«Если ты просишь Его с милостыней, то Он благоволит к тебе; если просишь Его с милостыней, то даешь Ему взаем и получишь прибыток. Так внушаю вам: не за воздеяние рук можно быть услышанным; прости­рай руки свои не к небу, а к рукам бедных. Если ты будешь простирать руки к рукам бедных, то достигнешь самой высоты неба; а если станешь, воздевать руки без плода, то не получишь никакой пользы. Скажи мне: если бы пришел к тебе царь в порфире и стал просить тебя, то не отдал ли бы ты ему охотно всего имущества? Ныне же просит тебя устами бедных Царь не земной, а Небесный, и ты стоишь, не обращая на Него внимания, и откладываешь подаяние. Какого ты достоин за это наказания? Подлин­но, не за воздеяние рук и не за множество слов, но за дела можно быть услышанным»[812]. «Будем искать тех добродетелей, которые и для нас са­мих спасительны, и для ближнего полезны. Таковы милостыня и молит­ва; впрочем, молитва сама заимствует свою силу и воскрыляется от мило­стыни. Молитва твоя, сказано, и милостыни твои взыдоша на память пред Бога[813]. И не только молитва, но и пост так же от милостыни заимствует свою твердость. Если ты постился без милостыни, то пост твой не есть пост, и такой человек хуже обжоры и пьяницы... Но что я говорю — пост? Хотя бы ты был непорочен, хотя бы соблюдал девственность, но если не творишь милостыни, будешь вне брачного чертога... Тот, кто не творит милостыни, непременно должен погибнуть»[814]. И милостыня не только яв­ляется условием богоугодности наших молитв и обращений к Богу, но сама обладает великой благодатной силой, приближающей нас к Богу и очи­щающей грехи. «Будем, — увещает св. отец, — всячески стараться очи­стить себя от скверны. Очищается же она, во-первых, крещением, а потом и другими многообразными средствами. Бог по своему человеколюбию да­ровал нам разнообразные средства к очищению и после крещения. Первое из этих всех средств — милостыня, так как сказано: милостынями и ве­рой очищаются грехи»[815]. И св. Иоанн Златоуст постоянно говорит своим слушателям о том, что милостыня «очищает грехи»[816], «уничтожает грехи наши»[817]. «Достаточно отдать, — по учению св. отца, — серебро в руки бедных, и все грехи тотчас омоются без боли и труда... Ты даешь серебро, а получаешь отпущение грехов... Расход состоит в деньгах, а прибыток... и в отпущении грехов, в дерзновении перед Богом, в Царстве Небесном, и в наслаждении благами, ихже око не виде, и ухо не слыша, и на сердце человеку не взыдоша»[818]. Св. Иоанн положительно утверждает, что бла­годатные средства спасения имеют вечное значение для души человека, очищая ее для будущей жизни; так, подобное же значение усваивает он и милостыне, считая ее необходимым условием вступления в Царство Не­бесное. «Будем прилагать великое усердие к милостыне, — поучает св. отец, — потому что иначе невозможно достигнуть Царства Небесного... Всей душой и всеми силами будем подливать елея в светильники, чтобы свет всегда был ясный и обильный»[819]. Милостыня — это единственный путь приобрести себе друзей и заступников для будущей жизни: «будем творить милостыню, пока это в нашей власти; это и значит — творить други от маммоны; будем расточать богатство на бедных, чтобы погасить необъятный огонь, чтобы там иметь дерзновение»[820]. «Милостыня создает вечные жилища на небесах, поучает почитателей своих избегать вечной смерти; она дарует тебе сокровища неистощимые, которые не могут потер­петь вреда ни от воров, ни от червей, ни от тления, ни от времени. Если бы кто-нибудь научил тебя сберегать только хлеб, то чего бы ты ни дал, чтобы научиться сохранять его без вреда в продолжение нескольких лет. Но вот, благотворительность научает тебя безвредно сберегать не только хлеб, но и все: и имущество, и душу, и тело. Но что подробно перечислять все выгоды, доставляемые этим искусством? Оно учит тебя тому, как мо­жешь ты уподобиться Богу, а это есть первое из всех благ. Теперь видишь ли, что милосердие совершает не одно только действие, но многие? Не требуя помощи от других искусств, оно созидает дома, приготовляет оде­жды, доставляет неиждиваемые сокровища, делает победителями смерти, одолевает диавола, уподобляет Богу. Итак, что может быть полезнее это­го искусства? Кроме того, другие искусства оканчиваются вместе с на­стоящей жизнью, не действуют во время болезни художников и имеют действия преходящие, требуют труда и многого времени и других бесчи­сленных принадлежностей. А милостыня по окончании мира еще яснее открывается, по смерти человека наиболее просиявает и обнаруживает свои действия, и не требует ни времени, ни труда, ни чего-либо трудного. Она действует и во время болезни твоей, и в старости, сопутствует тебе в жизнь будущую и никогда тебя не оставляет. Она делает тебя сильнее мудрецов и ораторов; люди, знаменитые по своей мудрости и ораторству, имеют у себя многих завистников, а за тех, которые прославили себя ми­лосердием, бесчисленное множество людей приносят молитвы. Те пред­стоят перед судом человеческим, защищая обиженных, а часто и обижа­ющих; а милостыня предстоит перед судом Христа и не только защищает, но и самого Судию преклоняет защищать подсудимого и произнести мило­стивый приговор о нем. Хотя бы он был виновен в бесчисленных согреше­ниях, она венчает его и провозглашает его победителем; дадите, сказано, милостыню и вся чиста будут[821]. И что я говорю о будущей жизни? И в настоящей спросите кого угодно из людей, чего они желают более: того ли, чтобы между ними было много мудрецов и ораторов или людей мило­сердных и человеколюбивых? И вы услышите, что они изберут последнее. И весьма справедливо. От уничтожения красноречия жизнь нисколько не потерпит вреда: она и до него долгое время существовала. Но если унич­тожится милосердие, то все погибнет и истребится. Как на море нельзя плыть далее берегов, так и земная жизнь не может стоят без милосердия, снисхождения и человеколюбия»[822].

