But in any case, the acquisition of non-acquisitiveness is a great work.

"Let no one think that without difficulty and easily attainment in non-acquisitiveness," says St. Nilus of Sinai.11 "For now we call non-acquisitiveness not involuntary poverty, which, having happened out of necessity, crushes the spirit and, as involuntary, is considered intolerable, but a voluntary determination to be content with little, acquired by the autocracy of thought, but nevertheless requiring work, and precisely until the time when exercise, having turned into a habit, makes tolerable what for a long time seemed difficult and intolerable."

III. The Benefits of Non-Acquisitiveness

"As long as a person remains in non-acquisitiveness, the idea of being transferred from life constantly comes to him, and he always takes care of life after the resurrection, at all times he prepares there in every possible way and acquires patience against all honor and bodily rest... not even afraid--9-

and death, because every hour he fixes his gaze on it as at something approaching and awaits it; and his care is cast with undoubted hope on God...

If it happens to him... for some reason to acquire something transitory, then at the same hour his love for the body begins to awaken in his soul; he thinks of a long life; every hour thoughts of carnal peace arise in him and come into force... and he searches within himself whether it is not possible, in any way, for him to have everything that constitutes this rest for him... hence, in every case, he dwells on thoughts that lead to fear, and invents reasons for fear, because this firmness of heart has been taken away from him, which he acquired when in his non-acquisitiveness he was above the world..."12

Therefore, "if you have anything superfluous beyond the daily need, distribute it to the poor and go boldly to offer your prayers, that is, converse with God as a son with his father. Nothing can bring the heart closer to God than almsgiving, and nothing produces such silence in the soul as arbitrary poverty."13 "If you believe that God cares for you, why should you be anxious and concerned about temporal things and about the necessities of your flesh? And if you do not believe that God provides, and therefore, apart from Him, you yourself take care of what is necessary for you, then you are the most miserable of all people. Why do you live or will you live? Cast thy sorrow upon the Lord, and He shall nourish thee (Psalm 54:23)."14

John Climacus also said about the benefits of non-acquisitiveness:

"Nothing humbles the soul so much as being in poverty and living on alms. For then we appear most of all to be wise and God-loving, when, having the means to exalt ourselves, we flee from it irrevocably."15

IV. Examples of True Non-Acquisitiveness

St. Symeon the New Theologian defines its boundaries in the following way: "Show God, or rather, let Him Himself see your poverty, and your lack of acquisitiveness, and your uncovetous disposition, so that even if the wealth of the whole world flows to you like a river from somewhere, or if you find an immeasurable amount of gold thrown at you (for this also happens through the wiles of the devil and his minions), you would not want to look even with one eye at it, With all the fact that I can't imagine what to take,

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would be a sin, under a plausible pretext to distribute to the poor."

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