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Blessed are the merciful, because they shall obtain mercy, says the Scripture. Mercy is not the least of the beatitudes. Again: Blessed is he who is considerate to the needy and the poor. Once more: Generous is the man who is merciful and lends. In another place: All day the just man is merciful and lends. Let us lay hold of this blessing, let us earn the name of being considerate, let us be generous. Not even night should interrupt you in your duty of mercy. Do not say: Come back and I will give you something tomorrow. There should be no delay between your intention and your good deed. Generosity is the one thing that cannot admit of delay. Share your bread with the hungry, and bring the needy and the homeless into your house, with a joyful and eager heart. He who does acts of mercy should do so with cheerfulness. The grace of a good deed is doubled when it is done with promptness and speed. What is given with a bad grace or against one’s will is distasteful and far from praiseworthy. When we perform an act of kindness we should rejoice and not be sad about it. If you undo the shackles and the thongs, says Isaiah, that is, if you do away with miserliness and counting the cost, with hesitation and grumbling, what will be the result? Something great and wonderful! What a marvellous reward there will be: Your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will rise up quickly. Who would not aspire to light and healing. If you think that I have something to say, servants of Christ, his brethren and co-heirs, let us visit Christ whenever we may; let us care for him, feed him, clothe him, welcome him, honor him, not only at a meal, as some have done, or by anointing him, as Mary did, or only by lending him a tomb, like Joseph of Arimathaea, or by arranging for his burial, like Nicodemus, who loved Christ half-heartedly, or by giving him gold, frankincense and myrrh, like the Magi before all these others. The Lord of all asks for mercy, not sacrifice, and mercy is greater than myriads of fattened lambs. Let us then show him mercy in the persons of the poor and those who today are lying on the ground, so that when we come to leave this world they may receive us into everlasting dwelling places, in Christ our Lord himself, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. From a sermon by Saint Gregory of Nazianzen, bishop. ...knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 6:8 Be not faint-hearted in your prayer; The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach 7:10 Also to the poor man stretch out your hand, The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach 7:32-33 Give to the Most High according as he has given; The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach 35:10-11 Let not your hand be stretched out to receive, and closed when you should repay. The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach 4:31 Incline your ear to a poor man, and answer him with peaceful words in meekness. The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach 4:8 1 My son, deprive not the poor of his living, The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach 4:1-4 Do not rejoice unless you have done well. Thomas à Kempis "The Imitation Of Christ" One who gives to the poor has no lack; but one who closes his eyes will have many curses. {11:24} There is one who scatters, and increases yet more. There is one who withholds more than is appropriate, but gains poverty. {11:25} The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself. Proverbs 11:24-25 {41:1} Blessed is he who considers the poor. Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil. {41:2} Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive. He shall be blessed on the earth, and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies. {41:3} Yahweh will sustain him on his sickbed, and restore him from his bed of illness. The Psalms 41:1-3 {15:7} If a poor man, one of your brothers, is with you within any of your gates in your land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother; {15:8} but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, which he lacks. {15:9} Beware that there not be a base thought in your heart, saying, "The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand"; and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing; and he cry to Yahweh against you, and it be sin to you. {15:10} You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; because that for this thing Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work, and in all that you put your hand to. {15:11} For the poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command you, saying, You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land. {15:12} If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, and serves you six years; then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. {15:13} When you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty: {15:14} you shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, and out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress; as Yahweh your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. Deuteronomy 15:7-14 Do what is good and no evil shall touch you. The Book of Tobit, 12:7 He who has pity on the poor lends to Yahweh; he will reward him. Proverbs 19:17 Prayer is good with fasting and alms and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold, for alms can deliver from death and will purge away all sin. Those who practice almsgiving and righteousness shall be filled with life. The Book of Tobit, 12:8-9 ...for there is no man without fault, no man without burden, no man sufficient to himself nor wise enough. Hence we must support one another, console one another, mutually help, counsel, and advise. ...and according to your abundance give alms; and do not let your eye be envious, when you give alms. The Book of Tobit 4:16 Give alms from your resources; and when you give alms, do not let your eye be envious, nor turn your face from any of the poor, and then the face of God shall not be turned away from you. If you have abundance, give alms accordingly; if you have only a little, do not be afraid to give according to that little; for you will store up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity, because alms deliver from death and preserve from falling into darkness. The Book of Tobit 4:7-10 For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if there may be a lengthening of your tranquility. Daniel 4:27
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