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Our property is especially ours when we use it not for ourselves, but exclusively for the poor. I’ll tell you how it is now. If I give money into the hands of the poor, then neither the deceiver will attack, nor the envious eye will stare, nor the robber, nor the thief, having broken the wall, will not steal it, nor the servant, having stolen it, will not run away, because this storeroom is safe. And if you bury gold at home, then you expose it to danger from a robber, and from a wall digger, and from an envious person, and from a deceiver, and from a servant, and from any harm. It often happened that, thanks to many doors and bolts, having survived external attacks, [gold] did not escape the hands of the guards, that those entrusted with its protection stole it and ran away. You see that we are especially masters of our property when we entrust it to the poor. And not only for the sake of integrity, this is the safest place, but also because it brings great benefit and profit. If you lend to a person, you will receive a hundredth part [of course, probably a hundredth of the growth or one percent per month, that is, 12 percent per year], and if you lend to God through the poor, you will receive not a hundredth part, but a hundred times more. If you sow on fertile land, then when it brings a bountiful harvest, you will receive ten times more than what you sow. But if you sow for heaven, the profit will increase a hundred times and you will receive eternal life, ageless and immortal (1). Let us give generous alms; she is the queen of virtues; she will boldly intercede there and deliver her from punishment and torment, so that no one will stop the one who ascends to heaven with her. Light are her wings, great is the power of her intercession; she reaches all the way to the royal throne and safely carries her pets there. “Your prayers,” said [the Angel to Cornelius], “and your alms have come as a memorial before God” (Acts 10:4). Why don’t we also ascend to this height, abandoning inappropriate covetousness, useless luxury and vanity? Let us make superfluous things useful to us by distributing our great wealth and handing it over to the right hand of the Judge, who can keep it safe, and for this on the day of Judgment he will be meek and merciful to us, and even though we have committed thousands of sins, will give us forgiveness and justification (3). When the hand gives alms to the poor, let the mouth be silent, so that we do not miss the fruit and the sweet does not become bitter. Why do you, man, grumble about the requests of the poor? If he were not poor, he would not have asked, and therefore you need to feel sorry for him that he asks you for a piece of bread and clothing, prompted by necessity. But, they say, he always bothers me: I scolded many times and in no way could free myself from such a burden. But don’t you know that poverty and the impudent demands of the stomach do not eliminate the need to ask? Swearing does not overcome necessity and fear does not overcome the need that gnaws at the stomach. When we demand something from God, He is not angry with us, but He is angry when we do not ask. Your Lord burns with anger because you do not ask anything from Him, but you become angry when they ask of you (4). Almsgiving is the most necessary, it is everything. That is why, not without reason, we called it the heart of virtue. But the heart itself soon dies if it does not impart spirit to everything; just as a source rots if there is no constant flow from it. The same thing happens to the rich when they keep their property. That is why it has become a common saying: a lot of goods are rotting at such and such’s place; on the contrary, we do not say that he has greater abundance, countless treasures. Both those who have wealth and wealth itself are subject to decay (7). Alms are valued not by the quantity given, but by the abundance of disposition. If those who give little will be punished, then even more so those who have acquired many blessings, who build houses with three and four roofs, but despise the hungry, who care about covetousness, but neglect alms (7). Charity teaches you to harmlessly save not only bread, but everything: property, soul, and body. But why list in detail all the benefits brought by this art? It teaches you how you can become like God, and this is the first of all blessings... The arts end with real life, do not work during the artist’s illness and have transient effects, require labor and a lot of time and other countless accessories. And after the end of the world, alms reveal themselves even more clearly; after the death of a person, they shine most brightly and reveal their actions, and do not require time, labor, or anything else difficult. It acts both during your illness and in old age, accompanies you into your future life and never leaves you. It makes you stronger than sages and orators; people famous for their wisdom and oratory have many envious people, and for those who have glorified themselves with mercy, countless people offer prayers. They stand before human judgment, defending the offended, and often those who offend; and alms stands before the Judgment of Christ, and not only protects, but also inclines the Judge himself to defend the defendant and pronounce a merciful sentence on him. Even if he was guilty of countless sins, she crowns him and proclaims him the winner: “Better to give alms,” it is said, “then everything will be pure for you” (Luke 11:41) (7). Don't you see how vain people in the theater treat dissolute women? And you don’t give even half of this, and often even a tenth. When the devil commands you to give to just anyone and meanwhile prepares Gehenna for this, you give; and when Christ commands to give to the poor, promising the Kingdom for this, you not only do not give, but also offend. Would you really agree to listen to the devil in order to be tortured, rather than obey Christ in order to receive salvation? What could be worse than such madness? One is preparing Gehenna, the other is preparing the Kingdom: and you, leaving this one, run to that one. When Christ comes to you, you send Him away, and you yourself invite the devil from afar. It is as if the king, by offering purple and a diadem, did not win us over to his side; and the robber, shaking his sword and threatening death, would have managed to do this. So, considering this, beloved, let us open our eyes even now and begin to stay awake. I confess that I am already ashamed to talk about alms, repeating it so often and not seeing the fruits of the sermon. True, I see more fruits than before, but not as much as I would like (7). You did not receive property in order to live luxuriously, but in order to give alms. Is this your own estate? It belongs to the poor, and it is only entrusted to you, even if it was your father’s inheritance, even if it was acquired by honest labor. Couldn't God take it away from you? But He does not do this by giving you the opportunity to be generous to the poor. And notice how Christ in all his parables denounces those who did not use their wealth to feed the poor. Likewise, the virgins are condemned not because they stole what belonged to others, but because they did not give away what was theirs; and he who buried his talent was not also covetous, but only did not double it; and those who despised the hungry are punished not because they took possession of someone else’s, but because they did not waste theirs, just like the mentioned slave. Let those of us notice this who please the belly and squander on feasts wealth that does not belong to them at all, but to the poor. Do not think that what God’s love for mankind ordered you to give away, as it were, your property, is really yours. God gave it to you on loan so that you could use it profitably. So, do not consider it yours when you give Him what belongs to Him. When you lend money to someone so that he will use it to acquire some benefit, you will never say that this money was his. So God gave you wealth so that you could buy heaven with it. Therefore, do not make His infinite love for mankind the basis for your ingratitude. Think about how desirable it is to have a means that, after Baptism, would resolve our sins. If the Lord had not said: give alms, then how many people would have said: oh, if only by donating property we could get rid of the disasters that threaten us! When this has become possible, then, on the contrary, they remain in negligence. But you say: I give. So what are you giving? You did not give as much as that wife who gave only two mites; did not give even half of it, not even the smallest part in comparison with it; you spend more on useless things, on feasts, on drunkenness, on extreme debauchery; either you invite others to you, then you are invited, then you live, then you force others to live; and, thus, you are preparing a severe punishment for yourself: firstly, for what you do yourself, and secondly, for what you force others to do (7). Do you want to enjoy fame? Give alms: then the Angels will praise you, then God will glorify you. And now all the glory goes to the share of goldsmiths and weavers; you are left without a crown and often see yourself burdened with curses. Don’t burden your body with all this, but spend it all on feeding the poor, and there will be applause from all sides, great praise from everywhere. Then it is you who will possess it when you distribute it to others; and as long as you use it alone, you do not own it. A house is not a safe storage place; the sure depository is the hands of the poor (8). The medicine of alms is no less important: it can be applied to all wounds. “Give,” said [the Lord], “alms... then all will be pure for you” (Luke 11:41), “alms,” but not what was acquired by covetousness, because what is given from what was acquired by covetousness does not matter, even if you gave to those in need. Thus, true almsgiving is free from all untruth, and it makes everything pure. Such almsgiving is better than fasting and lying on the ground. Although these feats are harder and more difficult, they are more fruitful. It enlightens the soul, fattens it and makes it beautiful and beautiful. It is not so much the fruit of the olive tree that revives the strength of fighters, but rather that this oil strengthens the ascetics of piety. Let us anoint our hands with it in order to successfully raise them against the enemy. He who tries to be merciful to those in need will soon lag behind covetousness. He who constantly gives to the poor will easily give up in anger and will never think highly of himself. Just as a doctor who constantly takes care of the wounded is easily humbled by looking into human nature in the event of accidents with others, so we, if we decide to help the poor, will conveniently learn to be philosophical, we will not marvel at wealth and we will not consider the present something great; but let us neglect everything (9). “He who does good to the poor lends to the Lord” (Prov. 19:17). What you now throw into the hand of the beggar, you will later find in the hand of the Judge. If you want to avoid judgment, try now to win over the Judge with the help of the poor. When you make your final orders, do not forget, along with your friends and family, your dying soul; give her at least a little money necessary for the journey. Let the name of the Judge be mentioned in your will, let your memory of the poor be imprinted on paper. Make your death worthy of joy, not tears; Do not appear at