Homilies on First Corinthians 21 part 2/2

Wherefore also with better reason might these words be spoken to those who set up these contests, and who part with nothing until they see others tormented:

Ought these men to live, or to breathe at all, or to look upon this sun—these who do violence to our common nature, who insult God? And when God says, Give alms, and I give you the kingdom of heaven, you did not listen;

but when the devil showed a head fixed with nails, you suddenly became generous;

and the contrivance of the wicked demon, bearing such great harm, bent you more than the promise of God bringing countless good things;

whereas it were fitting, even if one had to lay down gold that these things should not happen, nor be seen happening, to do all things and endure all, so as to abolish this great madness;

but you, in order that these things may both happen and be seen happening, do all things and busy yourselves.

Do you then still ask me, tell me, why there is a Gehenna? But no longer ask this, but rather how there is but one Gehenna only.

For of how many punishments are they not worthy, these who get up this cruel and pitiless theater, and laugh at things over which both those men and you yourselves ought to weep—or rather, you who compel them to such disgrace? But I do not compel them, one says.

How do you not compel them, tell me, when you cannot bear even to give heed to the more decent, who weep and call upon God;

but to these you both furnish liberal money, and gather round many who marvel? And should we, one says, cease from pitying them?

And is it you who command this? This is not to pity, O man—to demand so great a penalty for a few obols, to command a man to be cut to pieces for the sake of necessary food, and to slash the skin of his head in many places so bitterly and piteously.

For it is not we who nail those heads.

And the terrible thing would not be so terrible.

For he who slaughters another does a thing far more grievous than he who commands that he himself be slaughtered;

which is indeed what happens in these cases too.

For they endure sharper pains, when they are commanded to become themselves the doers of these wicked injunctions—and that too in Antioch, where first they were called Christians, where they became gentler than all men, where in old times the fruit of almsgiving flourished abundantly.

For not to those present only, but also to those far off did they send from a great distance, and that too when a famine was expected.

To relent from this brutishness, and to persuade all who beg, that by doing these things

they will gain nothing, but by approaching with decency, they will enjoy much of our bounty.

And if they learn these things, even though they be more wretched than all men, they will never choose to be punished in such ways—I guarantee it;

but they will even be grateful to you, because you have delivered them from both the laughter and that pain.

But now, for the sake of charioteers you would give up even your own children, and for the sake of dancers you would part with your very souls;

but for the sake of Christ who hungers, you do not part with even the smallest fraction of your substance;

but if you give a little money, you are disposed as though you had paid out the whole, not knowing that not the giving, but the giving with liberality—this above all is almsgiving.

For this reason also the prophet does not simply proclaim and bless those who give, but those who provide ungrudgingly.

For he did not say simply, 'He gave,' but how? 'He dispersed, he gave to the poor.'

For what profit is there, when, being so rich, you give only as much as one might give a ladleful drawn from the sea, and do not even emulate the greatness of soul of a widow woman? And how will you say, 'Lord, have mercy on me according to Thy great mercy, and according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out mine iniquity,'

when you yourself do not show mercy according to great mercy, and perhaps not even according to small mercy? For indeed I am greatly ashamed whenever I see many of the rich borne along on horses with golden bridles, and servants clad in gold trailing after them, and owning couches of silver and yet more display besides, and yet, when it is necessary to give something to a poor man, becoming poorer than the very poorest.

But what is their great argument? 'The Church has the common fund,' one says.

And what is that to you? For neither, if I give, are you thereby saved;

nor, if the Church makes provision, have you thereby blotted out your own sins.

For if on this account you do not give, because the Church ought to give to the needy;

then, because the priests pray, will you never pray? And because others fast, will you be perpetually drunken? Do you not know that God ordained the laws concerning almsgiving not so much for the sake of the poor as for the sake of those who give? But do you suspect the priest? To be sure, this too is a grievous sin;

nevertheless, I press the matter no further.

Do everything through yourself, and thus you will reap a double reward.

For indeed the things we say concerning almsgiving, we say not that you may bring them to us, but that you yourself may minister through your own hand.

For in offering to me, perhaps you may even be caught by vainglory, and oftentimes you may depart offended, from having harbored evil suspicions;

but if you do everything through yourselves, you will be freed both from occasions of stumbling and from unseemly suspicion.

