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].

Thy couches are everywhere overlaid with silver, and the bodies of the saints are deprived of the necessary covering... And thou, having in addition to a common nature a thousand motives to be in close union with thy own members, namely, the endowment of understanding, participation in piety, and fellowship in innumerable blessings, have nevertheless become coarser than dumb animals, you show great concern for useless things, and you despise the temples of God, which perish from hunger and nakedness, and even often expose them yourself to a thousand calamities. If you do this out of love of glory, then you should take more care of your brother than of a horse. For the better he who enjoys your beneficence, the more beautiful is the crown woven for your diligence; but now, acting quite differently, you do not feel that you are arming thousands of accusers against you."

We will not dwell in more detail on the exposition of St. John's views on the universal humane foundations of the duty to do almsgiving, since this aspect of the matter will appear even more clearly in the exposition of the saint's views on the properties of almsgiving. Now let us turn to the teaching of St. John about the universality of the duty to give alms.

The teaching of St. John Chrysostom on the foundations of the duty to give alms and on the motives for it, which we have already expounded, leads us to assume that the Holy Father assimilates the universal significance of the duty to give alms. In fact, if the commandment to give alms is a commandment of God and, consequently, an expression of God's will[864]; if, furthermore, the fulfillment of this commandment is of such importance in the life of a Christian that it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of Heaven without alms[865]; then it is clear that the duty to give alms is a common Christian duty. This is one side of the matter, and St. John asserts with all his force that everyone must and can do almsgiving. But the universality of this duty in the teaching of St. John is valid not only in relation to the one who does good, but also in relation to the one who asks, that is, St. John definitely and extremely expressively, even more strikingly vividly, emphasizes the duty to give to everyone who asks, according to the commandment of Christ the Savior: to everyone who asks you, give. This, so to speak, is the other side in the concept of the universality of the duty to do almsgiving, which also logically inevitably follows from the foundations of the teaching of the saint. Indeed, if Christ's commandment to help everyone who asks is understood by the Holy Father in the literal sense; if every beggar is personified by a saint with Christ in need; If, finally, a person must listen to the compassionate voice of his heart in the matter of almsgiving, then it is clear that one should give to everyone who asks. And the Holy Father not only affirms this, but with amazing boldness of thought removes all possible objections to this understanding of the universality of the duty to give to everyone who asks.

Thus, first of all, every Christian is obliged and able to do almsgiving.

When St.

"The commandment of almsgiving," says the Holy Father, for example, "applies not only to the rich, but also to the poor: whenever a man eats by begging from others, this commandment applies to him, because no, verily, there is not a single poor man, no matter how poor he may be, that he does not have two mites[866]. Consequently, it is possible for him who gives little to surpass those who give much and those who give little, as was the case with that widow. The amount of alms is measured not by the measure of what is given, but by the will and diligence of the givers. So everywhere there is a need for will, everywhere love for God. If we do everything according to its prompting, then even if we give a little, having a little, God will not turn away His face, but will accept even small things as great and extraordinary. He looks at volition, and not at what is given; if he sees that it is great, he turns his decision and sentence on it and makes (the givers) participants in eternal blessings" [867]. And from this point of view, St. John even finds that poverty predisposes to almsgiving. "If people," he says, "intoxicated with wealth, shut their ears to my words, then those who live in poverty will pay attention to them. But how, you say, does this go to the poor? After all, they have neither gold nor many garments? But they have bread and cold water; there are two mites and legs to visit the sick; there is a tongue and a word to comfort the unfortunate; there is a house and shelter to receive the wanderer. We do not demand so many talents of gold from the poor, but only from the rich. But if someone is poor and comes to the doors of others (the poor), our Lord will not be ashamed to accept a mite, and will even say that He has received more from him than from people who have given much. How many of you here would like to live during the time when Christ was on earth in the flesh, to be under the same roof with Him and to share a meal with Him! Now it is possible: we can invite Him to the Supper and sup with Him even more profitably. Of those who then supper with Him, many perished, such as Judas and others like them"[868]. "Much or little," says the saint in another discourse, "is evaluated not by the quantity of what is given, but by the wealth of the giver. Let the rich not think much of himself, and let the poor not lose heart, like the giver of little, for often the poor give more than the rich. As a result of poverty, you should not consider yourselves unhappy, since it makes it easier for us to give alms, and finds more opportunities to do good. He easily goes to prison, visits the sick, gives a cup of cold water, and the rich man, haughty with his wealth, will not allow himself to do this. Therefore, do not complain about poverty, for poverty gives you a great opportunity to gain heaven. Even though you have nothing, you have a compassionate heart, and for this you are ready to be rewarded. Wherefore Paul commanded that those who wept should weep,869 and that the prisoners should be treated as if we were in bondage with them.870 To have many sufferers brings some consolation not only to those who weep, but also to those who are in other difficult circumstances; Sometimes one word can strengthen the dejected no less than money... He who has a humane and merciful disposition, if he has money, will distribute it; if he sees someone in misfortune, he will weep and shed tears; if he meets the offended, he will intercede; if he finds someone in need, he will give him his hand. Having a treasure of good things – a humane and merciful soul – he will pour out from it all that is necessary for the brethren and will receive all the rewards prepared by God. And in order for us to attain them, let us first of all take care to make our hearts meek." That is why all the speeches of the Holy Father about the "purchase of heaven" have, in essence, the same meaning in relation to the poor. "Heavenly goods are not sold for money, they are not bought with money, but by the free decision of the giver of money, by wisdom, by exaltation above the things of life, by philanthropy and almsgiving. If they bought with silver, then the wife who put in two mites would receive a little; but since it was not silver, but a good intention that had power, she, showing all her readiness, received everything... Money, however, is needed, you say? It is not money that is needed, but a decision. With the latter, you can buy heaven for two mites, and without it, even for a thousand golden talents, you cannot buy what you can buy for two mites. Why? For when thou hast given less of much, thou hast done alms, but not such as that of a widow; thou didst not give with such zeal as she did; it has deprived itself of everything, or better yet, it has not deprived itself, but has given itself everything. God promised the Kingdom, not for talents of gold, but for a cup of cold water, for diligence, not for death, which is not something great, but for intention." "Know for sure," teaches St. John, "that poverty is not an obstacle to almsgiving. Though you were a thousand times poor, yet you are not poorer than the one who had only a handful of flour[873] and the one who had only two mites, of which both, having spent all their possessions on the poor, were worthy of wondrous praise; and great poverty was not an obstacle to such great philanthropy, but almsgiving, consisting of two mites, was so rich and significant that it eclipsed all the rich both in the richness of disposition, and in the excess of diligence surpassed those who laid many statirs" [874]. "Do you have an obol? – the saint asks the poor man encouragingly. "Buy heaven, not because heaven is cheap, but because the Lord loves mankind. Don't you have an obol?" Give me a cup of cold water: whosoever shall give one of these little ones a cup of cold water to drink for my sake, he shall not lose his reward. The subject of buying and selling is the sky, and we do not care. Give bread and take paradise, give small and take great; give the mortal and take the immortal; give the perishable and take the incorruptible"[875]. "When you are sitting at home, a beggar comes selling paradise and says: give bread and get paradise, give second-hand clothes and you will receive the Kingdom of Heaven; I do not tell you how much to give, so that you do not hesitate to plead your faults. Buy paradise for as much as you want: give bread; if you have no bread, give me an obol, give me a cup of cold water; Give me what you want, what you have, I accept everything, just buy paradise... He who sells paradise does not seek profit, but a soul of a compassionate and well-intentioned heart" [876]. And in this case, the Holy Father expands the concept of alms to such an extent that he makes it possible to do it regardless of the possession of money. "Almsgiving is done not only by money, but also by deeds. So, for example, you can intercede, you can give a helping hand; often in cases, the petition helped even more money. Thus, let us put into action in the present case all kinds of almsgiving. Can you do it with money? Don't hesitate. Can you petition? Don't say you don't have money; it is nothing, and it means a great deal, if you were so disposed as if you were giving money. Can you do it a favor? Do that too. For example, are you a doctor by rank? Take care of the sick, and it means a lot. Can you give me advice? This is much more important than anything; Counsel is all the better and higher of all, the greater it is useful: with it you deliver not hunger, but cruel death. The apostles were especially rich in it; therefore they entrusted the distribution of money to the inferior, while they themselves remained in the service of the Word[877]. Or do you think that alms will not be great if you can free a soul that is given over to despondency, in extreme danger, possessed by the flame (of passion), from this disease? 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 his flame. And what if he didn't listen? Do your job and don't be lazy. If you see him bound in chains (for 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 will be to blame. If you see a naked man and a stranger (truly naked and a stranger to heaven, not caring about a virtuous life), take him into your house, clothe him in the garments of virtue, make him a citizen of heaven"[878]. And in general, St. John constantly insists that the value of alms is not measured by the amount of what is given, so that everyone should do good, and he especially likes to dwell in detail on the example of the widow of the Gospel and Old Testament from Zarephath of Sidon[879].

Thus, the universality of the duty to give alms appears in the works of St. John with all clarity in relation to those who do good: everyone must give alms, not excluding the most miserable cripples who live on the alms of others. But, as we have said, St. John extends this universality of the duty of helping the needy to those who ask, demanding that they be given to everyone who asks. Here St. John stands on a pure Gospel point of view. We have already seen that the absoluteness of the Gospel commandment is expressed, first of all, in the command: "Give to everyone who asks." Any restrictions that had a certain place in the Old Testament fall away. All practical considerations and reflections also fall away: both about the dignity and need of the supplicant, and about taking care of oneself. This point of the Gospel teaching, as has already been mentioned, appears in a somewhat distorted light in our systematic courses of theology. And if we called the elucidation of the Gospel view of property and wealth in our time not only illegal, but also incomprehensible, then with regard to this point of the teaching on almsgiving, we cannot call its adaptation to the existing conditions of life incomprehensible, although, of course, we also consider it illegal. The absolute height and purity of the teaching of the Gospel has always been a stumbling block on the path to clarifying its attitude to life. There has always been a great temptation to replace this ideal height with a height of another order of magnitude, measured by our yardstick. This happened in general, and so it happened in the understanding of the ideal meaning of almsgiving. Give to everyone who asks you. This commandment, it seemed, could easily lead to the discovery of its inner inadequacy, turn out to be "impractical" and bring not so much benefit as harm. How great is the temptation to soften the absolute meaning of this particular Gospel commandment is evident from the fact that in the ancient Church, too, authoritative voices were heard in favor of the legitimacy of scrupulousness in the provision of alms, for example, St. Ambrose of Milan, as we shall see below. If this was the case in the field of theoretical theology, then even more so in real life. Here such powerful allies as avarice and egoism came to the aid of the lofty constructions of the mind, who invented many reasons and grounds to justify the deviation from the fulfillment of the Gospel commandment: the lie of the supplicant, and his laziness, and appearance, and health... And so, in the face of such a predicament of theology and the hypocritical mask of ordinary egoism, St. John stands with unshakable firmness in defense of the ideal purity of the Gospel truth. For St. John it was clear that the duty to give alms does not mean so much those who receive as those who give, as we have seen; that the center of gravity of this duty is not in its practical results, but in a certain mood of the benefactor. And St. John with invincible energy struggles against attempts to be selective in personal almsgiving, and with such vivid imagery he proves the duty to give to everyone who asks and breaks down all the arguments of those who oppose him, that we have not encountered anything like this anywhere: neither in the writings of the Holy Fathers, nor in the works of universal human thought of all times. In view of this, we will allow ourselves to convey the more characteristic passages from the saint's discourses, relating to the point of his teaching on almsgiving, which is now being revealed, in the possible entirety. Here, for example, is how eloquently he speaks of not even trying to be interested in finding out whether a person is really in need and whether he has come with a good intention. "We clearly know," says St. John, "that we receive Christ among us, yet we do not become meek as a result... Do not be curious, for you accept for Christ's sake. He who receives even the unworthy is not made guilty, but has his reward: receive the prophet in the name of the prophet, he will receive the reward of the prophet. And whoever bypasses a person worthy of wonder out of undue curiosity incurs punishment upon himself. So, do not be curious about life and affairs, because for one piece of bread to examine a whole life is a sign of extreme vanity. If he were a murderer, a robber, or the like, do you think he is not worth a piece of bread and a few coins?... But I will tell you even more: even if you know well that he is full of innumerable evils, then you will have no excuse if you deprive him of his daily sustenance. Thou art the servant of Him Who said, "I know not of what spirit ye are; you are the servant of Him who rendered services to those who threw stones at Him... Do not tell me that he has killed a man: if he intended to kill you, then do not despise him when he is hungry. After all, you are a disciple of Him Who desired salvation for those who crucified Him, Who even on the cross said: "Father, forgive them, for they do not see what they do"... Can anything compare to this?... He weeps for those who intend to kill Him, and is troubled and troubled when He sees a traitor, not because He Himself will be crucified, but because he will perish... Thy Lord kisseth and allows to touch His lips the one who soon had to shed His precious blood; but you do not deign a beggar even a piece of bread, you do not respect the law given by Christ... Therefore, do not say that so-and-so has killed so-and-so, and because of this I abhor him. If anyone wants to pierce you with a sword, to plunge his hand into your throat, kiss this hand, because Christ kissed the lips that caused his death... And you treat a beggar cruelly! If he were guilty of innumerable crimes, then his poverty and hunger are enough to soften your soul, if it is not too coarse." And St. John foresees and easily destroys all those arguments by means of which human avarice and cunning sought to justify the violation of the Lord's direct commandment. "It is truly madness and manifest absurdity," says the saint in one of his discourses, for example, "to fill chests with garments, and not to pay attention to one who is created in the image and likeness of God and has no clothes, shivers from the cold and can hardly stand on his feet. But you will say: he pretends to be trembling and weak. And you are not afraid to bring lightning upon yourself with such words? I'm sorry, I'm trembling with anger. You are satiated, you continue to drink until late at night, you bask on soft carpets and do not think of giving an account of such a lawless use of God's gifts... but from a poor, unfortunate man, who is no better than a dead man, do you demand a strict account, and do not fear the terrible and terrible judgment of Christ? If he pretends, it is because of poverty and necessity, because of your hardness of heart and inhumanity, which requires such pretense and otherwise does not bow down to mercy. Who, indeed, is so unhappy and miserable as to assume such an ugly appearance without any need for a piece of bread, to torment himself and endure such torment? And so, his pretense proclaims to all about your inhumanity. If he begs, begs, speaks pitiful words, weeps, weeps, wanders all day long and does not find the necessary food, then perhaps he has invented such a trick, which serves not so much to him as to you as to dishonor and accusation. He is worthy of compassion for having gone to such an extreme, and we are worthy of a thousand plagues that we force the poor to do so. If we were easily inclined to mercy, he would never dare to undergo it. What do I say about the flesh and shivering from the cold? I will say something even more terrible: some had to blind small children in order to touch our insensibility. Since, wandering sighted and naked, they could not attract the attention of the hard-hearted, either by the tenderness of age or by misfortune, they added to their misfortunes another most deplorable calamity to satisfy their hunger, finding it easier to be deprived of the common light and the rays of the sun granted to all, than to constantly struggle with hunger and undergo the most miserable death. You are not accustomed to sympathize with poverty, but amuse yourself with misfortune; That is why they satisfy your insatiable desire, kindling in themselves and in you a flame that is fiercest to hell. And in order that you may be convinced that all this and the like is for this very reason, I will present to you an indubitable proof, which no one can contradict. There are the poor, the frivolous and the faint-hearted, who cannot endure hunger and are ready to endure everything else besides this. They, having repeatedly approached you with pitiful countenances and pitiful words, but having received no help, at last give up their entreaties and resort to tricks no worse than sorcerers: some chew the leather of worn-out shoes, others drive sharp nails into their heads, some lie down on the frozen water with their bare stomachs, and others subject themselves to still more absurd tortures in order to imagine a pitiful sight. While this is being done, you stand and laugh, wondering and comforting yourself at the misfortunes of others, who put our common nature to shame. What worse can the man-hating devil do than this? And in order for him to do this more diligently, you give money with great generosity. Whoever asks, calls upon God, and approaches you meekly, you do not deign him either an answer or a glance, and if he often annoys you, you say such unbearable words about him: "Should he live, should he breathe, should he look at the sun?" And to them, on the contrary, you are benevolent and generous, so that you yourself become the author of their ridiculous and satanic ugliness. When God says: "Give alms, and I will give you the Kingdom of Heaven," you do not listen; but when the devil shows a head wounded by nails, you suddenly become generous; the cunning of the evil demon, which causes so much harm, has a greater effect on you than the promise of God, which bestows many blessings. It would be necessary to give gold, so that it would not happen, so as not to see it, it would be necessary to do and endure everything to eradicate this great madness; And you, on the contrary, try in every possible way and take care to make it happen, to look at it. And you, tell me, still ask, what is Gehenna for? For what punishment are not worthy of those who make this cruel and inhuman spectacle, and laugh at those for whom they and yourselves ought to weep, and especially you, who compel them to such outrageous acts? But, you will say, I do not force them. How then do you not compel me, tell me, when you do not even want to listen to the meek, weeping and calling on God, and to them you generously give money and invite others to marvel at them? But, you will say, we are retreating, feeling sorry for them. But don't you demand it? No, man, it is not pity when you force them to endure such torment for a few obols, when you command them to tear themselves apart and tear the skin on their heads into many pieces in a pitiful and deplorable way in order to obtain the necessary food." And the Holy Father expressed similar thoughts more than once, forestalling more and more objections to the duty to do good to everyone who asks. "Receive the prophet in the name of the prophet, he will receive the reward of the prophet; and receive the righteous in the name of the righteous, he will receive the reward of the righteous; whosoever shall give one of these little ones a cup of cold water to drink, only in the name of a disciple, Amen, I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward"[882]. Thus, here He speaks of the prophets, the righteous, and the disciples; and in another place He commands to receive even the most contemptible, and to those who do not receive them, He determines the punishment: "For you have not created the least of these alone, you have not created Me"[883]; and of the lesser ones he again says that he who receives them receives Himself. Let the one you receive not a disciple, nor a prophet, nor a righteous man; but he is a man who lives in the same world with you, sees the same sun, has the same soul, the same Lord, partakes of the same sacraments, moreover, is called to heaven and has the absolute right to demand care from you, being poor and in need of necessary food. Meanwhile, now, when people come to you in bad weather with flutes and pipes, wake you up from your sleep, disturb you in vain and without work, they depart from you with no small gifts; In the same way, those who wear swallows, rub themselves with soot and laugh at everyone, receive from you a reward for their mischief. And if a poor man comes to you and begs for bread, you will speak a lot of curses at him, you will slander him, reproach him with idleness, shower him with reproaches, hurtful words and ridicule, and you will not think of yourself that you also live in idleness, yet God gives you His blessings. Don't tell me that you do anything yourself, but show me what you do that is useful and necessary. If you tell me that you are engaged in trade, tavern, and strive to save and increase your possessions, then I will tell you that this is not a business; the real deeds are almsgiving, prayers, protection of the offended, and other virtues, which we completely neglect. And yet God never says to us: "Because you live in idleness, I will not shine on you with the sun; for you do not attend to the necessary things, and I will extinguish the moon, I will shut up the bowels of the earth, I will stop the lakes, springs, rivers, I will take away the air, I will not give rain in time." On the contrary, God gives us all this in abundance, and allows us to use all this not only for those who live in idleness, but also for those who do evil. If, therefore, you see a poor man and say, "I am vannoyed that this young, healthy man does nothing, wants to live in idleness, and perhaps he is still a fugitive servant who has left his master," then apply all that I have said to yourself, or rather, allow him to say it with all boldness. And he can say to you with great right: "And I am vexed that you, being in good health, live in idleness and do nothing of what God has commanded you, but like a slave who has fled from the commands of his master, you wander in a foreign land, spending your life in vices, in drunkenness, intemperance, in theft, in predation, and in the destruction of other people's houses. You reproach you for idleness, and I reproach you for evil deeds, when you plot, when you swear, lie, steal, when you do a thousand similar deeds..." Be only ready to show mercy, then the poor will immediately abandon idleness, and you will cease to be cruel. But you will say: the beggar lies a lot and pretends. And in this case, he deserves pity, because he has gone to such an extreme that he is not even ashamed to lie like that. And not only do we have no pity, but we also add such cruel words: "Have you not received once and twice?" So what is it? Does he not need to eat again, because he ate once? Why do you not put the same rule on your belly, and say to it, 'You were full yesterday and the third day, so do not ask today?' On the contrary, you satiate your belly excessively, and when he asks you for a little, you refuse, although you should give him alms because he is forced to come to you every day. If you do not feel any other motives, then for this alone you must give him alms. After all, extreme poverty forces him to do this. Thou hast no pity for him, because when he hears thy words, he is not ashamed; but need is stronger than shame. But not only do you have no pity for him, but you mock him, and while God commanded that alms be given secretly, you publicly revile the one who has come, when you ought to have shown him compassion.