the morning, after kissing each other, everyone went their separate ways. On the way, the disciple, having thrown the old man, asked: do me a favor, father, tell me, who is this old man? And why do you know him? But the elder did not want to tell his disciple about this. Having bowed to him, the brother asked him again: “You trusted me with many other things, but you don’t want to tell me about this old man?” (The elder revealed to him the virtues of many saints.) And since the elder did not reveal this, the brother became angry and did not speak to him until Skete, and when he came to his cell, the brother did not bring the elder his small meal (the elder, according to custom, ate at the eleventh hour throughout his life). When evening came, the elder came to his brother’s cell and asked him: why, child, did you leave your father to die of hunger? He answered him: I do not have a father, for if I had a father, he would love his own child. The elder says to him: do you really not have a father? – and rushed to the door to leave. The brother could not see the elder upset, loving him very much, he caught up with him, held him and, kissing him, said: As the Lord lives! “I won’t let you go until you tell me who that old man was.” The elder tells him: first prepare me some food, and then I will tell you. After he had eaten, he said to his brother: “Don’t be stiff-necked, for because of your discord and murmuring in the village, I did not reveal anything to you about that old man.” Be careful, don’t tell anyone what you hear now. This old man is called Eulogius, by art he is a stonecutter. Every day he produces one keratium with his handicrafts, eats nothing until the evening, and in the evening, returning to the village, he gathers all the wanderers he finds into his house and feeds them, and throws the remaining pieces to the dogs, as you saw. He has been a stonecutter since his youth, and is now about a hundred years old. The Lord gives him strength, and he still mines the same keratium every day. When I was younger - about forty years ago - I came to sell my handicrafts in that village. In the evening he took me and the other brothers, according to his custom, for the sake of his hospitality. Arriving there and seeing the virtue of this man, I began to fast for weeks and ask God to grant him greater wealth, so that he would have the opportunity to do even more good. After fasting for three weeks and being half dead from asceticism, I fell asleep and saw that someone in a sacred image came to me and asked: Daniel! What's wrong with you? I answered: I gave the word, my Lord, to Christ not to eat bread until He hears my petition for Eulogius the stonecutter, may he grant him the blessing to do even more good. He tells me: no; he feels better this way. I said: better, Lord, grant it to him, so that through him everyone may glorify Your holy name. He answers me: I’m telling you, it’s better for him this way. If you want me to give him greater wealth, guarantee for his soul that it will be saved with him, and I will give it to him. I undertake, saying: Seek his soul from my hands. And I see that we are standing in the holy Church of the Resurrection; the little Youth sits on the holy stone and Eulogius stands at His right hand. He sends one of those standing before Him and says to me: is this the one who vouched for Eulogius? Everyone said: her, Vladyka! He says again: tell him that I will certainly exact a guarantee from him. I answer: her, Master! I'm wearing it, just give it to him. And I see that they began to pour a lot of gold into the bowels of Eulogius, and no matter how much they poured, everything contained his bowels. When I woke up, I realized that I had been heard, and I glorified God. Eulogius, going out to work, when he hit a stone, heard a certain sound, and when he hit it again, he discovered a cave full of money. Amazed by this, he thought: this is the money of the Israelis. What should I do? If I take them home, the boss will hear and come and take them, but I might still be in trouble. I’d rather go to another country where no one knows me. Then he hired pack animals, as if to transport stones, loaded the money at night and transported it to the river, leaving the good deed that he did every day. Taking the ship, he reached Byzantium, where Justin the Elder reigned at that time, donated a lot of money to him, gave gifts to the nobles and became the head of the praetorium, and also bought himself a large house, which is still called the house of the Egyptian. Two years later, in a dream I saw again the same little Youth in the Church of the Resurrection and wondered: where is Eulogius? But a little later I saw how Eulogius was lured away from the presence of the Youth by an Ethiopian. When I woke up, I said to myself: alas for me, a sinner! I have lost my soul! Then, taking the bag, he went to that village, as if to sell handicrafts. I waited for a long time to see if Eulogius would come, but evening came and no one invited me. Finally, I ask one old lady: God bless you, old