Мы пока не приводили длинного ряда выдержек из бесед святителя, где он прославляет милостыню и усваивает ей значение величайшей до­бродетели, но отметили лишь в общих чертах его взгляд на значение мило­стыни в христианской жизни. Теперь же обращаемся к более детальному выяснению вопроса о том значении, какое усваивал св. Иоанн милостыне, и в этом случае главное внимание мы должны обратить на те основы, на которых святитель утверждает религиозно-нравственную ценность ми­лостыни, делающую ее нравственным долгом для каждого христианина. И так как вопрос о таких основах в изложении самого св. отца нередко неразрывно сливается с речью о побуждениях к милостыне, то и мы не бу­дем разрывать живого целого в учении святителя, но изложим его взгляд на основания долга творить милостыню и побуждения к ней во взаимной связи.

Когда нами излагалось учение св. Иоанна Златоуста о собственности и о христианском отношении к богатству, то был отмечен его основной взгляд на причины имущественного неравенства людей: причина эта — в недостатке взаимной братской любви; и путь к уничтожению нищеты среди человечества — путь братского общения имуществ. Идеал отноше­ния к своему имуществу — все сразу отдать; верх неправды — никому своего не давать, а срединный путь — щедрая милостыня, которая, впро­чем, сама собой приведет человека к раздаче всего своего[823]. Милостыня, таким образом, оказывается общеобязательным путем к уврачеванию страданий человечества от имущественного неравенства. Сам Бог, по мысли св. отца, допустил такое неравенство, именно ради милостыни, чтобы через нее люди могли «заслужить венцы и похвалы»[824]. Бог, как верховный собственник всего, призывает человека быть Его доверенным распорядителем на земле и ожидает от нас верного управления вверенным нам достоянием. И такое верное управление осуществляется через урав­нение людей в пользовании Божественными дарами, когда имущий разде­ляет то, чем владеет, между неимущими. Все это уже было подробно рас­крыто нами ранее при изложении учения св. Иоанна, и это должно теперь сделать для нас ясным, на каких основаниях утверждает св. Иоанн долг творить милостыню. Первое такое основание — воля Божия, Божест­венная заповедь людям, которая поставляет милостыню и вообще дела милосердия на первое место среди наших добродетелей. Поэтому, когда человек творит милостыню, то он как бы непосредственно служит Богу, исполняет повеления своего Господина; давая деньги бедным, человек как бы возвращает Богу данное им и, являясь в этом случае «верным домо­правителем», имеет дерзновение ожидать награды от Бога и прощения своих грехов. Данные для такого утверждения долга творить милостыню св. Иоанн находит в свидетельствах как новозаветного, так и ветхозавет­ного Откровения. Для христиан же эта Божественная заповедь получает новый смысл и освещение в лице и учении Христа Спасителя. Оказывая благодеяние неимущему, человек не только благотворит ради Бога и по Его заповеди, но оказывает милость и любовь Самому Христу, Кото­рый в образе нищих приходит к нам, прося помощи и сострадания. Эта собственно христианская точка зрения занимает в уяснении св. Иоанном религиозной основы долга творить милостыню центральное положение и раскрывается св. отцом с поражающей яркостью образов и силой вы­ражения.

