How the Rich Should Conduct Themselves in Order to Be Saved
February 8
(A Discourse of Saint Ephraim to the rich on almsgiving.)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
February 8
(A Discourse of Saint Ephraim to the rich on almsgiving.)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
Saint Gregory of Nazianzus says: “He who makes poor use of his wealth is himself poor, just as is the one who willingly wounds himself with the sword which he carries for the avenging of enemies.”
If you are rich and wish to be saved, do not attach your soul to riches in such a way that, for their sake, you forget God, trample the law, and lull your conscience to sleep; but strive more and more by your deeds to glorify Him who bestowed them upon you (from the book Imperishable Food, p. 216).
How are these words to be understood?
Saint Ephraim instructs the rich as follows:
“Hold the wealth which God has given you for the benefit of your neighbors, and do not conceal it. And if you wish to live without anxiety, keep only Christ in your mind, and for His sake distribute your possessions to the poor, and you will live without care. And if you act in this way, then even here on earth you will not be deprived of God’s mercy. And then, if you say to God, ‘By Your mercy save me,’ He will answer you, ‘By your mercy I will save you.’ Do not say, ‘My property,’ but say, ‘Property entrusted to me by God for a short time,’ and, as a steward, distribute it where the Master has commanded. And if the Lord has given you property, then use it according to the will of Him who gave it: do not be excessively concerned about your family, but entrust your wife and children to God, in whose hands is the wealth of the whole world… As for your family, pray to God that they may not suffer want. In life, care above all for your soul, for you have only one soul and only one allotted time for salvation, and death is one for all. Be contrite over your sins and ask God for forgiveness for them, so as to be delivered from demons and to come to the Kingdom of Heaven, which you acquire for yourself here. And if, in truth, by the wealth of this world you purchase even the smallest hut of the heavenly Jerusalem, no wealth of this world can be compared with it. And remember that the worthiness of almsgiving consists not in the amount given, but in the disposition of the giver’s heart.”
The words of Ephraim, it seems to us, sufficiently explain the saying of Gregory: “If you are rich and wish to be saved, do not attach your soul to riches in such a way that, for their sake, you forget God, trample the law, and lull your conscience to sleep; but strive more and more by your deeds to glorify Him who bestowed them upon you.”
Yes, as Gregory says, the same thing — only in a more expansive sense — is said also by Ephraim. Thus, according to the teaching of both, the words cited at the beginning should generally be understood as follows: “If you are rich, do not spare your wealth for the poor; do not, when giving, enter into bargains with your conscience, but strive with your wealth to glorify Him who bestowed it upon you.”
What should be added to this, and how should the discourse be concluded? Let us conclude with the words of the same Nazianzen: "True wealth is that which enriches us with virtues."
“Therefore, brethren,” he says, “if you are rich, love true riches; if you wish to ascend to the summit of true life, hasten toward the Heavenly Kingdom; if you love the glory of virtues, hasten to be numbered among the angelic choir.” Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
