About alms
priest Sergius Nikolaev
Compassion, the ability to experience someone else’s misfortune or pain, to worry about someone’s fate is, to a greater or lesser extent, characteristic of every person. This feeling is, as it were, innate, and its absence speaks of a certain flaw in the human psyche, morbidity. But the manifestation of one's compassion in actions - mercy - is a matter of the free will of the individual and its special dignity. The Lord honors a merciful person with special grace - bliss, so high does alms stand in the eyes of the Lord. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7), says the Savior. That is, for alms we are promised a specific reward - the mercy of God, the remission of our sins.
What is almsgiving? When we give something that belongs to us, we give it not out of law or duty, not with the goal of getting something more from a person, then out of the kindness of our hearts we give alms. It can be expressed in a sacrifice from one’s wealth, in a sacrifice of one’s free time, labor, emotional participation, in a word of consolation, in forgiveness of an insult, in a prayer for someone. Saint John Chrysostom speaks about alms: “Alms are a great thing. Love her, who has no equal, she can atone for sins and save you from judgment. You are silent, but she stands and protects... So many benefits from alms, but we don’t give and don’t care? Give me some bread if possible. Don't you have any bread? Dai, ovol (small coin). No ovol? Give me a cup of cold water. Not even this? Cry with the unfortunate, and you will receive a reward; for the reward is given not for a forced, but for a free deed.”
For a believer, almsgiving is a natural matter of faith. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? can this faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and does not have daily food, and one of you says to them: “Go in peace, be warmed and fed,” but does not give them what they need for the body, what is the benefit? Likewise, faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself” (James 2:14-17). The Apostle James speaks of inactive compassion as a dead deed, and of inactive faith as a dead faith.
Almsgiving is perhaps the simplest and most accessible godly deed that can give life to our faith. There is nothing easier and more saving than alms. And how important it is for Christians, we can judge by how the first Apostolic Church cared about alms. In the Acts of the Apostles we read that many Christians brought money to distribute to the poor (Acts 4:32–37). That a “daily distribution of needs” was accepted (Acts 6:1–6) and for this purpose “seven qualified men, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3) were chosen and appointed. The Apostle Paul advises: “Let each one give according to the purpose of his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion; For God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).
God loves... And He responds to our generosity with generosity. In our Nativity Church, one altar is dedicated to St. Tikhon of Amafunt. Saint Tikhon was born into the family of a grain merchant. He was compassionate towards the poor and, even as a boy, he often gave alms. Having nothing of his own, Tikhon distributed his father's bread. The father was very upset and reprimanded his son for his self-will. But the boy answered him: “I have heard that he who gives to the poor lends to the Lord. Go open the storerooms and you will see that the Lord has already repaid His debt.” The father opened the pantries and saw that they were filled with wonderful bread. A painting depicting the youth Tikhon giving alms can be seen on the vault of the Tikhon chapel in the Church of the Nativity of Christ.
Sometimes people show reasonable, as it seems to them, frugality and do not rush into deeds of mercy, saying to themselves: “I’ll wait until I get rich, but now I don’t have enough for myself.” For them, we can remember a long history. In one monastery it was customary to distribute monastery bread to the poor on Maundy Thursday. But one day there was a crop failure in this area, and the brethren of the monastery, fearing to be left without food, begged the abbot not to give out the usual alms. When, after some time, they opened the granary, they saw that the wheat had sprouted and could not be eaten. This is how the Lord punished those of little faith for their unreasonable savings.
But there is another example in the history of the Church. A rich woman, having buried her husband and not needing a large estate, began to give out abundant alms. She looked everywhere for people in need and did good for them. Her relatives grumbled at her: “You will completely lose your income, you yourself will become a beggar.” But the merciful widow continued to give generously. And so she gave everything away. A day later, the city was attacked by barbarians, it was plundered and burned. Only part of the residents fled and among them was a widow. She was the only one who had lost nothing, she had nothing to mourn.
