The presence of the passion of avarice reveals itself when a person enjoys receiving but resents having to give. — St. Maximos the Confessor
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The lover of money sneers at the Gospel, and is a willful transgressor. He who has attained to love scatters his money. But he who says that he lives for love and for money has deceived himself. — St. John Climacus
Comment: the overturning of the moneychangers tables is a sign of this.
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The beginning of love of money is the pretext of almsgiving, and the end of it is hatred of the poor. So long as he is collecting he is charitable, but when the money is in hand he tightens his grip. — St. John Climacus
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Thus ought we ever to exercise hospitality by our own personal exertions, that we may be sanctified, and our hands be blessed. And if you give to the poor, disdain not yourself to give it, for it is not to the poor that it is given, but to Christ; and who is so wretched, as [...]
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Posted in The Poor, tagged Asceticism, christianity, compassion, hunger, judgment, justice, last judgement, love, materialism, orthodox, poor, poverty, prisoners, property, sick, spiritual gifts, the soul on January 22, 2008 | No Comments »
“The bodies of fellow human beings must be treated with greater care than our own. Christian love teaches us to give our brethren not only spiritual gifts, but material gifts as well. Even our last shirt, our last piece of bread must be given to them. Personal almsgiving and the most wide-ranging social work are [...]
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Posted in The Poor, tagged chalice, christianity, compassion, hunger, justice, orthodox, poor, poverty, property, the soul, vestments on January 22, 2008 | No Comments »
“Do you wish to honor the Body of the Savior? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honor it in church with silk vestments while outside it is naked and numb with cold. He who said, “This is my body,” and made it so by his word, is the same that said, [...]
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Posted in The Poor, tagged alien, antisocial, baptism, christ, christianity, culture, deviant, dissident, enslaved, golgotha, hunger, immigrant, imprisoned, kidnappped, orthodoxy, outsider, poor, poverty, prisoners, sickness, stranger, thirst, tortured on January 21, 2008 | No Comments »
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me [...]
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Posted in The Poor, tagged homeless, orphan, orphanage, poor, prisoner, st. gregory, st. gregory's foundation, suicide, widow on January 20, 2008 | No Comments »
Every year hundreds of teenagers leave the orphanages of Saint Petersburg. Within a year a third will be in prison, a fifth will be homeless and a tenth will have committed suicide. - [St. Gregory's Foundation]
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