Таковы религиозные основания долга для верующих творить мило­стыню. Неразрывно с ними мыслятся св. отцом и гуманные основания. Если любовь к Богу неотделима от любви к ближним, и воля Божия всегда есть высшее благо для человека, то несомненно, что и воля Божия относительно долга творить милостыню утверждается на любви Боже­ственной к людям, имеет в виду их благо и спасение, отвечает запросам души и лучшим стремлениям нашей воли. И св. Иоанн дает всестороннее уяснение собственно гуманных основ долга творить милостыню. Первое основание такого рода — это естественное чувство любви и сострада­ния к себе подобному нуждающемуся брату. И этот голос сердца утвер­ждается и голосом разума: разум говорит, что нет правды в том, когда один терпит скорбь от лишения, а другой живет в излишнем довольстве, и указывает путь к правде в щедрой милостыне, как избавлении от не­взгод бедности.

Таковы, на наш взгляд, основания долга творить милостыню в систе­ме этических воззрений св. Иоанна Златоуста. Теперь мы и переходим к уяснению этих оснований, начиная речь свою с оснований собственно религиозных.

Милостыня — долг христианина, прежде всего, потому, что она запо­ведана Богом. «Бог, — говорит св. Иоанн, — много печется об оказании милосердия... Он и в Ветхом и Новом Завете дает множество законов об этом, повелевая быть милосердным всячески: и словами, и деньгами, и делами. Моисей весьма часто говорит об этом в своих узаконениях; пророки от лица Божия вопиют: «милости хощу, а не жертвы»; и апо­столы все, согласно с ними, и делают и говорят». «Сам Бог так печется об этом, что, когда Он пришел, и облекся плотью, и жил с бедными, то не отрекся и не почел за стыд Самому заботиться о бедных... но пове­лел ученикам Своим иметь ящик, носить, что туда опускали, и из этих денег помогать бедным»[825]. Благотворящий бедному поэтому уподобля­ется Самому Богу, «насколько возможно человеку сделаться подобным Богу»[826]. «Человеколюбивый Бог, — поучает святитель, — для того дал тебе много... чтобы, по апостольскому увещанию, твой избыток воспол­нял недостатки других[827]. Какое будем иметь оправдание или извинение мы, которые не хотим ради данной от Бога заповеди, ради вечной и нескон­чаемой славы пожертвовать малейшую часть... Какими глазами мы будем смотреть на Судию, пренебрегая столь легкую заповедь?»[828]. Тяжкого ли или обременительного чего-нибудь требует от нас Господь? Он хочет, что­бы мы избыток сверх необходимого сделали для себя пригодным, чтобы мы сами хорошо распределили то, что понапрасну и без нужды лежит в на­ших кладовых, дабы это послужило для Него поводом к дарованию нам светлого венца. Он поспешает Сам, и понуждает нас, и направляет к тому, чтобы удостоить нас обещанных Им Самим благ... Зная, что Ему угодно, что приятно, то и будем делать»[829]. Бог есть «первый Учитель милостыни» и Сам ее постоянно нам оказывает»[830]. Без милостыни... все нечисто, все бесполезно; без нее теряется большая часть добродетели. Не любяй брата своего, говорит апостол, не позна Бога. Как же ты любишь его, если не хочешь поделиться с ним чем-нибудь из этих малых и ничтожных благ?... Милосердие и сострадательность — вот, чем мы можем уподобиться Богу, а когда мы не имеем этого, то не имеем ничего. Не сказал Господь: если будете поститься, то будете подобны Отцу вашему; не сказал: если станете соблюдать девство или если станете молиться, то будете подобны Отцу вашему... Но что: будите милосерди, говорит, якоже Отец ваш, иже на небесех! Это — дело Божие. Если же ты не имеешь этого, то что же имеешь?»[831].

Итак, творить милостыню — долг христианина потому, что это — запо­ведь Божия, Его воля. Исполнять волю Божию само по себе есть величай­шее благо для верующего, такой священный долг его, что, «если за такое дело (угодное Богу) надлежало впасть в геенну, то и тогда следовало бы... с великой готовностью приниматься за делание добра»[832]. «Всякое доброе дело надо делать, имея в виду не Царство, а волю Божию, которая больше всякого Царства»[833].

