Today’s Pause for Prayer is quite different: from the early days of the church, a collection of quotes on how Christians are called to relate to and serve those in need. I offer these ancient words for our reflection on the rigorous standard, the high bar they set. Rather than accusing us, these words invite us to a deeper love for the Lord in the poor in whose guise he is always with us…
You are not making a gift of your
possessions to the poor. You are handing over to them what is theirs.
Ambrose of Milan, 340-397.
The property of the wealthy holds
them in chains . . . which shackle their courage and choke their faith and hamper
their judgment and throttle their souls. They think of themselves as owners,
whereas it is they rather who are owned: enslaved as they are to their own
property, they are not the masters of their money but its slaves.
Cyprian, 300 AD
The bread in your cupboard belongs
to the hungry person; the coat hanging in your closet belongs to the one who needs
it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the
money which you put into the bank belongs to the poor. You do wrong to everyone
you could help but fail to help.
Basil of Caesarea, 330-370 AD
Not to enable the poor to share in
our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess
are not ours but theirs.
John Chrysostom, 347-407 AD
Instead of the tithes which the
law commanded, the Lord said to divide everything we have with the poor. And he
said to love not only our neighbors but also our enemies, and to be givers and
sharers not only with the good but also to be liberal givers toward those who
take away our possessions.
Irenaeus, 130-200 AD
The rich are in possession of the
goods of the poor, even if they have acquired them honestly or inherited them
legally.
John Chrysostom, 347-407 AD
Share everything with your neighbor. Do not say, “It is private property.” If you share what is
everlasting, you should be that much more willing to share things which do not
last.
The Didache, 50-70 AD
Let the strong take care of the
weak; let the weak respect the strong. Let the rich man minister to the poor
man; let the poor man give thanks to God that he gave him one through whom his
need might be satisfied.
Clement of Rome, c. 35-99 AD
How can I make you realize the
misery of the poor? How can I make you understand that your wealth comes from
their weeping?
Basil of Caesarea, 330-370 AD
When you are weary of praying and
do not receive, consider how often you have heard a poor man calling, and have
not listened to him.
John Chrysostom, 347-407 AD
from the store of your bountiful blessings…
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