May 31
(A Homily in Praise of Those Who Give Alms to the Poor)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
When we give a poor man a small coin, we do not usually regret it and give it with a peaceful spirit. But when we must give away something more substantial, and actually do so, we often regret such a sacrifice, joined as it is with self-denial, and we give it with sadness and dissatisfaction, sometimes even with reproaches toward the one receiving it. In the latter case our misfortune is twofold: we regret what has been given away, and we lose our reward from God for it; and in some cases we may even incur punishment from God.
It is said, among other things, in the Prologue, in the Homily in Praise of the Merciful, “Almsgiving has value only when it is offered with love and good will... It is better not to do good at all than, having done it, to grieve over it and become despondent... Almsgiving is measured not by the amount given, but by the love of the heart... And if the rich do not give with love, they will not escape punishment. Almsgiving is valued not by the quantity distributed, but by the love of the heart.” That almsgiving has value in the eyes of God only when it is done with love, and loses its value when one grieves and becomes despondent over what has been given away, is evident from the following.
In the days of Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, there lived a miserly bishop named Troilus. Once John invited him to a hospital where poor sick people were lying and said: “Father, here is a fine opportunity to comfort the poor: give them alms.” Troilus was ashamed not to comply with a request made by the Patriarch himself, and so he gave each of the sick a gold coin. But when he returned home, he regretted the money he had distributed so much that he took to his bed. When John learned the cause of Troilus’s illness, he came to him and said: “Father, I will return to you the money that you distributed in the hospital; only write that the reward from God for it shall come not to you but to me.” The miserly bishop agreed, took back the money, and wrote what was requested. The Lord, however, quickly brought him to his senses. The following night Troilus saw in a dream a beautiful house, and above it was written: “The dwelling and eternal rest of Bishop Troilus.” Troilus rejoiced beyond measure, but not for long. A certain man appeared and said to the servants standing there: “The Lord commands that the inscription be changed and that, instead of Troilus, the name of John, Patriarch of Alexandria, be written, for he purchased this house for thirty gold coins.” And they wrote it so. You can imagine the terror and repentance of the unfortunate Troilus after this.
Another example: A resident of Constantinople was gravely ill and, fearing death, distributed thirty gold coins to the poor, just as Troilus had done. But when he recovered, he also began to regret the money and shared his distress with an acquaintance. The latter reasoned with him and warned him of God's wrath, but he would not stop regretting the money. Then the acquaintance said to him: “If you will not listen to me, let us go to church. There simply say: ‘Lord, it was not I who gave the alms, but this man,’ and I shall immediately return your money.” The unhappy lover of silver readily agreed. “And no sooner had he taken the money into his hands and spoken those words than he immediately fell down in the church and died” (Trinity Leaflets, No. 191).
Almsgiving accompanied by resentment is not almsgiving at all; rather, it is a manifestation of greed and hardness of heart, and at the same time a sign of deficient faith. Indeed, if I firmly believe that through the hands of the poor I am placing my alms into the hands of Christ Himself, and that He will repay me a hundredfold in the age to come, why should I regret it? I know that if I sow generously, that is, with blessing, then I shall also reap generously. But when firm faith is lacking, we usually begin to limp on both sides and say: “How much effort it cost me to earn this money! What will remain for me if I give everything away?” and so on. No, brethren. If we are Christians, then we must act as Christians. Let us therefore not only do good, but do good from a pure heart and with love for Christ our Savior, and with hope in His recompense. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
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