Thus, St. John Chrysostom affirms the absolute binding significance for the conscience of believers of the will of God. But the Holy Father in general never dwells only on such a principled point of view, but is always inseparably supported by the thought of the great blessings of alms for the benefactor himself. And this is both in view of the weakness of people and in view of the true nature of the very will of God. "Virtue is harsh, but let us imagine it clothed in the greatness of future promises. People with an exalted soul find it beautiful even without this, in itself, and therefore strive for it, live virtuously not for the sake of rewards, but to please God... for God has commanded so. But if anyone is weaker, let him imagine the rewards. Let us act in the same way in relation to almsgiving... If covetousness seems pleasant to you, think that Christ does not deign to do so, and it will immediately seem disgusting to you. Again, if it is difficult for you to give to a beggar, then do not stop at the cost, but immediately imagine the harvest from this sowing" [834]. Therefore, although the thought of reward is evidence of a certain spiritual imperfection, it is not in contradiction with the will of God, as having our good in mind. This is the case in general, and more specifically in relation to almsgiving: "God has prescribed the commandment to give alms not so much for the poor as for the givers themselves"[835]. It is precisely this idea that is emphasized with special force by the preacher and is in his teaching a kind of second basis for the duty to do almsgiving and at the same time an incentive to do it. Constantly complaining about the hardness of heart of his listeners, St. John, in their most spiritual mood, was prompted to converse with them as if they were "imperfect" and to emphasize especially that aspect of the duty to give alms, according to which the fulfillment of this duty leads to great reward and heavenly crowns. Already in the second chapter we had occasion to make a remark about the staging of the speech about the heavenly reward for almsgiving, which may give rise to accusing the preaching of St. John Chrysostom of a utilitarian character. Now we see more clearly that St. John himself clearly defined the comparative dignity of the motives to give alms, and attributed the thought of reward to the inferior. In his discourses, the discussion of rewards for alms does not occupy the first place – as it seems to us, St. John most forcefully puts forward the idea of the Lord Jesus Christ as the basis of the Christian duty to give alms – but, undoubtedly, very often the preacher turns to the speech about the "profitability" of almsgiving, having in mind the mood of his flock. Here, for example, is how the Holy Father himself defines the motives to do almsgiving, namely, four motives: "the dignity of the one who asks — because the one who asks is the Master; the need of need, because He hungers; the ease of almsgiving, because He asks to be nourished, and demands only bread, and not luxury; and the greatness of the gift, because for this little He promises the Kingdom. Are you inhuman, cruel and unmerciful? Be ashamed, he says, of the merits of Him who asks. But are you not ashamed of His dignity? Be moved by misfortune. But misfortune does not bend you to mercy? Submit according to the ease of the petition. But neither dignity, nor the need for what is necessary, nor the convenience of alms can convince you? Give to the needy for the sake of the greatness of the blessings promised for it"[836]. As we see, the last impulse is precisely the thought of heavenly reward. "Let us not think," says the Holy Father later in the same discourse, "that our possessions diminish when we give alms. It does not decrease, but increases; it is not consumed, but multiplied; what is happening is a kind of turnover and sowing, or, better, it is more profitable and safer than both. Trade is subject to winds, sea waves, and many shipwrecks, and seeds to droughts, torrential rains, and other irregularities in the air. Money, however, thrown into the hands of Christ, is above any plan. No one can snatch from the hands of him who has once taken it; but it remains there, producing many and ineffable fruits and bringing us in due time a rich harvest" [837]. And such thoughts are repeated many times by St. John. "Consider almsgiving," he urges, "not as an expense, but as a gain, not as a loss, but as an acquisition, because through it you receive more than you give. You give bread, but you receive eternal life; you give clothes, but you receive the garment of immortality; you give shelter under your roof, and you receive the Kingdom of Heaven; you give goods that perish, but you receive goods that constantly remain" [838]. Life, from this point of view, appears to the Holy Father as a market place in which the goods of the future life are bought. "Now," says the saint, "the marketplace of alms has been opened: we see captives and beggars... we see those who cry out, we see those who weep, we see those who groan; the wondrous marketplace belongs to us... Buy an excuse at a low price, so that you can sell it for a high price later, if only the recompense can be called a resale. Here justification is bought at an inexpensive price: a worthless piece of bread, cheap clothes, a cup of cold water... And so, as long as virtues lie before us, which can be acquired at an inexpensive price, let us take them, admire them, and buy them from the Great-Bountiful... As long as bargaining is to come, let us buy alms, or rather, by alms we will buy salvation... Have mercy on the poor, he lends to God. Let us lend alms to God in order to receive from Him a merciful recompense. Oh, how wise this saying is... The Scriptures knew our covetousness, and noticed that our covetousness, nourished by covetousness, seeks excess; for this reason it did not say simply: "Have mercy on the poor gives to God," so that you would not think that it is a matter of a simple recompense; but it is said: "Have mercy on the poor to lend to God." If God borrows from us, then He is already our debtor. And so, what do you want to have Him: a judge or a debtor? The debtor honors the giver... Since God knew that the poor man was in danger because of his poverty, and that he who had money was in danger because of his hardness of heart, He made Himself a mediator: He became a surety for the poor man, and a pledge for the lender. "You do not believe," He says, "the poor man because of his poverty, believe Me for My riches... Be trustworthy, he says: You lend me money." What then shall I gain if I lend to Thee? Truly, the most advanced thing is to demand an account from God. However, following your iniquity, and wishing to overcome your cruelty with mercy, let us examine this also, what benefit do you receive when you lend to others? Do you not seek one for a hundred, if you seek lawful interest?... But I reward your passion for covetousness with great... You seek a hundred times less, but I give you a hundred times more... When the Son of man sits on the throne of His glory and sets the sheep at His right hand... And saith unto them that are at His right hand, Come ye in the blessing of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For what? Because I hungered, and gave Me food; I am thirsty, and I will be drunk; I was naked, and I was clothed; in prison, come to Me; if you are sick, you will visit Me; was strange — and brought Me in... And this, mind you, is surprising: He does not mention any other virtue except the works of almsgiving... but he is silent about this, not because it is unworthy of mention, but because these virtues are inferior to charity... Therefore I reproach hardness of heart as the root of evil and all wickedness; I praise mercy as the root of all blessings; and to some I threaten with eternal fire, and to others I promise the Kingdom of Heaven. Good are Thy promises, O Lord, beautiful is Thy expected Kingdom, and equally useful is the Gehenna which Thou threatenest; one because it encourages us, the other because it frightens us... God threatens vengeance so that we may avoid real vengeance; frightens with words, so as not to punish with deeds itself"[839].