lady! Bring me some bread so that I can eat, for I have not eaten yet today. She brought some boiled food, offered it to me, sat down at a distance and began to speak the following soul-saving words: Mr. Abba! Don’t you know that you are young and should not go to the villages? Don't you know that the monastic image requires silence? - and other similar things. I answered her: what will you tell me to do? I came to sell my handicrafts. She continued: although you sell your handicrafts, you should not be late in the village. If you want to be a monk, go to the Skete. I told her: now leave these speeches and tell me, do you really not have a God-fearing person who would receive strangers? She tells me: oh! What did you say, Father Abba! We had one stonecutter here who did a lot of good for strangers. Seeing his good deeds, the Lord gave him grace; and he, we hear, is now a patrician. Hearing about this, I said to myself: you have committed this murder. Then he hired a ship and arrived in Byzantium. Having inquired about the house of the Egyptian Eulogius, I came and sat at his gate, waiting for him to come out. Finally, he appears with great pomp. I cried out to him: show me a little mercy; I want to talk to you alone. But he did not pay attention to me, only struck me with contempt with his cane. I ran forward and called out again, and was hit again. So I suffered for four weeks without having a chance to talk to him. Having fallen into despondency, I went, threw myself down weeping before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and turned to the Savior: Lord, release me from guaranteeing this man, or I too will go into the world! Taking this into consideration, I fell asleep and heard a strong noise and a voice: The Most August One is passing. He saw that thousands and thousands of ranks were walking in front of Her, and he cried out: My Lady! Have mercy on me! She stopped and asked: what’s wrong with you? What do you need? I say: I vouched for Eulogius, who is now a patrician, they ordered me to be released from vouching for him. But She said: I don’t care about this! Fulfill the guarantee as you wish! When I woke up, I decided: even if I had to die, I would not retreat from his gates until I had a chance to talk to him. Again I came to the gate and, when he came out, I called out to him, but the goalkeeper who ran up dealt me ​​so many blows that my whole body was covered with wounds. After this, becoming even more faint-hearted, I said to myself: I will go to the Skete, and if God wants, He will save both me and Eulogius. Having found the Alexandrian ship and entered it, I lay down out of grief and fell asleep. And now I see myself again in the Church of the Holy Resurrection and That Youth, sitting on a stone and looking at me so menacingly that from fear I trembled like a leaf, and could not open my lips, for my heart was petrified. He told me: it will not happen without you not fulfilling your guarantee! - and ordered the two present to tie my hands and hang me, saying: do not guarantee beyond your strength and do not contradict God! I still could not open my mouth. Everything was already prepared for my hanging when word spread: The August One is coming. Seeing Her and feeling bold, I fell to Her and said in a quiet voice: Mistress of the world! Have mercy on me! She asked: what do you want again? I answer: they want to hang me for my guarantee for Eulogius! She promised: I will pray for you! And I see - she came up and kissed the Youth’s feet. Then He asked me: will you not do this again?! I answer: I won’t, Vladyka! I asked for it, believing that it would be even more useful. But I sinned, Master! Forgive me! Then He commanded to let me go and said: go to your cell and do not worry about how I will bring Eulogius to his former rank. Waking up, I rejoiced with great joy at the cancellation of my guarantee and swam, thanking God, and three months later I heard that King Justin had died and Justinian had reigned, before whom Hypatius, Densiocrates, Pompius and this Eulogius were accused. He beheaded them and took all their property, and ordered Eulogius, who fled from Constantinople at night, to be killed wherever they found him, and he, exchanging his light clothes for the clothes of a peasant, returned to his house. The whole village gathered to see Eulogius, and they said to him: good is your coming! We heard that you have become a patrician. He replied: of course! If I became a patrician, would I see your face?! No, it was some other Eulogius, and I went to worship the holy places. Then, coming to his senses, he said: poor Eulogius! Get up, take up your masonry and go to work. There are no chambers here. How can you not lose your head? So, taking his tools, he went to the stone where he found the money, expecting to find others, and struck until the sixth hour and found nothing. He remembered past happiness, glory and contentment, but, coming to his senses, he said: poor Eulogius, work! Here is Egypt! Thus, little by little, the Holy Youth and our Lady Theotokos restored