My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE
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THE BLESSING OF ALMS
By Bishop Leontius of Neapolis ("Life of John the Almsgiver")
One day the all-wise John (the Almsigiver, 610-619 A.D.) heard of a generous giver and so he sent for him privately and said jokingly: How is it that you became so generous? Was it natural to you, or did you put constraint up yourself?
Some to whom he put this same question stood shamefacedly before him and would not answer, whilst others would tell him their story. One man whom the Saint questioned answered as follows:
"As a fact, master, I neither give anything nor do any good; but the little I do give and do from that which comes to me through Christ and your prayers I came to do in this way. Formerly I was very hardhearted and unsympathetic and one day I lost money and was reduced to poverty. Then my reason began to say to me: 'Truly, if you had been charitable, God would not have forsaken you.' And thereupon I decided to give five coppers [pholleis] a day to the poor. But when I started giving them, Satan immediately checked me by saying: 'Those coppers would really have been enough to buy a bath-ticket or vegetables for your family.' Then I felt at once as if I were taking the money out of my children's mouth and so I gave nothing."
But I noticed I was being mastered by this vice, so I said to my slave: "I want you to steal five coppers daily without my noticing it, and give them in charity." For I am a money-changer master.
The money-changer continued:
"My slave, worthy fellow, began by stealing ten coppers, and occasionally even a shilling [keratin]. When he noticed that we were being blessed, he began to steal gold crowns, [trimisia] as well, and give them away as well. One day I was expressing my astonishment at God's blessings to us, I said to him: 'Those five coppers, boy, have greatly benefited us. So now I want you to give ten.' At that, the slave said to me with a smile: 'Yes, be thankful for my thefts, since but for them we should not even have bread to eat today. However if there can be a just thief, I am he!' and then he told me that he had given shillings and even crowns. So it was through his faith, master, that I grew accustomed to giving with all my heart.
The holy Patriarch was much edified by this story and said: "Truly I have read many stories in the lives of the Fathers, but I have never heard anything like this! (Orthodox Heritage)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George