From the Tuesday, June 5, 2012 entry
on the blog site, Mystagogy:
That We Ought Not To Deny
The Needy
"Withhold not good from them to
whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it" (Proverbs 3:27).
The Lord does not deny you that
which you need, neither should you deny the man whom the Lord has sent to
encounter you in order to test your heart. If a beggar extends his hand to you
for help once in your life, give to him and do not refuse. Remember how many
years there are in your life and how many are the hours in a day and how many
are the minutes in an hour - every minute of so many, many thousands of days
you extend your hand to the Lord and the Lord gives and does not refuse.
Remember the mercy of God and your lack of mercy will burn you as a live coal
and it will never give you any peace until you repent and soften your heart.
Do not ever say: "These beggars
annoy me!" So many millions of men live on earth and all are beggars
before the Lord; emperors as well as laborers, the wealthy as well as servants,
all are beggars before the Lord and the Lord never said: "These beggars
annoy me!"
O man, give thanksgiving to God that
someone seeks something good from you, be it material, or spiritual! This means
that you are a man of God's trust: God has entrusted some of His goods to you
because all goods belong to God. Show yourself worthy of this trust, show
yourself worthy in lesser things so that you may be entrusted with greater
things.
O Lord, most rich, soften our hearts
and enlighten our understanding that we may be merciful in the goods which You,
the All-merciful, have entrusted to us. To You be glory and thanks always.
Amen.
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