him to his former rank, for God is not unrighteous to forget his former labors. After some time, I came to the village to sell my handicrafts, and in the evening, according to the previous custom, he came and took me to his house. Seeing him covered in dust, I groaned and, shedding tears, said: For Thy works are magnified, O Lord: by wisdom Thou hast done all things. Who is the great God who is our God? You are the only God who can create miracles! Raise the poor from the earth, and raise the wretched from the rot. The Lord brings you down and makes you rich, humbles and exalts. Who will examine Your wonders and Your judgments? I, a sinner, encroached on a cause that was not my own, and in a little while my soul would have entered hell (See Ps. 103:24; Ps. 77:14; Ps. 112:7; 1 Sam. 2:7; Ps. 93:17). At home, he poured water, washed the feet of me and the other wanderers, and offered us a meal. At the end of it, I asked him: how are you, Abba Eulogius? He answered: pray for me, Father Abba! I am poor and have nothing in my hands. I said: oh, if only you didn’t have exactly what you had! He asked me: why, Abba? Did I seduce you with what? How come you didn’t seduce? - I say and told him everything that happened. We both began to cry, and he said: pray for me, Father Abba, that God will give me what I need. From now on I will improve. I said: truly, child, do not expect from the Lord anything from the things of this world, except kerat from your labors! And for so many years now, God has been giving him the strength to extract kerat with the labor of his hands. Now I told you, child, how and why I know him, but don’t tell anyone about it. Abba Daniel entrusted this to his disciple upon their return from Thebaid. God's love for mankind is marvelous! How it soon elevated Eulogius and then again humbled him, because it was saving him. Let us also pray that we may be humble, so that at the terrible judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ we will find mercy in the face of His glory. 5. A student of Abba Theodore said: one day an onion seller came to us and poured me a whole bowl. The elder said: pour wheat into it and give it to him. We had two piles of wheat: one clean and the other unclean. I gave him something unclean. The elder looked at me intently and with sadness, so that out of fear I fell and broke the cup. Getting up, I threw the throwing to the old man, asking for forgiveness. The elder said: get up, it’s not your fault, but I sinned by ordering you. Then he entered himself, filled a bag of clean wheat and gave it to the seller along with his onions. 6. They said about Abba Theodore that when the Skete was devastated, the old man came to live on the farm and was exhausted, being already old. They brought him some food, but what the first brought, the elder gave to the second, and so on in order - what he accepted from one, he gave to the other. He himself, at the hour of eating, ate what the one who came at that time brought. 7. They said about Abba John Kolov: everything that he obtained by his labor during the harvest, he took and brought to the Skete, saying: my widows and my orphans are in the Skete. 8. Some of the fathers came to Abba Joseph in Panethos to ask about the reception of the wandering brothers: should one indulge oneself and freely allow oneself with them? But before they questioned him, the elder said to his disciple: listen to what I will do now, and be patient. Then he took two cane chairs, placing one on his right side and the other on his left, offered to sit down and entered his inner cell; Having put on beggar's rags there, he went out, walked among the brethren and entered again; Having changed into his ordinary clothes, he went out and sat down between them. The brothers were amazed at the elder’s actions, but he asked them: did you notice what I did? They replied: they noticed. Have I changed from the thin rags? They say: no. Then the elder said to them: if I am the same in both attire, so that neither one has changed me, nor the other has harmed me, then we must do the same when receiving strangers, according to the Holy Gospel, which reads: Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and the things that are God's to the Gods (Matthew 22:21). So, when brothers come to us, we will receive them freely, but when we are left alone, then it is necessary that crying be with us constantly. Hearing this, the fathers were surprised that he revealed to them what was in their hearts before they asked him about it, and they glorified God. 9. Abba John Cassian said: we came from Palestine to Egypt to one of the fathers and when he treated us as strangers, we asked him: why, when receiving fellow pilgrims, do you not observe the rules of fasting, as is customary in Palestine? He answered us: fasting is always with me, but I cannot keep you with me forever. Of course, fasting is a useful and necessary thing, but it depends on our will, and the fulfillment of the commandment of love is necessarily required of us by the law of God. Accepting you and Christ in you, I must with all my diligence console you. When I spend it, I can again accept the rule of fasting, for the food of a son’s marriage can, until the groom eats with them, fast?... The days will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they fast (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19, 20). 