June: Day 27:
Saint Sampson the Hospitable
(On the Virtue of Hospitality)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Saint Sampson the Hospitable
(On the Virtue of Hospitality)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
I. The Venerable Sampson, whose memory is celebrated today, was a Roman by birth, the son of very noble and rich parents, who gave him a good education and from his early years instilled in him love for God and the desire to follow the law of the Lord. Loving his neighbors, as the Lord commands, Sampson learned the art of medicine in order to help the suffering. The Lord blessed his good intentions and gave him the miraculous power to heal any ailment.
After the death of his parents, Sampson inherited a rich estate, which he used for the benefit of his neighbors. He set all his slaves free, gave generous alms, received and fed the poor and the strangers. He loved solitude very much, but, caring above all for the benefit of his neighbors, he settled in Constantinople and built a house where he received the poor, the sick, and the strangers. He himself treated the sick and by the power of God worked many miracles. Out of humility, he tried to hide these manifestations of God's special mercy to him, but his holy life became known, and the Patriarch ordained him a priest.
It happened that the Emperor Justinian, who reigned at that time, became dangerously ill. The efforts of the most skilled doctors remained in vain, but Sampson, by the miraculous power given to him by God, healed the emperor. "Demand from me whatever reward you wish," said the delighted emperor to him; "take money or property."
“I do not need wealth,” answered Sampson. “I had it and I voluntarily lost it, but if you want to do me a great favor, then order a house to be built for the sick and the poor; by this you will please God and make me very happy.”
The Emperor fulfilled Sampson's wish and built a large hospital and hospice, where he appointed Sampson as its director.
Sampson worked until old age and peacefully departed to the Lord in 530. His face shone with quiet joy when he finished his God-pleasing life. Many miracles were performed at his grave and in the hospital he built.
II. May the example of Saint Sampson strengthen all of us, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, in the feeling of hospitality, with the confidence that care for strangers is a great work of philanthropy, bequeathed by the Savior and His disciples! Indeed, at present, with the weakening of the purity and simplicity of morals, hospitality sometimes manifests itself in society in such a way that it inadvertently cools the feeling of kindness towards strangers. However, while presenting such violators of truth before the judgment of God and accountability under civil law, we, brethren, should, according to the words of the Apostle, "test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:20) and not weaken the feeling of humanity in our hearts because of certain instances of the abuse of our trust.
a) In our homeland, there are many pilgrims, guided by a desire to visit the holy places of the Orthodox Church. A benevolent person would not deem these pious journeys to be aimless and useless in the overall fabric of national life; on the contrary, they are living bearers of the spirit of popular piety. With sincere faith, bypassing sites marked by a special manifestation of divine grace in miraculous icons and incorrupt relics of God's saints, these pilgrims disseminate everywhere the fragrance of holiness, blessings, and grace from the fervent intercessors of the Russian land – nourishing the spirit of the people's piety by sharing what they have seen and heard about the lives and feats of the holy servants of God. To deny hospitality to such travelers is neither admirable nor safe, for by doing so one may reveal a lack of piety and forfeit God's blessing, having neglected the love of strangers, through which, according to the words of the Holy Apostle Paul, "some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb. 13:2).
b) Finally, a more general concern of the philanthropist appears to be those homeless poor for whom public and private philanthropy establishes hospices, almshouses, and similar institutions. Contributing to the prosperity of these establishments is the duty of every member of society, both out of a sense of Christian compassion, which is more beloved than all virtues in the eyes of God, and out of a duty of gratitude to our elderly and infirm brethren. This is especially true as this method of philanthropy is the most correct and purposeful, as it allows for providing aid to the poor not temporarily and indiscriminately, but based on a proper assessment of their needs and with a reasonable application of means to meet those needs.
III. Strive then, brethren, in the exploits of philanthropy, each according to the desire of his heart! Whoever gives a passing stranger “a cup of cold water will not lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42). Let us remember the apostolic instruction: “pursue hospitality” (Rom. 12:13), “do not forget to show hospitality” (Heb. 13:1), “be hospitable to one another” (1 Peter 4:9).
Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who had no shelter on earth where He could “lay His head” (Matt. 8:21), will one day remember the hospitable ones at the Last Judgment: “I was a stranger,” He says, “and you took Me in” (Matt. 25:35).
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
