November: Day 1: Teaching 2: Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian
(On the Sin of Love of Money)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
(On the Sin of Love of Money)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Today we celebrate the memory of two unmercenary physicians named Kosmas and Damian. The two brothers, Kosmas and Damian, were the children of a pious widow. Raised in piety, they received from God the gift of healing the sick, and they helped not only people but also animals. They helped them freely, remembering the Lord's commandment: "Freely you have received, freely give."
II. The Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian, who healed the sick free of charge, teach us to avoid the passion of avarice, which, having taken possession of our soul, can finally extinguish our love for God and our neighbors and deprive us of eternal life.
a) The Holy Fathers strongly denounce the vice of love of money. Thus, Saint John Chrysostom says:
“The love of money is a terrible beast, a great evil! It made Judas a sacrilegious traitor, despite the fact that he performed miracles, was with Christ, Who had nowhere to lay His head; despite the fact that he was daily taught by deeds and words that one should not have gold, nor silver, nor two coats.”
And the same Saint says:
“The love of money is a passion, the most terrible of all passions. Hence come graverobbers (those who dig up graves to rob the deceased); hence come murderers; hence come wars and battles; hence come all evil.”
"Bears and wolves, having had their fill, retreat from food, but lovers of money are never satisfied. They are filled with extreme cruelty and hostility toward their neighbors; no fear of Gehenna, no shame before people, no mercy, no compassion; but shamelessness, insolence, and contempt for everything future. Greedy people are demons within, but beasts without, and even worse than beasts. A demon is hostile to man, not to demons like him, but a greedy person strives in every way to cause harm to both neighbor and family, unashamed of his very nature."
These are the dark colors in which Saint Chrysostom described the thirst for wealth, or greed!
b) Listen to the story found in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ. A certain ascetic was instructing people in piety and collecting treasures from them. Saint Andrew approached him. The monk, thinking it was a beggar, said, "May God have mercy on you, brother, for I have nothing to give you." Andrew walked away from him and saw a terrible serpent coiled around his neck, with the inscription: "The serpent of avarice, the root of all lawlessness." Looking around, Andrew saw two youths arguing. One was black, with dark eyes, the other white as heavenly light. The first said, "He is my monk, therefore he does my will: he is unmerciful and a lover of money, and has no part with God, but like the second, an idolater, he serves me." The radiant youth replied, "No, he is mine, for he fasts and prays, and is humble and meek." At this, a voice from heaven spoke to the radiant angel: "You have no share in this monk! Leave him alone, for he serves mammon, not God." And immediately the angel departed from him, and the devil took possession of him, although by the ineffable goodness of God, the money-loving elder, through the prayers and instructions of Saint Andrew, was soon freed from his destructive passion and ceased to serve the devil of avarice.
III. Remember this, brethren, and do not desire riches; do not allow the serpent of avarice to possess you. We came naked into this world, and naked we will enter the next; we will take nothing with us there; only deeds will accompany us. Remember what the Savior said in the Holy Gospel: "It is easier for a rich man to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." Finally, it is not the rich who are happy, but the one who is content with little. Amen.
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
