Prologue in Sermons: April 11

What We Give to the Poor, God Returns To Us

April 11

(A Word about Evagrius the Philosopher, whom Synesius the Bishop baptized and gave him a written pledge for the sake of almsgiving.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Word of God says: “He who has mercy on the poor lends to God” (Proverbs 19:17). From this it follows that through the hands of the poor we entrust our goods to God. It is clear that He Himself must return what we have given. But will He return it? And if He returns it, how can one be convinced of this?

Listen, brethren, to the following account; one may think that it will be convincing for you.

Synesius, Bishop of Cyrene, after a long time and many exhortations, converted to Christ a pagan, the philosopher Evagrius, and baptized him with all his household. A year after his baptism, Evagrius — apparently still wavering with doubts about certain truths of Christian teaching — once came to Synesius, entrusted to him a rather large sum of gold, and said that Synesius should distribute it all to the poor, and give him a written receipt in his own hand that the Lord would return to him what was given away in the future life. The Bishop gave Evagrius the receipt and distributed the gold to the poor. After this, Evagrius lived for several years and then fell onto his deathbed. Before his death he called his children and, giving them the receipt of Synesius, instructed them to place it with him in the grave. The children promised to fulfill the command, and when Evagrius died, they placed the receipt with him. Two days passed after Evagrius had been buried, and on the third day he appeared in a dream to Synesius and said: “Come to my grave and take your receipt; the debt, as you assured me, I have received, and now, as proof on my part, I leave you my own written acknowledgment of receipt.” Awakening, Synesius called the sons of Evagrius and asked them whether they had placed anything in the grave with their father. They answered: “Nothing, master, except some document which our father asked to be placed with him.” Then Synesius, recounting to them his dream, invited some of the clergy and many noble persons of the city and went with them to the grave of Evagrius. When the grave was opened, they found in the hands of the dead Evagrius a writing, and when they unfolded it, they saw that in it, written by the hand of the deceased, were the following words: “I, Evagrius the philosopher, greet you, venerable bishop Synesius. I have received the debt which through you I gave to Christ God the Savior, and now I will no longer require from you any account concerning the gold which I once gave to you and through you to Christ God, our Savior.” “And immediately,” the account concludes, “all marveled greatly at the most glorious miracle, and glorified God, crying out for a long time: ‘Lord, have mercy!’”

Do not fear, brethren: what is given to God will not be lost. He who gives seed to the sower and bread for food will surely return in abundance what you have sown and will multiply the fruits of your righteousness. And would He not return it, when in His hands are the riches and glory of the whole world, when He Himself is all love and mercy, and when He Himself says that what is given to the poor is given to Him? “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:35–36).

“Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (v. 40). Let us therefore open our ears to the requests of the needy, let us open our hands to provide for the poor — especially those whom we know to be truly poor and not living by begging — and let us wipe away the tears of those who weep. And let us also remember what the Lord has just said: that what the poor receive from us on earth, Christ Himself receives in heaven. Amen. 

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.