Once I happened to observe such a scene. In the church, a young girl was praying before the icon. When she had finished praying, a man came up to her, whose face showed that he had been drinking heavily for a long time; asked for alms. Without a moment's hesitation, the girl pulled out her purse and gave him all its poor contents.

"Don't you see who you give money to? He will immediately drink everything you have given!" an elderly woman standing nearby exclaimed reproachfully.

–So what? - The girl was surprised, - He asked, and I gave what I had...

It often seems to us that we are responsible for the fate of the grace given, but this is not the case. After all, the Lord "commandeth His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust" (Matt. 5:45).

"In all things, therefore, whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye also unto them," says the Lord (Matt. 7:12).

"To everyone who asks you, give..." (Luke 6:30).

Every! – without reasoning and exceptions! Only then will the commandment be fulfilled.

Fr. John left the house every day only with a decent bag of small coins, which he specially exchanged for his beggars. On this occasion, a very interesting incident from the life of Fr. John was broadcast in Kronstadt. This was at a time when his fame had already reached its full bloom.

Not far from the house where Fr. John lived, there was a petty trade of a certain Petrov. The priest came to this Petrov's shop every day and asked him to change the money for change, which he then collected in a linen bag and went to distribute to the poor. This went on for a long time, for several years in a row.

Shopkeeper Petrov was sometimes burdened by the daily exchange of money and was dissatisfied with the fact that whole crowds of beggars gathered near his shop, waiting for the "father" to come out. Beggars are not buyers and only interfered with real buyers. Petrov's trade, despite this, was very brisk; he attributed this to the proximity of hospices.

Once, as usual, Fr. John entered Petrov's shop in the morning and asked to change 20 rubles for change. There were many customers in the shop at that time. The shopkeeper needed the change for himself, he was indignant at Fr. John in his heart for forcing him to count nickels and pennies for half an hour, and thought: "You should go somewhere else with your change!"

The priest, as if guessing the shopkeeper's thoughts, looked at him reproachfully, but did not say a word.