10. He told us: we came to a certain old man, and he offered us food. When we were already full, he asked us to taste more. I refused, saying that we couldn’t do it anymore. The elder said: six times I offered a meal to the visiting brothers and, asking each of them to taste, I ate with them myself and still want to eat, but you, having eaten this once, were so full that you can no longer. 11. Once in Skete a commandment was given to fast for the next week. At that time, by chance, brothers from Egypt came to Abba Moses, and he prepared some boiled food for them. Those next to him, seeing the smoke, said to the clergy: Moses broke the commandment and prepared boiled food for himself. They replied: when he comes, we will tell him. When Saturday came, the clergy, knowing the high life of Abba Moses, said to him in front of the whole congregation: Abba Moses! You broke the commandment of man and kept the commandment of God. 12. The brother, seeing that Abba Nesteroy was wearing two dresses, asked him: Abba, if a poor man comes and asks you for clothes, which one will you give him? He answered: the best. The brother also asked: if another asks you, what will you give him? The elder said: half the other. The brother asked again: if someone else asks you, what will you give? He answered: I will tear up what is left and give him half, and gird myself with the rest. He says: if someone asks you for this, what will you do? The elder said: I will give him what is left, then I will sit in some place until God sends and covers me, for I will not ask anyone else. 13. The brother said to Abba Pimen: if I give my brother a little bread or something else, the demons will defile what I have done to please mankind. The elder tells him: even if this happens due to man-pleasing, we will still give our brother what he needs. And he told him this parable: two farmers lived in one place. One of them sowed and harvested some unclean bread, but the other, being too lazy to sow, did not harvest anything. So, if famine occurs, which of these two will find something to live on? The brother answered: the one who collected some bread, although unclean. The elder said: so we will sow a little, albeit unclean, so as not to die of hunger. 14. The brother came to Abba Pimen on the second week of Lent and, having revealed his thoughts to him and received consolation, said to him: I hesitated a little - should I come here today? The elder asked: why? The brother answered: I said to myself: maybe for the sake of Lent he will not open to me? Abba Pimen said: we have not learned to lock the wooden door, but even more so the door of the tongue. 15. Abba Theodore of Thermaeus asked Abba Pambo: say a word to me. And with great difficulty he said to him: Have mercy on everyone, for mercy finds boldness before God. 16. Mother Sarah said: it is useful for people to give alms, for although at first it comes from pleasing people, it later turns into pleasing God. 17. They told about Abba Serapion that, having met a poor man in Alexandria shaking from the cold, he stopped and began to reason with himself: how can I, who imagine to be an ascetic, wear a tunic, and this poor man, or better yet Christ, is dying of cold? Truly, if I leave him to die, on the day of judgment I will be condemned as a murderer. Then, undressing like a good fighter, he gave his clothes to the poor man and sat down, holding under his arm the small Gospel, which he always carried with him. Passing by, a law enforcement officer asked him: Abba Serapion! Who stripped you? Taking out a small Gospel, the Abba said to him: This is Who stripped me. Rising and walking further, he met someone being tortured for a debt, and, not having anything to give him, the immortal Serapion sold his small Gospel, gave it to the tortured for the debt and returned to his cell naked. Seeing him naked, the disciple asked him: Abba! where are your clothes? The elder replied: I sent her, child, to where we will need her most. The student asks again: where is the little Gospel? The elder said: Verily, child, of Him who said to me every day: Go, sell what you have and give to the poor (Matt. 19:21; Mk. 10:21; OK. 18:22), That same one I sold and gave to Him, so that on the day of judgment we might gain boldness before Him. 18. Abba Timothy, the presbyter, said to Abba Pimen: there is one woman in Egypt who commits fornication and gives the payment for it in alms. Abba Pimen said: she will not remain forever in fornication, for the fruit of faith is visible in her. Then it happened that the mother of Presbyter Timothy came to him, and he asked her: is that woman still committing fornication? She answered: yes, and also added more lovers; however, she also added to