the Last Judgment without intercessors. Fill the bellies of those whose tongues will speak for you before the Lord. Through them we will make the Creator our debtor, so that on that day we will not suffer condemnation; With the help of money we will acquire reliable defenders for ourselves. In the person of the poor, you have, says the Lord, a witness of your love for Me; You know that I appropriate to Myself what is done to the poor. I send grass to the cattle and give food to everyone, but when you give alms, I, together with the poor, extend my hand and accept the alms. “I am clothed with light as with a robe” (Ps. 103:2), but as soon as you clothe the beggar, I will feel the warmth. You know that I sit in heaven with the Father, but whenever you go into prison to visit the prisoners, you find Me there imprisoned; as soon as you go to the sick, I do not leave the bed. I am everywhere, but especially I stand up for those in need. Whatever you give to the poor, you will find multiplied with Me. If you bring a homeless person into your house, you will welcome Me into your house with him, and for this you will receive a threefold reward from Me: I will increase your wealth, and I will preserve your house, and I will prepare an abode for you in heaven (9). Christ does not forbid you to give alms, but teaches you how to do it: “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3). Here, of course, He did not mean hands, but figuratively expressed that your bad mind should not know what your good will is doing, so that it cannot turn you away from good. Human thoughts, according to Divine testimony, are directed toward evil. Therefore, the Savior says: let this desire be so strong in you that you yourself do not know. For what? So that your Father, who sees in secret your kind, diligent readiness to give to the poor, loves you and rewards you openly. For those who give alms, He has instituted a great and brilliant spectacle, and whatever the merciful may desire is granted to them in the highest degree. Even if thousands of people see you giving alms, just do not pay attention to them and do not desire temporary glory from them; and if you want, he says, to have spectators of what you do, then there are Angels and Archangels, and the Creator and Lord of all things. If you want to have people as witnesses to your actions and perform alms in front of them, then you will have a hundred or a thousand spectators approving of you. If you try to do it secretly from those who praise in this life, and, moreover, so secretly that at least some glorified you, not to accept these praises with pleasure and not to be exalted by them, but to withdraw from them and reject them, then on that terrible day in the face of the entire universe you will receive a crown of glory. If you do alms for God and for the sake of the wealth that He has collected there for you, and not for the sake of temporary glory, then God, accepting, as if into his own bosom, your deeds of mercy, in the presence of all people, from Adam to the end of the age, in the presence of all Angels (since then thousands and myriads of Angels will be present), with His most pure hands will call you with the words: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom, prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Come here, I accepted your labors, I was your dependent. When you stretched out your hands to the poor, I opened My bosom; When you gave your bread to the poor, I was satisfied through his belly. “For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink” (Matthew 25:35). For this, this is the joy you will be awarded, dear ones! If you gave alms for show in front of people, then you will receive a reward from them. After all, it seems that this is so clear: if you want to do it for show, then try to do it for show before God: He has more power to crown, and will bring Angels to the spectacle. And who is so unfortunate that, knowing that the king wants to come to see his exploits, he would instead prefer to spread his spectacle in front of a crowd of ragamuffins and expect a reward from them? There are no such people among Christians: let them not be! Everything that we Christians do, we all do with Christ before our eyes and calling on His name. After all, He in His Gospel showed us the way of salvation, so that we, doing all alms and practicing every virtue, would do all this in His name and with His help (9). “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but your insides are full of robbery and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). As if He were saying this: why do you wash the body with water, but do not correct the shortcomings of the soul? I also dare to say, beloved, that there will be no benefit to a person from bodily washing if the purity of the body is not matched by the purity of his soul, if it is not accompanied by alms. Indeed, just as a vessel, washed both inside and outside, but not filled with drink, cannot quench the thirst of a thirsty person, just like a dish, so a person, even if he was completely clean both inside and outside, will not be acceptable to the Lord if he does not feed someone like himself. Therefore, the Lord added: “Better to give alms from what you have, then everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:41). What do you have, because rich offerings are not as pleasing to Him as unfeigned and sincere sacrifice. Do not be sad, poor man, that you have neither gold nor piles of silver; throw into the treasury what you have: and two mites justify. Remember the sacrifice of that widow who was justified more than the rich donors. After all, God, of course, does not monitor the weight of money, but tests his conscience. Alms cleanses the impurities of the soul and prepares blessings