Alms will become our intercessor on the Day of Judgment. ...Once upon a time there lived a very stingy man. He never gave alms. One day he got sick. In a fever he had a dream. He sees that, having already died, he stands at the last Judgment. An angel holds scales in front of him. On one cup are his sins. There's a whole mountain of them. And the Angel put a small edge of bread on the other cup. And this edge begins to pull over the mountain of sins. "What is this?" - the man asked the Angel. - “This is your alms, it almost overtook the cup of sin.” “But I never gave alms,” the stingy man was surprised.
- “Yes, you didn’t serve, but one day, in frustration, you threw a piece of bread at a hungry beggar to drive him away. Here it is, this unexpected alms,” answered the Angel. The man woke up. He understood everything. After recovery, he took advantage of the opportunity of pardon - he gave generous alms. “Blessed is he who understands (understands) the poor and the wretched; in the day of cruelty the Lord will deliver him” (Ps. 41:1).
In former times, it was customary to devote Sundays and holidays to works of mercy. After church services, Orthodox Christians visited the sick, prisoners, and the lonely. They brought whatever they could. So they said: “to visit the hospital, the prison and the widow.” A very elderly man goes to a Moscow church. He goes to early liturgy. After the service, he rests for some time on a bench in the church. One day we started talking. “I go to the nursing home after service. Near here. I'll bring a loaf of bread and sometimes a little caramel. They don’t really need anything, they just feed them for now. But there is no one to talk to. There are bedridden people, and it’s even more difficult for them. So I walk for Christ’s sake. I’ll talk and drink tea with them, they’ll be happy.”
The Savior also accepts the smallest gift: “And whoever gives one of these little ones to drink only a cup of cold water... truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).
You can notice that people who are merciful, kind, and generous in alms are calmer and more optimistic. And those who classify those in need as parasites, slackers and unworthy, who respond to a complaint or request: “It’s your own fault,” “there are many of you,” these people are more afraid of life, they are more restless. Of course, our soul knows and feels everything, including the fact that without showing mercy, we have no right to count on the mercy of the Lord.
But there is one special kind of alms. Every day, every believing church person, reading the evening prayers, says the following words: “Remember, Lord, those who bear fruit and do good in Your holy churches, and give them petitions for salvation and eternal life.” Those who go to church, at every service, hear the words of the priest or deacon: “We also pray... for the creators of this holy temple... for those who bear fruit and do good in this holy and all-honorable temple, who labor...” This is a special litany, or a request to believers to pray especially for bearing the fruits of their labors and people working in the temple. Who are these people? And why do they pray for them especially, asking the Lord to fulfill their requests (if they are, of course, for salvation), asking to grant them eternal life?
Having founded the earthly Church, the Savior entrusted the care of its material existence to the mercy of its members. So Jesus Himself, having left his home, lived for three and a half years as a wanderer and stranger through the mercy and participation of certain people: Mary and Martha from Magdala, their brother Lazarus, His relative Salome, a certain Simon and others. And after the death of the Savior on the cross, rich people served Him - Joseph from Arimathea, who gave his tomb for the burial of Christ, and Nicodemus, who bought everything necessary for this rite.
It is also traditional for the children of the Orthodox Church to take care of the clergy and the House of God - the temple.
The Nativity Church in the village of Zaozerye was built with the funds and care of Gavriil Vasilyevich Ryumin. His son, Nikolai Gavrilovich, and the merchant Platon Mikhailov took care to build the Nikolsky and Tikhonovsky chapels. The family of local manufacturers, the Baranovs, generously donated to this temple. Taking care of him was the lot of V.S. Chaikov. He was the headman of the Church of the Nativity at the end of the last century. These people donated their own funds, skills and time for the construction and decoration of our temple. Naturally, we pray for the merciful. In the archives of many churches, the names of benefactors have been preserved, with whose funds certain works were carried out, icons or utensils were purchased.
Of course, not all names are preserved in the records, but the Lord accepted their sacrifice and knows them. And we pray for “those who bear fruit and do good.” Many concerns related to the life of the temple are taken on free of charge, that is, for Christ’s sake, by merciful parishioners and even believers from outside the area. Someone washes the floors, someone sings, someone repairs and sews vestments. And we pray for them.
Participation in the construction and decoration of churches has always been highly valued by our compatriots. Looking at the majestic buildings and splendor of the decoration of Orthodox churches, it is not superfluous to remember that every family from the surrounding villages contributed to this splendor. No matter what funds came from the sum for the construction of a new temple or for the repair of a dilapidated one, part of it always consisted of merciful offerings from parishioners and even strangers from outside the area. Collectors with mugs collecting “for the temple” walked everywhere. Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov has a poem “Vlas”, where the poet describes in detail and surprisingly vividly the life of an alms collector for the construction of a church. How is he
Walks in the cold winter, Walks in the summer heat, Calling baptized Rus' for feasible gifts.
And passers-by give and give: Thus, from the mite of labor, the temples of God grow across the face of the native land.
In the last century, funds were collected throughout Rus' for fifty years for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. And although the required amount could not possibly have been made up of public donations (the main funds were provided by the treasury), everyone could participate in the construction of the temple, because this temple was conceived as a thanksgiving sacrifice, as a candle from the entire Russian people.
But the temple needs not only to be built or repaired. In order for it to live, so that services can be performed in it without hindrance, someone must take care of warmth, light, cleanliness, and utensils.
You come to the temple, see shining candlesticks, washed windows, clean shrouds near the icons. Who worked on this? Each church has its own hardworking and merciful parishioners who maintain cleanliness in the church, help to perform divine services in an orderly manner, and monitor order. Whether it’s autumn or spring, or whether it’s rained, a lot of road dirt remains on the floor after the service. All this needs to be washed. Moreover, clean the candlesticks, wash the glass from the icons and lamps. Wash and iron the vestments. Change the shrouds of icons for the holiday. And many, many other things that only they, the workers, know. If it happens that a person who does not know the church order comes to the service, they will prompt him, if necessary, and correct him: “Don’t blame me, they don’t go to someone else’s monastery with their own rules.” And they do all this not for pay, but free of charge, for Christ’s sake. This is their charity. Victim. Whoever was in the Church of the Nativity and looked at the central iconostasis, perhaps noticed on the upper tier the figures of women with jugs in their hands, rising as if along mountain ledges to the stone open Tomb of the Savior. These are the myrrh-bearing women carrying fragrant oil to anoint the body of the crucified Jesus. In both ancient and modern religious art, oil is a symbol of grace. Alms given to Christ, that is, for the sake of Christ, as if raises these women to the Risen God Himself. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). And as soon as I come to the temple, I just look at the images of the myrrh-bearers hurrying to the Holy Sepulcher, and the names of our Christmas “myrrh-bearers” themselves appear in my memory, as the merciful workers who labor in the church are sometimes called. “We also pray for the health of Anna, Maria, Antonina, Raisa, Lydia, Tatiana...”
It seemed that mercy could not be condemned in any way. But the human enemy, the hater of our salvation, is trying to hinder a good deed here too. “Why such a waste of money on the maintenance and decoration of the temple? You can give this money to the poor and thereby serve Christ,” some would-be Christians repeat after the visiting preachers. In response to these reproaches, we can recall one Gospel story. One day, in the house where the Savior was eating, a woman approached him with an alabaster vessel of precious ointment and poured aromas on Jesus. “Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor” (John 12:5), one of the disciples was indignant. It was Judas, who later betrayed Christ. “He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief” (John 12:6).
So these are the words that some “merciful to the poor” Christians repeat! What did Christ answer to Judas? “Leave her... for you always have the poor with you, but not Me always” (John 12:7-8). Doing good to Christ is higher than doing good to man. We call the temple the House of God; the Lord dwells invisibly in it. The decoration and maintenance of the temple is a desired and precious sacrifice for the Lord.
The Monk Erasmus, having loved the temples of God, gave all his significant fortune to the Pechersk Church. But after a while the crafty enemy began to confuse him: “It would be better if you gave your money to the poor. They would pray for you.” Apparently, the evil one does not pursue innovation, and uses familiar methods. Erasmus fell into despondency, thinking that he had made a mistake in doing good. And then he completely turned to a dissolute life. But the Lord did not leave him. When Erasmus became seriously ill and the Pechersk brethren were ready for the fact that he would die without repentance, and were very sad about him, the Mother of God appeared to the sick man and said: “Erasmus! Because you have adorned My church, I will adorn you and magnify you with glory in the kingdom of My Son. Arise, repent and accept the image of an angel (monasticism), and on the third day I will take you clean to Me, since you have loved the splendor of My house.” Blessed Erasmus fulfilled this and, having been cleansed by repentance, rested in peace on the third day. This is a wonderful example of God’s special favor towards the organizers and decorators of temples.