the alms. Abba Timothy told Abba Pimen about this, but he repeated: she will not remain in fornication. When Abba Timothy's mother came again, she said: Do you know? That harlot wanted to come with me so that you could pray for her. Hearing this, he told Abba Pimen about it, and he said to him: you better go and talk to her. Seeing him and hearing the word of God from him, she came into contrition, began to cry and said: from now on I will cleave to God and will not commit fornication again. And, having entered the monastery, she pleased God. 19. The elder said that someone had a wife and a daughter who had just been declared to Christianity, and, wanting to renounce the world, he divided his property into three parts. However, his daughter died during the period of the announcement, and the father, for the sake of saving her soul, distributed her part of the property to the poor, as well as his wife’s and his own, without ceasing to pray to God for her. While he was praying, a voice came to him: your daughter has been baptized, do not grieve! He did not give him faith, and the invisible one again said to him: open the coffin. Will you find her? Arriving at the coffin, he tore it open, but did not find her there, for she had been transferred to the faithful. 20. One of the fathers said: one magistrate, sent by the king on business, discovered on the way a dead poor man who was naked. Taking pity on him, he sent his slave ahead, and he took off one of his clothes and covered the deceased with it. A few days later, he was again sent on business and, leaving the city, fell from his horse, injuring his leg. Doctors tried in vain to heal him, and five days later his leg turned black. Then the doctors decided to cut off the leg so that the whole body would not deteriorate and the person would not die. The sick man signaled to his slave to go out for the doctors and find out about their intentions, and they said: if the leg is not cut off, the man will die. Tomorrow we will come, and we will do whatever God pleases. The slave went in to his master and told about this with tears. In great sadness from great grief, the gentleman could not sleep and saw at midnight - and a lamp was burning with him - a man came in, approached him and asked: why are you crying? What are you grieving about? And he told him what had happened. The one who appeared said to him: show me your foot. Then, having anointed her, he said: now get up and walk. Leaning on the newcomer, the patient walked with a limp. Then the one who appeared said to him: Are you still limping? Lie down again,” and he also anointed his feet, saying: “Now get up and walk!” He stood up and began to walk sanely. Then the one who came said to him: now lie down and calm down, - and added the words of the Lord about alms: blessed are the mercy, for these will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7). And: judgment for without mercy he who has not shown mercy (James 2:13) and other similar things, then he said: save yourself. The Magistrian asked him: for the sake of God, who sent you, tell me - who are you? He says to him: look at me. Do you recognize your clothes? He replied: I admit it, Lord! This is mine! Then the one who appeared said to him: I am the one whom you, seeing dead on the way, covered with your clothes, and God sent me to heal you. So, always thank God,” and he went out, and the one who had recovered glorified God, the source of all good. 21. A certain other magistrate, returning from Palestine to Constantinople, within the boundaries of Tire, met a man who, looking closely at the road, was walking alone, without a leader. Hearing the clatter of a horse, he lay down along the path, stretched out his hands, and, according to the custom of the poor, spoke some propitiatory words, asking for alms. At first the magistrate passed him by with carelessness, but after driving a little, he repented and, returning to the asker, handed him a coin. He, having accepted it, prayed for him, saying: I believe in God that this commandment will deliver you from temptation. The Magistrian accepted this prayer with faith and arrived in the city, in which there were some soldiers asking the governor of the city to put them on a ship, but he released them day by day without resolving the matter. Seeing the magistrate, they asked him to arrange for the steward so that they could go, and he, having told him what was necessary about his affairs, also reminded him about the soldiers. The steward agreed to send the soldiers if the magistrian would take them with him on the ship, and when he agreed, they sailed with a fair wind. It so happened that at night, while at the edge of the ship, the Master was thrown into the sea by the blow of a sail, and although the shipmen heard him fall and tried to lift him, they were unable to do so because it was night and there was a strong wind. Carried by the waves, the magistrian considered himself an inevitable victim of death, but by the will of God, the next day he was noticed from another passing ship and picked up. When both ships arrived in the city, the shipmen went into the tavern and some, with sighs, told about the fall of the Magistrian, while others, to the general joy, told about his salvation, who later told them that the poor man to whom he gave a coin on the way carried him while walking on the water. Hearing this, they glorified our Savior God. From what has been said, let us understand that almsgiving does not perish from the heart, but in times of need, God rewards the giver of alms. So, according to God’s Scripture, let us not refuse to do good to the needy, when our hand is not scanty. 