And the comparison of alms with the purchase of heavenly blessings, as well as with a loan to God, is very common in St. John. The same meaning has the comparison of alms with sowing, also beloved by St. John, with the acquisition of friends in heaven, etc., comparisons that have their prototype in revealed teaching. "That is why alms are called sowing," says the saint, for example, "because it is not an expense, but a profit; You, when you begin to sow crops, do not pay attention to the fact that you are using up a stock of former products, but have in mind the still non-existent harvest of future products, and moreover you do not know that everything will be in your favor... Knowing this, therefore, let us look to almsgiving, not for expenditure, but for gain, and for future hopes, and even for present gain, because alms bring not only the Kingdom of Heaven, but also security and abundance in the present life. Who said that? He Himself Who has the power to do this. He who gives out of his possessions to the poor, He said, will receive a hundredfold in this world, and will inherit eternal life. Do you see the recompenses given with great abundance in both lives? Let us not tarry and evade, but every day let us bring forth the fruits of almsgiving, so that our present affairs may flow well, and that we may attain to the life to come." "While there is still time, we will sow to reap. When winter comes, when it is no longer possible to sail on the sea, then this purchase will no longer be in our power. And when will winter come? Then, when that great and glorious day comes... Now is the time of sowing, and then it is the time of harvesting and gathering. If a man did not cast seed at the time of sowing, but sowed at the time of harvest, he would be ridiculed besides receiving nothing. If the present time is the time of sowing, then now it is not necessary to gather, but to scatter. Let us squander in order to gather... Let us not lose the opportune time, but let us make abundant sowing and spare nothing of our own, in order to receive it back with great recompense." "Sow scarcity, scarcity, and he will reap. So, what are you stingy? Is sowing a waste, a loss? No! These are income and profit. Where there is sowing, there is the harvest; where there is sowing, there is growth. When you cultivate rich and soft land, which can absorb many seeds, you sow it with all your seeds, and borrow more from others, because you consider miserliness a loss in this case. And when it is necessary to cultivate the heavens, which are not subject to any change in the air, and all that is entrusted to it will undoubtedly increase with great increase, you are lazy, delayed, and do not think that by saving you lose, and by squandering you gain. Therefore, this one, that he may not lose it; do not take care in order to preserve; scatter to preserve; spend to acquire. Even if it is necessary to save something, do not take care of it, because you will certainly destroy it, but entrust it to God, from Whom no one will steal. Do not trade yourself, because you do not know how to make a profit; but lend the greater part of the capital to Him Who gives growth, lend to Him where there is no envy, slander, deceit, or fear; lend to Him Who himself needs nothing... Lend to the place from which you will receive not death, but life instead of death. For such growth alone you can gain for yourself the Kingdom, and for every other you will receive hell."