To this old story I would like to add two modern ones. One of them happened to a parishioner of our church. An elderly, good, warm-hearted man, a parishioner of the Church of the Nativity, died. After some time, his widow turned to me with a question. The fact is that the niece of the deceased saw him in a dream, and he told her: “Everything is fine with me, the only thing that’s bothering me is that we forgot to send the money that we promised.” The niece did not know what kind of promise this was and what kind of money it was, and she retold the dream to the widow. She immediately remembered that shortly before her husband’s death they were watching TV, a program about the Church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. They also named the current account in the transfer. For some reason, the couple decided to send some money there. Yes, busy with business, they forgot. Now the woman came with the question, what should she do? How to proceed? Apparently, this is not a simple matter - showing mercy to the House of God.
I remember another story told by a friend. She, an elderly woman, went every summer to work as a mason in the restoration or construction of churches. She helped for free - for Christ's sake. One day she took her five-year-old grandson with her. Some time later, upon his return, the boy told her: “Tonight an Angel of God told me that I was written into a living book because I carried bricks at a construction site.” What kind of “living book” is this? The five-year-old boy was a church boy; he knew about Angels, but this was the first time he had heard about the “living book,” or the Book of Life. Well, maybe these bricks will form a ladder for him to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Merciful sacrifice is available to everyone. Arriving at the temple, you buy a candle and place it in front of the icon. What is this? Does the Savior, or the Mother of God, or the Saint need a candle? No. A candle is a symbol of your fervent prayer. And by paying money for it, you give a donation to the temple. But if you buy a candle with a sad heart, then it’s better not to buy it at all. The Lord will accept your prayer without it. “Apply according to the determination of your heart,” says the Apostle (2 Cor. 9:7). People who rarely go to church are confused by boxes or mugs that say “for repairs,” “for a common candle,” or “for oil.” Some people feel like they are constantly asking for money. But that's not true. You put money on a tray or in a mug only when you want it and as much as you want. But tell me, is your sacrifice acceptable to the Lord if it is not given from a pure heart, with grief, with gossip, or under duress? “The reward is given not for forced, but for free deeds.” But let’s not do mathematical calculations: who will win? Are we God, are we God? It’s easier, without any doubt, to fulfill the commandment “to the one who asks, give!” Everyone as much as they can.
During the construction of the Temple of Constantinople, one rich widow, a Roman woman named Marcia, donated eight parphyry columns of extraordinary value to the temple. At her own expense, she transported them by sea from Rome to Constantinople. And the Savior pointed to the poor widow, who contributed only two mites to the temple treasury, as the most generous benefactor. Whoever can.
Previously, each temple had its own trustees, wealthy benefactors, whose funds were mainly used to support it. After the political upheaval of 1917, it seemed that charity for the church was out of the question. But no political system can abolish God. The Lord is still the same, the commandments are still the same. There are many known cases when people who held significant positions, who were not able to openly come to the temple, did charity to him. Someone helped to get building materials that were in short supply, especially after the war. Someone put their signature on permission to connect the temple to the power grid. And someone, even a boss, protected from oppression.
Now directors, business owners, as well as people with great opportunities can freely do good to our Church. A new word has appeared - sponsors. Thank God, some people come into our problems and help. We even started a separate book - a synod to remember benefactors. Without them, in modern economic conditions, not a single temple would survive, as, indeed, in the pre-revolutionary years. Heating, light, roof, gas - these are our concerns. But these are also people. Behind the solution to every problem there is a person or several who, not out of duty, not out of some self-interest, prestige or fashion, but out of the disposition of their hearts, give to the temple what they can do to help. Be it money, materials, labor, qualified advice. We rejoice for them, for in the words of the Apostle: “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Cor. 9:6).