as a reward; almsgiving is an urgent need for the soul, almsgiving whitens souls, almsgiving is encouragement for the soul, the best weapon for it. Throw in gold and you get the Lord; give silver and receive sanctification; squander the honey - and with it you will lose the poison of sin (9). This is why our fathers placed the poor in front of the doors of houses of prayer, so that the mere sight of the poor could, even in the most careless and inhumane, awaken the memory of almsgiving. When a host of old men stand here, bent over, dressed in rags, withered, dirty, with sticks, barely able to hold on, often blind and mutilated all over, then who will be so stony as to resist this old age, infirmity, mutilation, poverty, pitiful clothing and, in general, everything that inclines him to compassion, and remain invulnerable to all this? That is why they stand in front of our doors, with their appearance, stronger than any word, inclining and calling those who enter to love humanity. Just as washbasins are usually placed in the entrances of houses of prayer, so that those who go to pray to God first wash their hands and then stretch them out to pray, so the poor fathers placed them in front of the doors, like fountains and washbasins, so that we, as we wash our hands with water, having first cleansed our souls with love for mankind, then proceed to prayer. Truly, water by its nature does not wash away the impurities of the body in the same way as alms by its power erases the impurities of the soul. Therefore, just as you do not dare to enter prayer with unwashed hands, although that is a lesser fault, so never enter prayer without alms. Moreover, often, even though we have clean hands, we do not stretch them out to pray without first washing them with water: this is a habit. We will do the same with alms. Even though we are not aware of any significant sin, we will nevertheless cleanse our conscience with alms. You acquired a lot of bad things for yourself at the market: the enemy upset you; the judge forced you to do something inappropriate; you spewed inappropriate words; a friend persuaded you to do something sinful, and you were guilty of many other things, which is easy for a person to be guilty of who moves in the marketplace, sits in courts of law, and participates in city affairs; in all this you come to ask God for forgiveness and protection. Throw silver into the hands of the poor and wipe away these impurities, so that you can boldly cry out to Him who can forgive your sins. If you make it a habit to never approach this sacred vestibule without alms, then, willingly or unwillingly, you will never omit this good deed: such is the habit. And just as you never - let's say this - allow yourself to pray with unwashed hands, because once and for all you have made it a habit, so in relation to alms, if you make it a law for yourself in the same way, then, willingly or unwillingly, you will fulfill it every day, prompted by habit. Prayer is fire, especially when it is sent by a sober and awake soul; but this fire also needs oil in order to reach the very vaults of heaven, and oil for this fire is nothing more than alms. Add this oil generously, so that, encouraged by a righteous deed, you can pray with greater boldness and greater zeal. Just as those who do not know anything good about themselves cannot pray with boldness, so those who have done something right and after a righteous deed begin to pray, encouraged by the memory of the good they have done, offer prayer with great zeal. Therefore, in order for our prayer to become stronger, thanks to the fact that our soul during prayer will be encouraged by the memory of good deeds, we will come to prayer with alms and carefully remember everything that was said; and above all else, keep in mind my comparison, by which I said that the poor, standing in front of the doors of houses of worship, serve the same purpose in relation to the soul as the laver does in relation to the body (9). There is nothing equal to almsgiving; or better: so great is the power of this virtue when it comes from pure treasuries! Just as what comes from unrighteous [acquisitions] is like a spring pouring out impurity, so [that comes] from righteous acquisitions is like a transparent and pure stream in the garden, pleasant to the eye, sweet to the taste, bringing freshness and coolness during the midday. Such is almsgiving! It is not poplars, pines or cypresses that grow from this source, but other, much better than these great plants: the love of God, praise from people, glory before God, favor from everyone, blotting out sins, great boldness, contempt of wealth, mercy, which feeds the tree of love. Usually nothing nourishes love as much as alms. She extends her branches high. She is a source better than heaven, not divided into four rivers (Gen. 2:10), but reaching to the very sky. She gives forth that water flowing into eternal life (John 4:14); death, having touched it, disappears like a spark in a source: so, wherever it flows, it produces great benefits! She extinguishes that fiery river like a spark; she destroys that worm like nothing; whoever has it will not recognize the gnashing of teeth (see Matt. 25:30). From its water, even a drop falls on the bonds, it breaks them; and if it falls in the furnace, it completely extinguishes them. Just as the source of paradise is not such that it sometimes pours out streams, sometimes it dries up - then it would not be a source - but flows constantly, so let our [source] always pour out very abundant streams, especially for those in need of alms, so that it remains a source. This brings joy to the recipient; this is almsgiving, when the flow is not only abundant, but also constant. If you want God’s mercy to rain on you as if from a source, then