Thus, the two foundations of the duty to give alms are already clearly visible: the will of God, which requires of us a compassionate attitude towards the poor, and our eternal good, inseparably linked with the fulfillment of this Divine will. But, as we have said, St. John most vividly and convincingly substantiates the duty of every Christian to give alms and encourages us to do so on the basis of our love for Christ the Savior. In His person, it is precisely in His person that the saint points to the spiritual center of Christian life, from which all Christian virtues, and, in particular, almsgiving, proceed: "Not only in the distribution of alms, but also in every virtue," says St. John, "think not about the severity of your labors, but about the sweetness of rewards, and first of all keep in mind our Lord Jesus, for Whom you undertake this or that feat, and you will easily go out on podvigs and spend all the time of your life in joy"[843]. At the same time, just as the fulfillment of God's will is inseparably united with the true good of the believer, so service to Christ leads to eternal bliss. But the center of gravity is not so much in the reward for serving Christ, as in the living consciousness of the duty of grateful love for Christ, which is necessarily manifested in mercy to the poor. "Let us try," the preacher implores, "to love Christ. Christ, according to His own saying,[844] demands nothing more of you than to love Him with all His heart and to fulfill His commandments. Whoever loves Him as one ought to love, of course, already tries to keep His commandments; because if someone is sincerely disposed towards someone, he tries to do everything that can attract the love of his beloved. Thus, if we truly love the Lord, we will also fulfill His commandments, and will not do anything that can irritate the Beloved. To be worthy to love Him sincerely and properly is the Kingdom of Heaven, it is the tasting of riches, in this the blessings are innumerable. And our love for Him will be sincere when, out of love for Him, we also show love to our neighbors... Whoever loves God will not despise his brother, will not prefer riches to his fellow-member, but will do him every good, remembering Him Who said: "He who created one of these my least brethren, do it to Me." Thinking that the Lord Himself assimilates to Himself the services rendered to his neighbor, he will do everything with great diligence, he will show in mercy all his generosity, looking not at the poverty of the person who comes to him, but at the greatness of Him Who promises to assimilate to Himself what is done for the poor." The speech of the Holy Father sounds with special expressiveness and touching when he seems to identify the poor and their ordinary speeches with the face and words of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Paul endured everything truly for Christ," says the saint in one of his discourses, "not for the sake of the Kingdom, not for honor, but out of love for Christ. And neither Christ nor all the things of Christ distract us from the affairs of life, but like snakes, like vipers, or pigs, or like all these together, we grovel in the mud. In what way are we better than these animals, when, having so many and great examples, we still look down and cannot even look at the sky a little? God gave up the Son for you, and you do not give bread to Him, who was betrayed for you, who was killed for you. The Father did not spare Him for you, did not spare His true Son, and you do not pay attention to Him when He is starving, and moreover preparing to squander His property and squander it for yourself. What could be worse than such iniquity? For your sake he is betrayed, for your sake he is slain, for your sake he wanders, enduring thirst, you give of His own possessions in order to benefit from it, but in spite of this, you give nothing. Are not those more senseless than any stone who, under so many motivating circumstances, remain in such diabolical cruelty? Christ did not limit Himself only to death and the cross, but deigned to become a beggar, a wanderer, homeless, naked, to be imprisoned, to endure sickness, in order to attract you to Himself. "If you do not repay Me for suffering for you," He says, "then have compassion on Me for the sake of poverty. If thou wilt not have pity on poverty, be moved by My sickness, have compassion for the sake of bondage; but if this does not incline you to philanthropy, pay attention to the ease of the request. I ask for nothing dear, but bread, shelter, and a word of consolation. And if you remain cruel even after this, then become kinder, at least for the sake of the Kingdom, for the sake of the rewards that I promised you. But they don't matter to you either? So incline with pity at least to nature itself, seeing Me naked, and remember the nakedness that I endured for you on the cross. And if you do not want to remember it, imagine the nakedness that I endure in the face of the poor. And then I needed for you, and now I need for you, that you, moved by one or the other, should want to show some mercy; for thee I fasted, and again for thee I endure hunger, thirsty, hanging on the cross, thirsty in the face of the poor, if only in one way or another to draw thee unto Me and for thy own salvation to make thee a lover of mankind. Therefore, although you owe Me a reward for innumerable blessings, I do not ask you as a debtor, but crown you as a gift, and for this little I give you the Kingdom. I do not say, "Deliver me from poverty, or give me riches," although it is for you that I have become poor; but I ask only bread, clothing, a little comfort in hunger. When I am in prison, I do not compel Me to be stripped of my chains and brought out of prison, but I seek only one thing: that you should visit those who are bound for you, and this I take as a great mercy, and for this alone I give you heaven. Though I have delivered you from the heaviest bonds, yet it is enough for Me if you want to see Me bound. Of course, I can crown you without this, but I want to be your debtor, so that the crown may bring you some boldness. And therefore, having the opportunity to nourish Myself, I walk and ask, I stand at your door and stretch out my hand. It is from you that I desire to receive sustenance, because I love you very much, I long for your meal, as it happens with friends, and I boast about it in the face of the whole universe, I constantly proclaim you in the ears of all, and show everyone My provider. When we eat at someone's, we are ashamed of it and usually hide it, but Christ, who loves us dearly, even though we are silent, tells everyone about what happened with much praise and is not ashamed to say that we clothed Him when He was naked, fed Him when He was hungry. Having pondered all this, let us not stop at praise alone, but let us put our words into practice." "It is not so much that the lender rejoices in having debtors, as Christ rejoices in