22. One of the lovers of Christ, who had the gift of almsgiving, said that the giver of alms should give as if he himself had received. Such alms bring one closer to God. 23. Someone said: in Alexandria a rich man fell ill and, fearing death, distributed thirty liters of gold to the poor. Then, having recovered, he began to regret what he had done, and revealed this to his most pious friend, who said: you should rejoice even more that you brought this to Christ. But he was not so reassured. Then his friend, and he was rich, said to him: here are your thirty liters! Just go to Saint Mina and say: “It was not I who fulfilled the commandment of love, but this one,” and take them. When they came to the saint, he said so and took the gold, but on leaving he died at the door. They offered the master gold: take yours. But he answered: Do not bring this before the Lord for me, for since I gave it to Christ, it is His. Give it to the poor. Hearing about what had happened, everyone fell into fear and glorified God for the good disposition of this man. 24. One old man lived with his brother, having everything in common. The elder was merciful, and when famine came, many came to his door to receive alms, which he gave to everyone who came. Seeing this, the brother said to the elder: give me my part of the loaves, and do with your part what you want. The elder divided the loaves and gave alms from his portion, so that many came running to him when they heard what he was giving to everyone. God, seeing what he was serving to everyone, blessed his loaves. Meanwhile, the brother used his and asked the elder: I have a few other loaves, Abba; take me back to the community. The elder answered him: I will do as you wish. And they began to live as before. Although there was a harvest afterwards, the needy all came to them for alms. One day, going into the bread store, the brother saw that there was no more bread, but a poor man came, and the elder ordered him to be given alms. In response to his brother’s words that there was no more bread, the elder said: go look! Entering, he found a bakery, all full of bread. Seeing them, he fell into fear and, recognizing from this the faith and virtue of the elder, he glorified God. 25. The elder said: it happens that someone does a lot of good, but the evil one inspires him to pay attention to petty things in order to destroy the reward of all his good deeds. So I once sat in Oxyrhynchus with a presbyter who was giving alms. A widow came and asked him for some wheat. He says to her: give me the bag, and I will fill it for you. She submitted. Unfolding it, he said to her: great, and put the widow to shame. I asked him: Abba! Have you sold your wheat? He answered: no, but he gave it to her as alms. Then I said: if you gave it to her in alms, then why did you talk about the measure and thereby shame the widow? 26. A brother came to one hermit and, leaving, said to him: forgive me, Abba, that I prevented you from fulfilling your rule. He answered him: my rule is to put you to rest and let you go in peace. 27. One hermit lived near Cenobia and performed many exploits. The brethren who came to the monastery forced him to eat before a certain hour and then asked him: “Are you not grieving about this, Abba?” He answered: my sorrow is when I do my own will. 28. They said about one old man who lived in Syria on a deserted path, that his work was as follows: at whatever hour one of the monks came from the desert, he with all his cordiality brought him peace. One day a hermit came to him and he offered him consolation, but he did not want to accept it, saying: I am fasting. The elder became sad and said to him: do not despise your son, I beg you, and do not pass me by. Let's go pray! Here is a tree: with whomever it bows down, when he kneels and prays, we will follow him. The hermit knelt down to pray, and nothing happened. The stranger bowed down, and immediately the tree bowed down with him. Having made sure of this, they glorified God. 29. One monk had a poor brother, a layman, and whatever he got from his labors he gave to him. However, no matter how much he gave him, he became increasingly poor. The brother told one old man about this, and he said to him: if you want to listen to me, don’t give him anything else, but say: brother, when I had it, I gave it to you, and now you bring it to me from what you get with your labors. When he brings you something, take it from him and give