It is not, then, as forcing you to bring your money here that I say these things, nor out of indignation on behalf of the priests who are ill spoken of.

For if one ought to be indignant and to grieve, one ought rather to grieve for you who speak evil.

For to those who are ill spoken of rashly and in vain, the reward is greater; but to those who speak, the judgment and the punishment are heavier.

It is not, then, for their sake that I say these things, but out of care and concern for you.

For what wonder is it, if in our generation some are held in suspicion, when even in the days of those saints who imitated the angels, who possessed nothing of their own—I mean the apostles—there arose a murmuring in the daily ministration to the widows, because the poor were neglected, at a time when no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but all things were common to them? Let us not, then, put forward these pretexts, nor imagine that the Church's possessing much is any excuse.

For when you behold the magnitude of her substance, consider also the multitudes of the poor enrolled on her lists, the throngs of the sick, the countless occasions of her provisioning;

make inquiry, investigate thoroughly—no one will hinder you; nay, we are even ready to render you an account.

Nevertheless, I wish to press the case to an extreme.

For when we have rendered the accounts, and shown that the expenditure is not less than the income, but in some cases even more, I would gladly ask you this:

when we depart yonder, and hear Christ saying, 'You saw Me hungry, and did not feed Me; naked, and did not clothe Me,' what shall we say? And what

shall we plead in our defense? Shall we bring forward this man and that man who disregarded these things, and some of the suspected priests? And what is that to you?

'For I charge you,' He says, 'with the very things which you yourself sinned in.'

But the defense against these things is to wash away one's own sins, not to point out others who have offended in the same ways as yourself.

For indeed the Church, because of your stinginess, is compelled to possess what she now possesses;

since, if all things were done according to the apostolic laws, her revenue ought to be your goodwill, which would also be a secure treasury and an inviolable store.

But as it is, when you lay up treasure upon the earth, and shut up everything in your own storehouses, while she is compelled to spend on assemblies of widows, choirs of virgins, the sojournings of strangers, the hardships of travelers, the calamities of prisoners, the necessities of the sick and the maimed, and other such occasions—what is she to do? Turn away all these, and dam up so many harbors? And who could suffice for the shipwrecks that ensue, for the wailings, the lamentations, the moanings borne from every quarter? Let us not, then, utter carelessly whatever comes to mind.

For now, as I said before, we are ready even to render you the accounts;

but if even the contrary were the case, and you had corrupt teachers who snatched everything and were covetous, not even so would their wickedness be an excuse for you.

For the loving and all-wise One, the only-begotten Son of God, who sees all things, and knew that it would come to pass that in the long course of time and in so vast a world many priests should become corrupt;

so that the negligence of those under authority might not be increased through the carelessness of those men, taking away every excuse for negligence, He says, 'The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down upon Moses' seat;'

'all things therefore whatsoever they bid you do, do;'

'but do not according to their works;'

showing that even if you have a bad teacher, this will be able to profit you nothing, unless you give heed to the things spoken.

For it is not from what the teacher did, but from what you heard and disregarded, that God renders His verdicts concerning you.

So that, if you do the things enjoined, you will then stand with much boldness;

but if you disregard the things spoken, even though you point to ten thousand corrupt priests, this will avail nothing to protect you.

Since Judas too was an apostle, yet nevertheless this will never plead anything on behalf of the sacrilegious and the lovers of money.

Nor will anyone, when accused, be able to say, 'Why, the apostle too was a thief and a robber of sacred things and a traitor;'

but rather this very thing will above all punish us and condemn us, that we were not brought to soberness even by the evils of others.

For it was on this account that those things were recorded, that we might flee from emulating them.

Wherefore, letting this man and that man go, let us give heed to ourselves;

for each of us shall give account of himself to God.

In order, then, that we may render this account with a good defense, let us order aright our own life, and stretch out a bountiful hand to those in need, knowing that this alone is our defense—to show that we ourselves have accomplished the things enjoined—and no other.

And if we are able to render this, we shall escape those unbearable pains of hell, and shall attain to the good things that are to come;

which may it be granted us all to obtain, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.