having creditors; to whom He owes nothing, He flees from them, and to whom He owes, He flows to them. Therefore, let us do everything to have Him as our debtor; Now is the most convenient time to lend, now comes the need. If you do not give it to Him now, then after His departure from here He will no longer have need of you. Here He thirsts, here He hungers; but he thirsts because he thirsts for your salvation; for this reason He asks, and therefore He walks naked, preparing for you immortal life. Therefore, do not despise Him: He does not want to be nourished, but to feed you, not to clothe Himself, but to clothe you, and to prepare for you that golden robe, the royal garment. Have you not seen that the most solicitous physicians, when they wash the sick, also wash themselves, although it is not necessary for them? In the same way, Christ does everything for you, who are sick. That is why He does not demand of you by force in order to give you a great reward, so that you may understand that He does not demand for His need, but for the correction of your need. For this reason He comes to you in poor garments, stretching out His right hand, and does not disdain if you give the smallest coin, does not depart if you reproach, but comes to you again, because He desires, greatly desires our salvation. Therefore, let us despise possessions, so that we also may not be despised by Christ; let us despise riches in order to acquire them. If we take care of it here, we will undoubtedly destroy it here and there, and if we distribute it with much generosity, then in both lives we will enjoy great prosperity. Therefore, let him who wishes to become rich become a beggar in order to be rich: let him spend in order to gather, and scatter in order to unite" [847]. Inattention to a brother in need, refusal to help the poor, is, from the point of view of St. John, an expression of ingratitude to Christ, a renunciation of His love. "If," says the saint, for example, "at Christ's entry into Jerusalem, some covered with their garments the donkey on which He was sitting, and others spread their garments under its feet, then shall we, who are commanded not only to take off our garments, but also to exhaust all that is ours for the sake of others, not show any generosity when we see Him naked? There the people in front and behind accompanied Him, why do we send Him away, even drive Him away with insult, when He Himself comes to us? What punishment this deserves, what vengeance! A needy Lord comes to you, and you do not want to listen to his requests, but still condemn and blaspheme Him, hearing such words of His" [848]. "He hungers gladly to feed you; He wanders in nakedness, in order to give you the opportunity to receive the garment of incorruption. But in spite of this, you do not give anything of your possessions. Your clothes are either moth-eaten, or they are a burden for the chests and an unnecessary concern for the owners; and He who gave both this and all the rest, wanders naked"[849]. "Let us clothe Him here, that He also may not leave us naked without His covering. If we give Him to drink here, we will not say, like the rich, "Send Lazarus, that he may wet the end of his finger and wet our scorched tongue." If we also receive Him here into our homes, then He will prepare many mansions for us there. If we come to Him in prison, He will also free us from bondage. If we bring Him to us as a stranger, He will not leave us to wander outside the Kingdom of Heaven, but will reward the heavenly city for this. Therefore, receiving much, even when we give a little, let us give at least a little in order to gain much." "Let us be ashamed of His love, let us be ashamed of His boundless love for mankind," exhorts the Holy Father. "He did not spare even the Only-begotten Son for us, and we save money for our own evil. He gave up His true Son for us; but we do not want to give even silver for His sake, or even for our own sake. How can we receive forgiveness for this? If we see a man exposed to danger and death for us, we prefer him to all others, we count him among our first friends, we give him all that is ours; we say that this belongs to him more than to us, and yet we do not think that we have repaid him in a worthy manner. And we have no gratitude to Christ even in this measure. He laid down His life for us; He shed His precious blood for us, for us who are ungrateful, unkind; but we do not squander money for our own benefit, but despise Him in nakedness and wandering, Him Who died for us.

Whoever first does good reveals manifest goodness in himself, and whoever has received a good deed, no matter how much he repays it, gives only what is due and does not deserve gratitude, especially when he who has begun to do good does good to his enemies... But even this does not move us, we are so ungrateful that we clothe slaves, mules, and horses in golden headdresses, but we despise the Lord, wandering in nakedness, passing from door to door, standing at the crossroads and stretching out his hands to us, and often look at Him with stern eyes" [852]. And in his personification of the attitude towards the poor with the relation to Christ the Saviour, St. John Chrysostom reaches the highest limit, when he characterizes hardness of heart towards the needy as the betrayal of Christ, and considers alms as the greatest sacrifice offered on the most holy altar – the Body of Christ. "Do you want to see," asks the Holy Father, "the altar of the Merciful? It was not Bezalel who built it, nor anyone else, but God Himself; not of stones, but of matter that is lighter than the sky itself — of rational souls... This altar is made of the very members of Christ; and the Body of the Lord Himself serves you as an altar. Revere Him: on the Lord's Body you make a sacrifice. This altar is more terrible than the new, and not only the ancient altar. However, do not be embarrassed. This altar is wonderful because of the sacrifice offered on it, and this one (the altar of the merciful) is wonderful also because it is built from the very sacrifice that sanctifies it. This (altar) is wondrous because, being by nature a stone, it becomes holy, since it receives the Body of Christ; but he is wondrous because he himself is the Body of Christ. Thus, more terrible than this altar is the one before which you, a layman, stand. What will Aaron be for you in comparison? What is the Kidar? What are the bells? What is the holy of holies? And is it necessary to compare (the altar of mercy) with the ancient altar, when it turns out to be so brilliant in comparison with this (New Testament) altar? And yet you revere this altar, because it receives the Body of Christ, and you despise the altar, which is the very Body of Christ, and do not pay attention when it is destroyed. You can see such an altar everywhere, both in the streets and in the squares, and you can offer sacrifice on it every hour, because here too the sacrifice is consecrated."

Up to now we have expounded the view of St. John Chrysostom on the religious foundations of the obligation of Christians to give alms. This aspect is revealed by the Holy Father in more detail than the basis of the duty to give alms of a properly humane nature, and it is precisely this view of alms that determines the great importance that St. John attaches to it, which has already been noted. But even the humane motives for almsgiving, and at the same time the grounds for its obligation, do not remain in the shadows in the conversations of the saint. These humane foundations are indicated by the saint of two main kinds: first, almsgiving is a duty for a person, because everyone who has and does not give to the needy is a predator and an offender, since the ideal of the organization of human coexistence is the material equality of all, or, in any case, the satisfaction of urgent needs. This first foundation is an expression of the principle of truth. The second basis for the duty to give alms consists, according to the Holy Father, in the natural compassion of man, thanks to which no person who has not lost his human form can be indifferent to the grief and need of his brothers, but is impelled by love to help them and in this to find consolation for his sorrow from the sight of suffering.

It does not seem necessary for us to dwell in detail on the disclosure of the first foundation, because in expounding St. John's teaching on property, we saw that he considered the refusal to give alms to be a form of predation. "Not to give away from one's property," the saint reasoned, "is the same as theft... Therefore, when we do not give alms, we will be punished on a par with the kidnappers." The Holy Father's thoughts about compassion and the natural feeling of love for one's own kind as an incentive to give alms should be dwelt upon in more detail.

St. St. John very definitely points out that God's commandment about mercy in general and about alms in particular is not something external and alien to man, but finds a native source in our heart, nourished by which, it becomes our internal possession, and the fulfillment of the commandment becomes a need of the heart. "God has not only left it to reason," says St. John, for example, "to impel us to charity, but in many cases He has granted our very nature the power to incline us to the latter. Thus fathers and mothers show mercy to children, and children to parents; and this happens not only with people, but also with all dumb people. Thus brother shows mercy to brother, relative to relative, neighbor to neighbor, man to man. By our very nature, we have a certain inclination to mercy. That is why we grieve for those who are offended, we get sick when we look at those who are killed, we weep when we look at those who weep. God is very desirous that we should perform works of mercy, and therefore He commanded nature to urge us to them more strongly, showing that mercy is very pleasing to Him. Therefore, thinking about this, let us go ourselves and lead our children and neighbors to the school of mercy. Man must learn mercy above all else, because it is this that makes him a man. A man and a dear man are great things, do mercy[856]. Whoever does not have mercy ceases to be a man... And why do you wonder that mercy is the distinguishing mark of humanity? It is a sign of the Godhead. Be merciful, it is said, as your Father. So, for all these reasons, let us learn to be merciful... and let us not even consider as life the time spent without mercy. I speak of mercy, which is devoid of all covetousness"[857]. And constantly in his discourses St. John emphasizes the idea that alms should be "out of compassion"[858], be an expression of love[859], and most importantly, in his unceasing motives for almsgiving, the Holy Father always strives to affect the feelings of his listeners, to evoke their compassion for those in need. It is enough to recall how touchingly St. John depicted the sufferings of Lazarus in the Lord's parable[860] or the misfortune of the beggars of the saint's time, on whose behalf the preacher himself claims to be empowered[861], to see the saint's faith in the responsiveness of the human heart to the sight of suffering and poverty. That is why St. John so ardently denounces luxury in the life of Christians, seeing in it a direct desecration of the natural feeling of compassionate love for one's neighbor. "When you see a beggar," the Holy Father exhorts, for example, "do not turn away from him, but immediately think about what you yourself would be like if you were in his place, what would you like to receive from everyone? Understand," he said. "Imagine that he is free just like you, has the same noble nature as you, and has everything in common with you; and yet he, who is no worse than you, you often do not equal even with your dogs; these are fully satisfied with bread, and it often falls asleep hungry, so that the free becomes lower than your slaves"[862].