it to a wanderer or poor old man whom you know, and ask him to say a prayer for him. The brother, returning, did just that: when his brother, a layman, came, he told him as the elder ordered. He departed sadly, and on the first day after this he took several vegetables from his labors and brought them to him. Having accepted them, the brother gave them to the elders and asked them to pray for him, and he returned to his home with a blessing. Another time he brought him vegetables and three loaves of bread. Having taken them, the brother acted as before, and he returned again with a blessing. Coming the third time, he brought a lot of food, wine, and fish. Seeing this, the brother was surprised, called the poor and consoled them. Then he asked his brother: Do you no longer need bread? He answered: no, my lord. When I took something from you, it was as if fire entered my house and consumed everything. Ever since I don’t take from you, God blesses me. The brother went and told the elder everything that had happened, and the elder said to him: don’t you know that the work of a monk is fire and wherever it enters, it burns. It is better for your brother to give alms from his labors, for in this way he receives the prayers of the saints and is blessed. 30. One Thebes monk had from God the gift of service - to give what was needed to everyone who came. It happened to him in one village to give out alms. And then a certain woman dressed in rags approached him for alms. Seeing her in rags, he stretched out his hand to give her more, but his hand shrank and he took out a little. Then another woman came, well dressed. Looking at her clothes, he wanted to give her less, but his hand expanded and he took out a lot. When he later asked about both, he was told that the well-dressed one from a noble family had only become poor and for the sake of rumor wore good clothes, and the other deliberately dressed in rags in order to get more. 31. Once two brothers came to one old man. It was not the custom of this elder to eat every day, but when he saw the brothers, he rejoiced and said: fasting has a reward, but he who eats for the sake of love does two virtues: he abandons his own will and fulfills the commandment of love. And therefore he put the brothers to rest. 32. One of the Egyptian saints lived in a deserted place; far from him there was someone else - a Manichaean by faith, the oldest of their so-called elders, who went to one of his fellow believers, and one evening found him in the place where the Orthodox saint lived. Manichaeus struggled with himself and was afraid to ask to spend the night, believing that he, knowing about his Manichaeism, might not accept him, but extremity forced him to knock. The elder opened the door and, recognizing him, received him with joy: he offered prayer, put him to rest and prepared the bed. At night, having come to his senses, the Manichaean thought: how did he not detect any suspicion? Truly he is a man of God! Then he came to him, fell at his feet and said: from now on I am Orthodox! And thus remained with him forever. 33. There was one wealthy man who became rich through bribes, pretensions and lies. Finally, having come to his senses and fearing the judgment of God, he went to the teacher and said: I beg you, my mind is captivated by the worries of everyday life, heal me, so that I will not perish. He gave him the book of King Solomon. Reading it, he found: the merciful beggar gives back to God (Prov. 19:17), closed the book and gave it to the teacher, saying: who is more faithful than God? He gives me both the real amount and the increase from it if I am merciful to the poor. Then he went and sold all his property and gave it to the poor, leaving nothing for himself except four denarii to support his body. So he himself became poor, and no one wanted to show him mercy. As time passed, he said to himself: I will go to Jerusalem to the Lord my God to sue Him, for He has deceived me - to give away all my property. Going to Jerusalem, he saw two people arguing with each other, for they had found a stone lost from the vestment of Bishop Aaron, but they did not know it. He asked them: Why are you arguing? They answered: we found a stone, but we don’t know what it is. He said to them, Give it to me and take the four denarii. They happily gave him the stone. Arriving in Jerusalem, he showed it to the goldsmith, and he, recognizing the stone, asked him: where did you find this stone? For three years now, all Jerusalem has been in alarm because of this stone. Go give it to the bishop, and he will enrich you. While he was walking towards the sanctuary, the Angel of the Lord appeared to the bishop and said: a man will come to you with a lost stone - give him the gold, silver and honest stones he wants, and then tell him: do not be faint-hearted in your heart and do not disbelieve God, that the merciful beggar gives to God in return. Behold, you have been rewarded with sevenfold in this age; in the future you will be rewarded with eternal life. You might be interested in: