In need, shamelessness is forgivable. Yet we are often not ashamed of doing things for which we ought to be punished; and while we should humble ourselves in thinking of such matters, we attack the poor: they ask us for healing, and we add to their wounds. If you do not want to give, then why do you beat him? If you do not want to show mercy, then why do you offend? But he won't go away without it? Thus do as the wise man commanded: rebuke him peacefully in meekness[884]. He does not act so shamelessly against his will. Verily, there is no man who would want to become shameless without any need; And even if thousands of proofs were presented, I will never believe that a person who lives in abundance would dare to beg. Therefore, no one should assure us of the opposite. If Paul also says: "If anyone will not work, let him eat below," then he says this to the poor, and not to us; On the contrary, he says to us: "Do not be cold when you do good." We do the same in domestic affairs: when two people quarrel with each other, we take each one aside and give them opposite advice. This is what God did, and so did Moses, who said to God: "If you forgive them sin, forgive them, if you blot me out..."[885] Therefore, let us not be hard-hearted, but let us fulfill what Paul said: Do not be cold when you do good. Let us fulfill what the Saviour Himself said: "Give to everyone who asks you"[886]; and be merciful, as your Father[887]. In giving many other commandments, the Lord did not add such words, but used them, speaking only about almsgiving. Nothing likens us to God as much as charity... Don't be a cruel judge. Even if you are pure from all sins, then even in this case the law of God forbids you to judge the misdeeds of others harshly. If the Pharisee perished because of this, what excuse will we have? If people of an irreproachable life are forbidden to judge the faults of others harshly, how much more so are sinners. Therefore, let us not be cruel, inhuman, implacable, insensitive; let us not be more evil than the beast"[888]. The general ground of principle on which St. John asserts himself in his defense of the principle of indiscriminate almsgiving, in addition to the already mentioned duty of compassion for need, is the unlawfulness of judgment on our part in relation to those who ask for it, which was clearly emphasized by the Holy Father. Such judgment is not only not our duty, but God has not given us the right to judge those who ask, and this prohibition is a manifestation of God's mercy not only to the poor, but also to those who give alms, since it relieves us of the trouble of investigation and the danger of making mistakes in other cases. "He who gives charity," says St. John, "should not investigate the life of the poor, but help the poor and satisfy need. The only excuse for the poor is lack and need; ask him nothing more; but if he, even if he be the most vicious of all, needs the necessary food, then let us satisfy his hunger. Christ also commanded us to act in the same way: "Be like," He says, "like your Father, who is in heaven, as his sun shines on the evil and the good, and rains on the just and the unjust." The Merciful One is a haven for the needy, and the harbor receives all those who have been shipwrecked and saves them from danger; whether they are evil or good, or whoever they are in danger, she takes them into her arms. In the same way, when you see a man shipwrecked on earth by poverty, do not expect or demand an account, but deliver him from misfortune. Why do you incur labor? God has freed you from all care and anxiety. How many would many speak and be indignant if God commanded first to investigate life with accuracy, to find out the behavior and actions of everyone, and only then to give alms? And now we are freed from all such difficulty. Why do we incur unnecessary worries upon ourselves? One is the judge, the other is the giver of alms. Alms are called so because we give it to the unworthy. Paul also exhorts us to act in the same way: "Do good," he says, "let us not be cold." If we inquire and inquire about the unworthy, we will not soon find the worthy; and if we give to the unworthy, then both the worthy and the like will fall into our hands, as happened to the blessed Abraham, who, without questioning or inquiring about those who come, was once vouchsafed to receive angels. Let us also imitate him, and with him his descendant Job; for this one also imitated the magnanimity of his ancestor with all exactness, and therefore said: "My door is open to everyone who comes"[891]. It was not open to such-and-such, but closed to another, but it was open to everyone in general. Thus I exhort us, let us also do it, not exploring anything beyond what is proper. The dignity of the poor is only need; whoever ever comes to us with her, let us investigate nothing more; for we do not give to a disposition, but to a person, and we pity him not for virtue, but for misfortune, so that we ourselves may attract great mercy from the Lord, so that we ourselves, who are unworthy, may be vouchsafed His love for mankind. But if we begin to seek out and examine the merits of our concelebrants, then God will do the same to us; and, trying to demand an account from our equal servants, we ourselves will lose the Highest love for mankind. For whom, saith the Lord, judge ye with judgment, ye shall be judged" [892]. "Many," says St. John in another of his discourses, "often enter into rigorous investigations about the needy, ask about their homeland, way of life, manners, occupations, and bodily health, reproach them, and demand from them many explanations about their health. For this reason many (of the poor) appear to be mutilated in body, in order to bow down our cruelty and inhumanity by the sight of this misfortune.

To reproach them for this in the summer, though cruelly, but not so much, but in winter and in the cold to be such a ruthless and inhuman judge, and not to show them any leniency for doing nothing, is it not the height of cruelty? Why, you will say, did Paul give the Thessalonians this law: "If anyone does not want to work, let him eat less?" [893] In order that you, too, when you hear this, may address Paul's words not only to the poor, but also to yourself, because Paul's commandments apply not only to the poor, but also to us. I will also say something difficult and unpleasant; I know that you will be angry, but nevertheless I will say this, because I speak not to offend you, but to correct you. We reproach the poor with idleness, which often deserves excuse, and we ourselves often do things that are worse than any idleness. But I, another will say, possess my father's inheritance. Tell me, should the poor perish because he is poor, and from poor (parents), and did not have rich ancestors? But that is why he especially deserves mercy and compassion from the rich. You, often spending the whole day in the theater or in meetings, and in useless or even harmful conversations, do not think that you are doing bad and are doing nothing; And this wretched and miserable poor man, who spends the whole day in begging, in tears, and in a thousand troubles, do you condemn him, and drag him to the judgment seat, and demand an account from him? Where, tell me, is human conscience here? When, therefore, shalt thou say, What shall we say to Paul? Say this not only to the poor, but also to yourself. And on the other hand, read not only his threat, but also his condescension, because (the Apostle), having said: "If anyone does not want to work, let him eat less," he added: "But you, brethren, do not be cold for what you do good" (v. 13). Be philanthropic and indulgent to sorab, forgive him his sins, however many there may be, and be merciful, so that you yourself may be worthy of the same. Why do you trouble yourself? Why do you make searches? If God had commanded that the way of life (of the poor) should be investigated, and that their morals should be thoroughly examined, then would not many have murmured? Would they not have said: what is this? God has ordained a difficult task for us: we cannot examine the way of life of others and know what sins so-and-so has committed? Would not many and many more of this kind have said? And now, when He has freed us from all such searching, and has promised us a full reward (for almsgiving), whether the people who receive it will be evil or good, we bring anxiety upon ourselves...

If we examine the way of life (of the needy), we will not show mercy to any man, but because of such misplaced inquisitiveness we will remain barren, we will give no help to anyone, and we will labor uselessly and in vain. Therefore, I ask you to abandon this misplaced inquisitiveness, give (alms) to all those in need, and do it with great generosity." "It is good to do good with simplicity and not to be too picky about the one who receives the beneficence... The pious do not want to appear pious and does not assume such an appearance, even if he is threatened with contempt for it; but the deceiver, for whom deception is a trade, appears to be very pious, so that it is difficult to recognize him. From this it happens that he who does good to people, apparently impious, falls on the pious; but whoever seeks those who are revered as pious often falls upon the impious"[895].

For the time being, our task has been to clarify the view of St. John Chrysostom on the universality of the debt of almsgiving. But at the same time we had to expound the views of the Holy Father on the properties of truly Christian almsgiving, these are precisely those great and characteristic features of Christian almsgiving, according to which, firstly, its amount does not depend on the quantity, but is determined by the attitude to the size of the property and the mood of the benefactor; and, secondly, that alms should be done without inquiry and scrupulousness, but should be given for Christ's sake to everyone who asks. It is precisely these aspects of Christian alms that are emphasized by St. John with the greatest fullness and expressiveness. Now we need only supplement the exposition of the Holy Father's teaching on the properties of almsgiving. As regarding, first of all, the quantitative aspect of the teaching on the moral value of almsgiving, then, in addition to the detailed view of the Holy Father that the value of alms does not depend on quantity, it is necessary to note the true meaning of this proposition in its relation to the sign of generosity, which is necessarily conceivable in the concept of Christian almsgiving. Generosity, as we have already said, is a necessary expression of the fullness of love of the benefactor, that is, therefore, a characteristic feature of Christian almsgiving. And St. John, who so emphatically emphasized the indifference in the matter of the moral value of almsgiving, the magnitude of the sacrifice, points out with all certainty that his words in this case are applicable only to the poor, and the general property of alms should be generosity: the rich are generous when they give much; and the poor – even when he gives little, like the view of the Holy Father on the alms of the widow of the Gospel, which we have already revealed. "It is not enough," the saint instructs, "to give, but it must be done with generosity... It is not enough to do good, but it must be done sparingly... In perfect charity there must be generosity"[896]. "Let us therefore not be miserly; on the contrary, let us lavish with a generous hand"[897]. "Let us squander, let us give to the poor, as we ought to give. God values many things and small things not according to the measure of what is given, but according to the wealth of the giver. Therefore it may happen that if you put in a hundred gold coins, you put less than one who put only a small obol, because you put in from an abundance." "Now you would give your children for charioteers, and for dancers you would lay down your very souls, but you do not want to give even the smallest part of your possessions to the hungry Christ; but if, when you give a little silver, you are in such a frame of mind as if you had given everything, forgetting that not only to give, but to give generously, is what alms especially consist of. Therefore, the prophet glorifies and blesses not those who only give, but those who give generously; He doesn't just say "Dade", but how? Squander it, give it to the poor. What good is it if you, being rich, give as much as he, for example, who gave a glass of water from the whole sea, and do not imitate the generosity of a widowed wife? How will you say: "Lord, have mercy on me according to the commands of Thy mercy, and according to the multitude of Thy mercies, cleanse my iniquity," when you yourself do not have mercy not only with great mercy, but perhaps even with a small one? I am greatly ashamed when I see many rich men riding horses adorned with golden bridles, accompanied by servants dressed in golden robes, resting on silver couches, and indulging in many other extravagances; but as soon as it is necessary to give to the poor, they appear to be poorer than the poorest"[899]. "Therefore, let not the rich man boast that he gives much; nor let the poor be discouraged, as if giving little, because the latter often gives more than the former. Much and little is determined not by the measure of almsgiving, but by the size of the property of the givers"[900].

This is the quantitative criterion of the value of almsgiving, from the point of view of St. John Chrysostom. Here we can only note that the saint appropriated moral value only by alms from righteously acquired property; and has no such value, and even more than that, it is an offense to God when it is given out of what is acquired dishonestly, by stealing. "There is nothing equal to almsgiving; or rather, so great is the power of this virtue when it comes from pure treasuries! As that which comes from the unrighteous is like "a fountain that pours out impurities, so that which comes from the righteous is like a clear and pure stream in the garden, pleasant to look at, delightful to the taste, and bring freshness and coolness at noon. Such is almsgiving! At this spring grow not poplars, pines or cypresses, but other, much better than these, great growths" [901]. "But I do not mean alms from unrighteousness, because it is no longer almsgiving, but cruelty and inhumanity. Indeed, what is the use of stripping one and dressing another? Alms should come from compassion, and this is inhumanity. And even if we give away everything that we have stolen from others, it will be of no use to us. First give away from theft and then give alms. It is better not to show mercy than to show such mercy. After all, it was better for Cain not to bring anything at all. And if he, having brought less, angered God, then how can he not anger Him who gives someone else's things?" [902]. "Alms are no small medicine: it can be applied to all wounds. ' "Give alms," said (the Lord), "and behold, all shall be pure unto you,"[903] almsgiving, but not that which is acquired by covetousness, for what is given of what is acquired by covetousness is of no importance, even though you give to the needy. Thus, true alms are free from all unrighteousness, and it is this that makes everything pure" [904]. "Why do you offend the Lord by offering Him unclean gifts? Christ does not want to be nourished by covetousness, He does not accept such food. It is better to despise one who is tormented by hunger than to nourish him from such means; It is better not to give anything to others than someone else's. Tell me, If you saw two people, one naked and the other having clothes, and then, having undressed the one who had clothes, clothed the naked, would you not do wrong? This is obvious to everyone. If, by giving to another all that you have taken, you have offended and not shown mercy, then when you hardly give the smallest part of what you steal, and call it almsgiving, what punishment will you be subjected to?" [905]. "Can he be called merciful who steals someone else's property, even if he makes innumerable alms?... If people who have not done any injury to others are punished only because they did not share their property with them, then those who stole someone else's property will be even more punished. Do not justify yourself by saying that by harming one, you are showing mercy to another. It is unfair to do so... A philanthropist is not the one who himself smites and heals those who are afflicted by him, but the one who heals the wounds inflicted by others... Do you want to know what great evil is done by him who shows such mercy? Listen to what the Scripture says: As thou shalt kill a child before his father, so thou shalt offer sacrifice from the possessions of the poor"[906]. Turning to the exposition of St. John Chrysostom's views on those qualities of Christian almsgiving that characterize the very mood of the philanthropist and serve as its expression, we must, of course, expect that these qualities will be a reflection of the basic principle that permeates the entire Christian life – the principle of love. With regard to the personal disposition of the benefactor, love for the needy naturally and necessarily produces that alms are not some kind of duty, not a heavy burden, but a free inclination of the heart to help the needy, joyfully, diligently, and completely unselfishly. In relation to the person to whom alms are given, this very loving disposition of the benefactor must also be expressed in sincere cordiality, tenderness and meekness, excluding the possibility of reproaches, humility, excluding arrogance, and, finally, in the speed of help, in the unwillingness to leave the needy in a position of need, even for a short time. And all these natural qualities of truly Christian almsgiving are noted by St. John.

We have said that the loving disposition of the benefactor is the necessary foundation for the perfect freedom and joy of benevolence. This aspect of the matter is emphasized with particular force by the Holy Father. "Have mercy with good will," the saint quotes the words of the Holy Apostle Paul and explains: it is not enough to do good, but it must be done sparingly and without sorrow, or, better said, not only without sorrow, but also with a cheerful and joyful spirit, because it is not the same thing not to be sad and to rejoice. Paul argued the same thing with great care in his Epistle to the Corinthians. Urging them to generosity, he said: "Sow poverty, poverty and it will reap, and sow for blessing, for blessing, and it will reap"[907]; And when he taught the disposition with which this should be done, he added, "Neither out of tribulation, nor out of need," v. 7. In the one who does good there must be both: both generosity and cheerful disposition. Why do you weep when you give alms? Why do you grieve when showing mercy, and thereby you are deprived of the fruit of your merits? If you grieve, then there is no mercy in you, but you are cruel and inhuman. For if you yourself are in sorrow, how can you encourage him who is in sorrow? It is pleasant that he does not suspect anything wrong, and also when you give it to him with joy, because for people nothing seems so humiliating as to accept something from others, unless you turn away suspicion by special cheerfulness and show that you yourself receive more than you give... That is why the Apostle says: "Have mercy with good will"... Therefore, pay attention not to the expenditure of money, but to the benefit of this expenditure. If the sower rejoices, though he sows into the unknown for the future, how much more should he who tills the heavens rejoice. If you have given little, but with joy, you have given much; In the same way, if you have given much, but with sorrow, you have done little out of much. Thus the widow's two mites surpassed many talents, because her disposition was full of generosity. You will say: How can one who himself lives in extreme poverty and is lacking in everything give with cordiality? Ask a widow, and you will learn from her how this can be done, and you will learn that it is not poverty that creates a predicament, but one's own will that produces both this and the opposite. It is possible to be generous in poverty, and to be faint-hearted in wealth. If you have love, you will not feel either the waste of money or bodily labor... But you will endure everything courageously: whether it is necessary to help your neighbor with hard work, money, words, or anything else... Such is true love, and if it does, all the rest will follow by itself." "Alms are such only when you give it willingly, when you think that you do not give, but accept yourself, when you recognize it for yourself as a benefit and gain, and not a loss, otherwise it is not grace. He who shows mercy to another should rejoice, not grieve. Is it not foolish, in fact, to alleviate the sorrow of another, to grieve oneself? Then you are no longer giving alms. If you grieve that you have saved another from sorrow, then you are setting an example of extreme cruelty and inhumanity. It is better not to save than to save like that. And what, in fact, are you grieving about, man? Is it that your gold will decrease? But if you have such a disposition, then don't give it at all."[909] "Or are you not sure what you will receive by giving? If you are not sure, then I do not want you to give... If anyone is not convinced beforehand that he receives more than he gives, that he receives the greatest benefit, that he is more benefited than he does good, let him not give; If anyone thinks that he shows mercy to the receiver, let him not give... To give alms means not simply to give, but with zeal, with joy, and with a feeling of gratitude to the receiver: neither out of sorrow, it is said, nor out of need: God loves the giver of good will. Therefore, if anyone does not give with such a disposition, it is better not to give, because this is not almsgiving, but a waste of it." And in direct connection with this inner freedom of the giver of alms, there is also that property of alms, according to which alms should be given "secretly", without vanity and appearances, but in the name of the inner movement of the soul to help the disadvantaged. "I am very fond of almsgiving," says St. John, "and I grieve when I see how vanity spoils and corrupts it... Let us imagine that someone gives alms with a generous hand only for show in front of people. In this way, the giver of alms leads her out of the palace of her fathers. In fact, the Heavenly Father commands that even the left hand should not know about it, and this kind of alms puts itself on display both to slaves and to everyone they meet, even if they do not know it at all... If you want to see... how useless is almsgiving when you give it out of show and out of vanity, then consider what sorrow befalls you, and what endless sorrow will overwhelm you when the voice of Christ thunders before you: you have destroyed all your reward! Vanity is pernicious everywhere, but especially in matters of philanthropy, since here it is the utmost cruelty, deriving praise for itself from the misfortunes of others, and almost mocking those who live in poverty. If to point out one's good deeds is to reproach the beneficent, is it not much worse to flaunt them before many? How can we avoid this evil? We will avoid it when we learn to be truly merciful and consider from whom we seek glory... Do you want to be known among people as merciful? What kind of profit? There is no profit, and the harm is endless, since those whom you call as witnesses take away from you, like robbers, the treasures of heaven, or, rather, it is not they, but we ourselves plunder our possessions... Do you want glory? Is not glory enough for you from God, the lover of mankind, Who Himself accepts alms from you, that you seek more glory from people? Beware lest you suffer the opposite, lest people look upon you with contempt, as a man who does not show mercy, but boastfulness and ambition, and only exposes the misfortunes of others. Alms are a mystery. Therefore, shut the doors, so that no one can see what should not be shown. Our main mysteries are God's mercy and love for mankind... In the same way, when you show mercy to a person as much as you can, shut the door: let only the one who receives mercy see it, and if possible, even if he does not see it. If you open the door, you will discover your secret... and he from whom you seek glory will condemn you"[911]. "When you give alms, not out of charity, but in order to show yourself, then it is not only not almsgiving, but is even an offense, because you flaunt your brother. Alms do not consist only in giving money, but in giving with a sense of mercy... In the same way, when you give alms out of vanity, you only reward the one who accepts it from you for the offense you do to him, and through this you create a bad reputation for yourself and for him, and hence unspeakable harm. As a fierce beast and a mad dog attack everyone, so this evil disease of inhumanity robs us of our blessings. Such almsgiving, indeed, is inhumanity and cruelty, or worse. Only the hard-hearted one does not give to the one who asks, but you do worse than him: you hinder those who want to give. In fact, when you flaunt your alms to everyone, you thereby cast doubt on the poverty of the one who accepts your gift, and thereby restrain the one who intends to give alms, especially if he is a frivolous person. Such a person no longer gives to the beggar, as he has already received alms and is not particularly in need, and moreover, he will reproach him and accuse him of shamelessness when, having received alms from you, he comes to him to beg. And so, what kind of alms is this, when you dishonor him, and yourself, and the one who received it, and still more the One Who commanded you to do it, since you are not satisfied with the fact that (God) himself sees your alms, and you also demand that the eyes of your brethren be turned to it." But, of course, St. John, giving advice regarding the secret giving of alms, had in mind the inner mood of the heart, and not the external situation in which it might happen that it would be necessary to give alms. "When you do not do it for people to see, then at least the whole world knows about your deeds, no one knows, because you did not do it with such an intention. Christ did not simply say, "Do not do before men," but added, "That ye may be seen by them."

If the inner mood of the giver is characterized by perfect inner freedom and should be imbued with a single consciousness of the joyful duty to serve one's neighbor, then in relation to the latter such a loving disposition should be expressed not only in generosity, of which we have already spoken, but also in complete cordiality, tenderness, and sympathy. All these qualities are necessary and, as it were, appear by themselves in such a case, when alms are a joyful expression of true love. "Do you not see," says St. John, "

Therefore, when Christ has come to us, let us show that we are glad to Him, and let us not do anything that can offend Him. Let us adorn the house into which He came: this is characteristic of those who rejoice. Let us offer Him the table that He Himself wants: this is the nature of those who rejoice. What kind of meal is this? He Himself says: "Mine is Mine, that I may do the will of Him who sent Me"[913]. Let us feed Him who hungers, let us give Him thirsty to drink. Give Him only a cup of cold water, and He will accept this too, because He loves you; the offerings of the loved ones, however small, seem great to the lover. Just don't show negligence. Throw two mites before him, and He will not reject them either, but will accept them as great riches. He lacks nothing, and does not accept it out of any need; therefore he justly measures everything not by the measure of what is given, but by the disposition of the giver. Just show that you love this Guest, that you try to do everything for Him, that you are glad to see Him. See what kind of love He has for you. He came for your sake, laid down His life for you, and after all these blessings He does not refuse to beseech you: "In Christ we pray," says the Apostle, "for we pray to God"[914]. On the negative side, cordiality in giving alms should be revealed in the patience of love, in the absence of reproaches on the part of the giver. On the positive side, this cordiality will be revealed in tenderness, affability, tenderness, when the recipient of alms realizes that the one who helps him helps with joy, and not with burden. "Give alms," admonishes St. John Chrysostom, "and do not reproach, do not beat, do not scold; A beggar, coming to you, hopes to receive healing, and not wounds, almsgiving, and not beatings. Tell me, if a stone is thrown at someone, and he, with a wound on his head, covered in blood, runs past all the others under your protection, will you throw another stone at him and inflict another wound on him? I don't think you would do that; on the contrary, you will faithfully try to heal the wound inflicted on him. Why do you do not do this to the poor? Do you not know how much even one word can either encourage or discourage? Better, they say, is a word than a giving[915]. Will you not consider that you are raising your sword against yourself and inflicting a cruel wound on yourself, when the beggar you have cursed will go away from you silently, sighing and shedding tears? God sends a beggar to you. Therefore, when offending him, think about whom you are offending, when God Himself sends to you and commands you to give, and you not only do not give, but also scold the one who has come. If you do not understand how bad it is, then look at others, and then you will know well the importance of your crime. If your servant, at your command, went to another servant to take your money from him, and returned to you not only empty-handed, but also complaining about the offense, then what would you not do to the offender? What punishment would he not inflict on him, being as if he himself was personally offended by him? Judge God in the same way: He Himself sends the poor to us, and when we give, we give God's things. If, having given nothing, we still drive away from us with abuse, then think how many thunders and lightnings we are worthy of for such a deed? Thinking about all this, let us bridle our tongues, cease to be hard-hearted, let us stretch out our hands for almsgiving, and let us not only provide the poor with property, but also console us with words, so that we may escape punishment for backbiting and inherit the Kingdom for blessing and almsgiving." "If you," says the saint, "do not want to give, then at least do not offend; if you do not want to save him from drowning, at least do not plunge him into the abyss." "For if he who receives alms in the presence of many is to be ashamed, then what offense is inflicted on him when it is still given with reproach and turned away from him? How can they wound his soul with this? We are... we insult those who ask so much and look at them with such disgust, as if they had caused us the greatest offense. You give him nothing: why are you vexed? Admonish them as brothers, said the Apostle, and do not insult them as enemies. Whoever admonishes his brother does not do it publicly, does not solemnly expose him to shame, but in secret and with great caution, grieving and lamenting, and with tears and weeping. Therefore, let us give alms with brotherly zeal, let us admonish with brotherly love, not grieving over the fact that we give alms... If you offend him by giving him alms, you will lose the pleasure (which you give your) generosity. And if you give him nothing, and insult him, then what harm will you not do to this wretched and unfortunate man? He came to you hoping to receive alms, and went away after receiving a mortal wound from you, and he will shed more tears after that. Since poverty compels him to beg, while he is insulted for what he asks, see what punishment will befall those who insult him. Whoever slanders the poor, it is said, provokes him who has done him[918]. Tell me: He has allowed him to beg for your sake, that you may heal yourself, and you offend him who endures poverty for your sake? What cruelty! What ingratitude in this act! Punish, says the Apostle, as brothers. And after almsgiving, he commands us to admonish him. If, having given him nothing, we begin to offend him, then what shall we say in our defense?" [919]. "Thus, there is a double almsgiving, when we give willingly: God loves the giver willingly. But if you distribute even a thousand talents with pride, arrogance, and vanity, you will destroy them all, just as the Pharisee, who gave away a tenth of his possessions, but was haughty and haughty about it, went out of the temple, having destroyed everything." And the Holy Father especially insists on the need for tenderness and a kind of tenderness on the part of the giver of alms towards the receiver, who always experiences difficult moments when receiving a favor. "A wise man," says St. John, for example, "seeing the self-interest and arrogance of human nature and knowing the nature of poverty... in the instruction that no one should be angry at the requests of the poor and from irritation... He did not become a persecutor instead of a helper, he exhorts him to be indulgent and accessible to the needy: incline your ear, he says, to the poor without grief, and tell him peacefully in meekness[921]. He who cares for them (the poor) should be so magnanimous as not only not to increase their despondency by reproaches, but to alleviate their condition as much as possible by consolation. Just as he who has suffered an offense, with great abundance, does not feel the benefit of riches because of the offense, so he who has heard a kind word and accepted it with consolation, rejoices and rejoices more, and the gift itself is twice as great from this way of giving. I say this not on my own behalf, but from the words of the one who offered the exhortation above. "Child," he says, "do not give vice in good things, and in every giving of sorrow in words. Will not the dew wet the heat? Thus a word is better than a giving. Is not her word more than a good gift? And the husband's both are grace-filled"[922]. Using the example of Abraham, the saint clearly teaches what it means to serve the needy with hospitality. Abraham "does and proposes everything himself. He did not even consider himself worthy to sit down with them, but when they ate, he stood before them. What greatness of the love of strangers! What a depth of humility! What a loftiness of a God-loving soul! As they ate, this hundred-year-old man stood in front of them. It seems to me that from great joy and cordiality he then rose above his weakness and, as it were, received new strength... Do we see how great was the love of strangers of the righteous man? Do not only see that he offered bread and a calf, but reflect on the reverence, with what humility he fulfilled the duty of hospitality, not like many others who, although they sometimes do something similar, are vain before their visitors... He who does anything with arrogance and acts as if he gives more than he receives, he does not know what he is doing... But this righteous man knew what he was doing, and therefore in everything he did, he showed spiritual zeal... Let us all imitate him... Our Lord demands of us an abundance of zeal, and not a multitude of viands, not a sumptuous meal, but a heart, services not only in words, but also love that proceeds from the heart and pure intention. Often, after all, a diligent word comforts the needy more than almsgiving. Therefore, knowing this, let us never be indignant at those who come to us; but if we can help their need, let us do so with joy and cordiality, as if we ourselves received more from them than we gave them. let us render them a service, even with a word, and let us speak to them with meekness"[923].

In order to conclude the exposition of St. John Chrysostom's views on almsgiving, it remains for us to say a few words about this saint's comparative assessment of various types of almsgiving. We do not find a detailed development of this aspect in the teaching of alms in the works of St. John. We have already seen that in the concept of alms he includes not only the giving of money to the needy, but also any kind of service to one's neighbor. The criterion of the comparative value of alms in this case is the degree of personal participation of the benefactor in the need of the poor. "I know many," says St. John, for example, "who have reached such an atrocity that out of sheer laziness they leave the hungry without help, making excuses in the following way: now I have no servant, I have a long way to go home, and there is no one to exchange them with. What cruelty! You have promised more, and you do not do less. Is he starving because you don't want to walk a few steps? What pride! What arrogance! If you were to go through ten stages, why be lazy? Do you not think that you would have a greater reward for this? When you give, you will receive a reward only for almsgiving, and when you go yourself, you will receive another reward for it. Thus, we are amazed at the patriarch, because he, having three hundred and eighteen members of the household, himself ran into the flock and took the calf"[925]. "Do not be ashamed to serve the poor with your own hand. Christ was not ashamed to stretch out his hand and take alms through the poor, are you ashamed to stretch out your hand and give money? Isn't that shameful? If one cup of cold water brings forth the kingdom of heaven, tell me, what fruit will it bring if you make a poor man... a partaker of the meal, and will you give him rest? Therefore, let us not be ashamed of serving the poor, let us not refuse to serve them with our own hands, because our hands are sanctified through such service... Giving money is a fairly common thing; but to help the needy oneself and to do it with diligence – for this a great and loving soul is needed"[926]. As for the comparative assessment of private and public, properly ecclesiastical, charity, we have not found such in the works of St. John Chrysostom. St. The Father only decisively distinguishes between these types of almsgiving and, insisting on the duty to do good personally, also strongly advises to bring one's donations to the church treasury, and from the works of the saint it is clearly seen how widely developed and strictly organized church charity was. "Many rich people," says St. John, "as soon as it is necessary to give to the poor, appear to be poorer than the poorest. And how are they often justified? The poor, they say, receive from the church treasury. What do you care about that? If I give, you will not be saved for it; if the Church gives, you will not atone for your sins with this. If you do not give because the Church should give to the needy, then (equally) if the priests pray, should you not pray for that? Others fast—is that why you can constantly indulge in drunkenness?... Everything we say about almsgiving, we say not that you should bring offerings to us, but that you should give them on your own behalf. Bringing it to me, you may fall into vanity, and sometimes, being tempted, you will depart with evil suspicion; and if you do everything yourself, you will get rid of temptation and misplaced suspicion and receive a great reward... Let us not present such pretexts and consider it an excuse for ourselves that the Church has many treasures. When you see in it a great deal of possessions, imagine also the great number of the poor registered, the multitude of the sick, the thousands of cases of expense; sort it out, calculate, no one is in the way; We are even ready to give you an account... The Church is compelled to have what she now has because of your avarice; and if everything were done according to the apostolic rules, then her income would be your disposition, which would be both a safe storehouse and an inexhaustible treasure. And now, when you lay up treasures on earth and lock everything up in your storehouses, the Church is compelled to incur expenses for the societies of widows, for the assembly of virgins, for the reception of strangers, for the relief of strangers, for the consolation of prisoners, for the relief of the sick and maimed, and for other similar needs, what is she to do?... Each of us will give an answer to God for himself"[927].

We do not consider it necessary to enumerate in detail all those types of service to one's neighbor which St. John considers with the meaning of almsgiving and to which he encourages his listeners. Let us only pay attention to the advice of the Holy Father to constantly put a certain part of the money in a special box, in imitation of the practice of the Apostolic Church, as well as a very interesting view of St. John on posthumous charity.

Having told his listeners in detail about the order of gathering for the benefit of the needy in the churches in the time of the apostles, St. John invites everyone to imitate the order legitimized by the holy Apostle Paul. "I," the Holy Father instructs, "say: give to the needy, and I will speak louder than the needy themselves... But in order that my words may be more effective and stronger, for this purpose, having come under the guidance of Paul, I will say to you with him: Let him keep you with him, if anything is in good will. See how easy it is. He did not say, "So much or so much," but, "If there is a good time," whether it is much or little. And not only in this way does he make his advice manageable, but also in that he does not command that everything be brought in at the same time, since if one collects little by little, then the service and expenditure become insensible"[928]. "From Saturdays, that is, on Sunday, everyone places you in his possession, preserving whatever he hastenes. See how it convinces by time itself: this day in itself is sufficiently disposed to alms... He commands not to bring it immediately, but appoints a long period and gives the reason: "And when I come," he says, then there will be meetings... let us constantly turn to God and follow Blessed Paul: let us build in our house a reliquary for the poor, which should be located near the place where you stand for prayer, and every time you begin to pray, put alms beforehand, and then offer prayer. Just as you do not begin prayer without washing your hands, so do not begin it without almsgiving. To lay down alms is no less than to hang the Gospel near one's bed; if you hang up the Gospel and do nothing yourself, you will not receive so much benefit; and having built such a reliquary, you have a weapon against the devil, you give wings to your prayer, you sanctify your house, preserving in it the Royal Brush. Let this ark stand by your bed, and your night will be without dreams; only do not put anything in it from unrighteous acquisitions; Your work is almsgiving, and alms cannot be from hardness of heart.

However, I do not make this a law, I do not forbid postponing more, but only ask that at least a tenth be postponed. Do the same not only when selling, but also when buying. Let the owners of the fields observe the same rule when collecting revenues from them; the same is true of all who acquire righteousness. If we are confirmed in such a habit, then our conscience will reproach us as soon as we do not fulfill this rule; but when we ourselves experience that this is not a difficult matter, then little by little we will pass on to the higher virtues" [929].

It is very interesting to note St. John's view of posthumous charity. We have already seen how negatively the great teachers of the Church reacted to the hope of the rich to atone for their greed and avarice by means of bequests in favor of the poor. In essence, St. John could not have had anything other than a negative attitude towards such a mood: "Thanks be to death, and not to you," says the Holy Father, in agreement with St. Basil, about the hope of the rich to atone for his sins by a testament in favor of the poor. But, nevertheless, St. John significantly softens his judgments in this case and even proves the benefit for the soul of the deceased of alms in his memory on the part of close relatives. "Make Christ heir in your will," advises, for example, the saint. "After all, the heir must be alive; this will also testify to a beautifully directed will; besides, you will become more generous, at least out of necessity. Christ commanded us to give to the poor in order to make us wise alive, to persuade us to despise money, to teach us not to respect earthly things. This is not the contempt for money, that, dying and not being a master, you give it to one or the other. You do not voluntarily give the remainder, but in extreme necessity. Gratitude to death, not to you. This is not a matter of tender love, but of need. However, let it be so, but at least then free yourself from passion... But some have reached such madness and depravity that even then (before death) they do not understand what is due, but act as if they were trying to make God's judgment difficult for themselves." "When someone dies," St. John also advises in another of his discourses, "let his relatives persuade him before his death to leave something to the poor. Let him depart with this hope, let him leave Christ as his heir... Let us begin to clothe the soul, let us begin to remove it throughout our entire life. If, however, we did not care for it during our lifetime, let us come to our senses, at least at death, and bequeath to our relatives to help us, after death, with alms." Thus, St. John sees in the drawing up of a will for the benefit of the poor the last good effort of will and was ready to welcome it as the beginning of virtue. But the Holy Father did not stop there and called on his listeners to give alms in memory of the deceased, pointing out in this alms the way to the purification of the soul of the departed. Obviously, St. John was allowed to adopt such a point of view by the view of almsgiving, according to which it has a proper religious meaning, similar to prayer. Undoubtedly, the special concern of the saint for his flock in distress impelled him in this way to dispose him to almsgiving. "Truly worthy of tears (sinners)," teaches St. John, "when they stand before the throne of Christ, what words they will hear, what torments they will endure! They lived in vain; or, better, not in vain, but to the detriment (of oneself). And it is proper to say of them: it would have been better for them if they had not been born[932]. (This one) has labored all his life in vain, and has not lived a single day for himself, but for pleasure, for luxury, for covetousness, for sin, for the devil. Shall we not weep for him, tell me? Shall we not try to snatch him away from danger? There is, indeed there is a possibility, to alleviate his punishment if we wish. Thus, if we make frequent prayers for him, if we give alms, then, although he himself was unworthy, God will hear us. If for Paul's sake He saved others, and for the sake of others He has mercy on others, will He not do the same for us? From his own possessions, from yours, from whatever you want, render help; pour (on it) oil, or at least water. Can't he show his own works of mercy? Let them be at least related. Does he not have those who are perfect by himself? Let them be (perfect) for him. In this way, the wife can intercede for him boldly, presenting for him what is necessary for salvation. The greater his sins are guilty of, the more necessary alms are for him. And not only because, but also because now it no longer has such power, but much less. It does not matter whether someone creates it himself, or for him. So, the less (in force) it is, the more we must increase it in quantity... We will not care about monuments, not about tombstones. Gather the widows, and that is the best monument! Tell (them) the name (of the deceased); let everyone pray and supplicate for him. This will incline to the mercy of God, although it is not he himself, but another who does alms for him. This is in accordance with God's love for mankind. Widows standing around and weeping can save, if not from present, then from future death. Many have benefited from the alms done for them by others. If they were not completely (pardoned), they at least received some consolation. Otherwise, how would children be saved, who are nothing of themselves, and everyone is parents? And often wives were given children who did not represent anything of themselves. God has given us many ways to salvation, if only we ourselves would not be negligent. But what, you say, if someone is poor? Again, I will say that the worthiness of alms is judged not only by what is given, but also by diligence. Only do not give less than you can, and you will do everything. And if someone, you say, is lonely, a stranger and has no one? And why does he have no one, tell me? For this very reason he is punished, because he has no one so close, so virtuous. Therefore, if we ourselves are not virtuous, we should strive to have virtuous companions and friends, a wife and a son, in order to receive some benefit through them, however small, but nevertheless benefit. If you try to marry not a rich, but a pious wife, you will have consolation. In the same way, if you try to leave behind you not a rich, but a pious son and an honest daughter, then you will have this consolation. And if you take care of this, then you yourself will be like that. It is characteristic of virtue to have such friends, both a wife and children. Offerings for the dead are not in vain, prayers are not in vain, alms are not in vain. All this was established by the Spirit, desiring that we should benefit each other. See: he benefits through you, and you benefit for his sake. You have spent your possessions by deciding to do a good deed, and you have become the author of salvation for him, and he has become the author of alms for you. Do not doubt that this will bring good fruit. It is not in vain that the deacon exclaims: For those who have fallen asleep in Christ, for those who commemorate them. It is not the deacon who utters these words, but the Holy Spirit; I mean His gift"[933].

With an exposition of the teaching on alms of St. John Chrysostom, one could conclude the review of the teaching on alms of the entire Eastern ancient Church, since the question was considered by the saint with exhaustive completeness. But we still consider it not superfluous, in addition to the expounded teaching of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Church, to make brief remarks on the view of the Christian ascetic monks on almsgiving. We have not expounded their teachings on property, and in connection with this, on wealth and poverty, because the general monastic view of these subjects is revealed with all certainty from the ascetic rules. As for the view of almsgiving, in ascetic writings it is revealed in a somewhat different way, as if in a peculiar way, in comparison with the formulation of the question in the general teaching of the Church. And it is not difficult for us to understand the need for a peculiar formulation of the question in ascetic writing. The fact is that the doctrine of alms is inseparably connected with the doctrine of property, as we have already seen.