And yet it is sad. One elderly parishioner said that even during the war our church looked better because people cared more about it. Their hearts lay towards the temple, it was theirs. Now no one cares. It's a shame, but it seems to be true. Not everyone, but a lot of people don't care. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find help.
Yes, sometimes it seems that our “myrrh-bearers” will pass away from illness or old age and there will be no one to take care of the House of God, no one to sing in the choir or bake prosphora. Sad.
But then I remember the early morning, “the morning is deep,” as it is sung in the Easter hymn, and a group of women with jugs of oil, hurrying to the stone Tomb. I remember our Christmas iconostasis with the figures of the myrrh-bearing women rising up the mountain, and the sadness passes.
And I believe that again someone will come to give their loving heart and working hands, their talents and skills for the sake of the Lord, for the sake of Christ, as generous alms to their native church. Yes, and it cannot be otherwise. Without works of mercy we cannot be saved, we cannot rise to the risen Savior. Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us not forget about wonderful almsgiving. And may she stand behind us when we hopefully cry out to the Lord even in the shortest prayer: “Lord, have mercy.” Amen.
Is a person really in need?
But in our world, it is sometimes very difficult to determine who is truly in need and who is fraudulent, begging for money for their greedy needs. You cannot give donations to everyone who asks, and most importantly, how much he asks. One must be able to distinguish between those truly in need and typical speculators making money. This is also stated in the Bible. That is, everyone should give depending on their income. The one who is richer is, accordingly, more. The poor man can give according to his strength. And they will be credited equally. After all, they give equally according to their capabilities.
Alms in the church
Many people wonder: what is the correct way to give alms in church? Now you can stumble upon dishonest priests. All of them unanimously claim that if you give alms in church, then you will be rewarded doubly for it. But where is it written and said in the Bible that good deeds in the temple are doubled? All this looks like a marketing scheme of those church fathers who want to put everything into their pockets. Here, too, everyone must distinguish where to leave a donation, and which temple is better to bypass.
Unfortunately, in some modern cathedrals and churches the priests don’t even know all the prayers, and not only do they not know, but they haven’t even finished reading the Bible. But you can’t be categorical about everyone. Most of them still truly serve the Lord. Also, many poor churches need alms or simply physical strength. After all, it’s not the good church that has huge domes and everything inside is bursting with wealth and gold. And the one where the priest will help and forgive sins with a bright and pure soul. The church is considered to be the house of the Lord, where people gather and talk with him. Some people ask for health, others for peace of mind.
A good priest gives thanks for what he already has. Many come to the temple to honor the memory of loved ones and relatives. Or they just bring a donation. But the Scripture does not say that the house of the Lord should be richer in gold and wealth than the parishioners who bring alms to its doors.
You need to do good deeds correctly
So how should you give alms? Remember, do everything from your heart and with good intentions. If you see that a person needs more than you, give it, don’t regret it. Avoid scammers and try to warn other applicants about the unclean intentions of the person asking. The look should be welcoming and bright. Under no circumstances should you give with regret or reluctance. Like, you need to apply, but you don’t want to. Or as many do, especially the rich: they throw alms to the poor with a favor. All this will come back to you with the same pain that the person asking you experienced at that moment.
After all, the Bible says that you give not just to the poor in need, but to your God. Thus, thank him for all your good deeds and daily trials. The saying “As you sow, so shall you reap” applies perfectly here. That is, the more you sacrifice with a pure heart, the more will be returned to you later in the works of the Lord.
“When the right hand serves, the left hand should not know about it.” What does it mean? When you donate, no one needs to know about it. And you yourself should not count how much you have given, but how much good is left. If you did something like this, then forget it. The more you give, the more you will receive.
Serve on time
Remember that alms, like everything in this life, must be timely. Serve before it's too late. The poor man has not yet taken the dark road. After all, many may commit crimes in order to feed themselves and their children. They can steal, deceive, force others to give them their property and, worst of all, commit murder. Remember that food should be given when a person is hungry, and not when he died without ever seeing food. Help orphans or those who have stumbled, so that you don’t have to answer to the Lord later. They could have helped, but they passed by, the man laid hands on himself, taking a great sin upon his soul. But you could have done something and didn’t want to, which means that you will have to answer later before the Almighty.