you too have a source. Nothing can compare to it. If you open this source, then the source of God will open so that it will surpass every abyss. God expects from us only an occasion to pour out good things from His treasuries. When [one] spends, when he spends, then he becomes rich, then he abounds. Great is the source of this source; its flow is pure and transparent. If you do not block it, then you will not [block] that [source of God]. Do not plant any fruitless tree near it, lest it consume its moisture. Do you have an estate? Don't plant poplars there; Such is luxury: it destroys a lot, but does not deliver anything, but [only] destroys the fruit. Do not plant pine, linden, or other similar trees, which require a lot, but are not useful for anything: such is luxury in clothing, only pleasing to the eye, but not useful for anything. Grow vines, plant all kinds of fruitful trees you want, in the hands of the poor. There is nothing more fruitful than this land. Although the capacity of the hand is not great, the tree planted here reaches to the very sky and stands firm. This is what it means to plant. And what is planted on earth, if not now, then in a hundred years will perish. Why do you plant trees that you will not use, but before you use them, death will come and snatch you away? And this tree, when you die, will then bear fruit for you. If you plant, do not plant it in an insatiable womb, lest the fruit be cast out; but plant it in a hungry belly, so that the fruit may reach heaven. Comfort the suffering soul of the poor, so that your fat one does not grieve. Do you not see how trees that are watered too much rot from the roots, but trees that are watered in moderation grow? So do not water your belly too much, lest the root of this tree rot; Give water to the thirsty womb so that it may bear fruit. What is watered in moderation does not rot from the sun, but what is watered immoderately does rot: this is the natural effect of the sun. Excessiveness is evil everywhere. Therefore, let us abstain from it, so that we too may receive what we ask for. The springs, they say, originate in very elevated places. Let us also become exalted in soul, and alms will immediately flow [from us]. It is impossible for an exalted soul not to be merciful, and for a merciful one not to be exalted. So, he who despises property is above the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). The springs are mostly found in deserts; and we will remove the soul from (worldly) vanity, and alms will flow from us. The more the sources are purified, the more abundant they become; so the more we distribute, the more good things will grow. He who has a source is free from fear; so we, if we have a source - alms, will not be afraid. And for drinking, and for irrigation, and for building buildings - this source is useful to us for everything. There is nothing better than such drinking: it does not produce intoxication. It is better to have such a source than sources that supply gold. The soul that wears this gold is better than any gold-bearing land. It accompanies us not to this kingdom, but to the one above. This gold serves as an adornment to the Church of God. From this gold the sword of the Spirit is made (see Eph. 6:17), the sword with which the serpent is cut. From this source come the precious stones that adorn the head of the King (see Rev. 4:3). Let us not neglect such wealth, but let us give alms generously, so that we may be worthy of God’s mercy (10). There is no sin that charity cannot cleanse, that alms cannot destroy; every sin is beneath it; it is a medicine suitable for any wound. What's worse than a publican? He is capable of all wickedness; but Zacchaeus cleansed all this wickedness (see Luke 19:8, 9). Look, how Christ also instills this by the fact that he established: “he had a money chest with him and carried what was put in there” (John 12:6). And Paul says: “only that we remember the poor” (Gal. 2:10). And everywhere in the Scriptures a lot is said about this subject. Thus, [the Wise One] says: “With his wealth a man ransoms his life” (Prov. 13:8). And Christ: “if you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor... and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). This truly is perfection. Almsgiving is done not only with money, but also with deeds. So, for example, you can petition, you can give a helping hand; Often in cases, petition helped even more than money. So, let us bring into action in this case all kinds of alms. Can you do it with money? Don't hesitate. Can you petition? Don't say you don't have money; it's nothing; and that means a lot, if you were so disposed as you would give money. Can you do me a favor? Do this too. For example: are you a doctor by title? Take care of the sick; and that means a lot. Can you give me some advice? This is by far the most important thing; The advice is better and higher than all, the greater the benefit it brings: you deliver them not from hunger, but from cruel death. The apostles were especially rich in them; therefore, they entrusted the distribution of money to the lower ones, while they themselves remained in the service of the word (see Acts 6:1–4). Or, do you think, will there be no great charity if a soul given over to despondency, in extreme danger, possessed by the flame [of passion], can be freed from this illness? For example, do you see a friend obsessed with the love of money? Show mercy to this man. Does he want to hang himself? Quench its flame. What if he doesn't listen? Do your job and don't be lazy. Do you see him bound with bonds (the love of money is truly a bond)? Come to him, visit him, comfort him, try to free him from his bonds. If he does not agree, he himself will be to blame (10). You might be interested in: