The benefits of almsgiving - an amazing miracle ( Gerontikon )

Once there lived in the city an officer of the palace court. One day he was sent by the king to someone as a messenger. On the road, he found a dead person, who was naked. The officer was saddened with this lamentable image of misfortune and said to his servant, ‘take my horse and go on a bit’. The officer dismounted and approached the dead man. Taking off some of his clothing, he covered the dead man with them.


A few days after this incident, the officer was once again dispatched in the service of the king. But as soon as he left the city, he fell from his horse and broke his leg. He was immediately taken to his house, where he was beset by horrendous pain. The doctors looked after the ill man, but without result. After five days, his leg turned to black. When the doctors saw this symptom they became very concerned and, so that the rest of his body would not become infected, decided to amputate his leg.


On hearing this decision of the doctors the officer became very upset, wept over his misfortune, and, because of his sadness, could not even sleep. The night after he learnt this terrible news he remained completely sleepless. The lamps in his room thus being lighted, around midnight there came to the attic window an unknown man who approached him. ‘Why are you crying and why are you sad?’ The officer answered him, ‘Sir how could I not cry? For no good reason I broke my leg, and tomorrow the doctors are going to amputate it.’ This unknown man then said to the suffering officer, ‘show me your leg.’ He began forthwith to anoint the leg of the sick man and to massage it. After a short time, he said to the ill man, ‘Get up and walk.’ ‘I cannot, Sir, because it is broken.’ ‘Do not be afraid,’ the man told him, ‘lean on me.’ In fact, the officer of the palace guard rose up from his bed and walked; he had become perfectly well.


After this strange miracle, the unknown man said to the healed officer; ‘See, you have become perfectly well. Lie down and rest from your night time vigil and your sufferings and do not worry.’ Continuing he spoke a few words about the value of charity, based on the words of Holy Scripture: ‘Blessed are the meek (poor): for they shall inherit the earth’ (Matt. 5:5) and ‘For He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy’ (James 2:13).


Following this short dissertation, the unknown man bid farewell to the healed officer: ‘Good bye and be always healthy!’ Saddened by the impending departure of his benefactor, the officer asked him: ‘Are you leaving?’ ‘What else do you want?’ he said. ‘You are now completely well.’ The officer said back to him: ‘In the name of God, who sent you? Tell me who you are.’ ‘Look at me carefully’ – the unknown man said – ‘and see if you recognize what I am wearing.’ ‘Yes’ the officer said, ‘Those are my own clothes.’ ‘Well, then,’ said the unknown man, ‘I am the same one whose body was tossed aside naked on the street and which you – with succor and mercy – covered with your clothes. It is thus that God sent me to cure you. For this you should always thank him.’


Having finished his words, he climbed up again, through the attic window from which he had come, and became invisible. From that time forward, the healed man never ceased to thank God and to distribute alms to the poor. 

Gerontikon

THE BENEFITS OF ALMSGIVING - AN AMAZING MIRACLE! ( Gerontikon )

Once there lived in the city an officer of the palace court. One day he was sent by the king to someone as a messenger. On the road, he found a dead person, who was naked. The officer was saddened with this lamentable image of misfortune and said to his servant, ‘take my horse and go on a bit’. The officer dismounted and approached the dead man. Taking off some of his clothing, he covered the dead man with them.


A few days after this incident, the officer was once again dispatched in the service of the king. But as soon as he left the city, he fell from his horse and broke his leg. He was immediately taken to his house, where he was beset by horrendous pain. The doctors looked after the ill man, but without result. After five days, his leg turned to black. When the doctors saw this symptom they became very concerned and, so that the rest of his body would not become infected, decided to amputate his leg.


On hearing this decision of the doctors the officer became very upset, wept over his misfortune, and, because of his sadness, could not even sleep. The night after he learnt this terrible news he remained completely sleepless. The lamps in his room thus being lighted, around midnight there came to the attic window an unknown man who approached him. ‘Why are you crying and why are you sad?’ The officer answered him, ‘Sir how could I not cry? For no good reason I broke my leg, and tomorrow the doctors are going to amputate it.’ This unknown man then said to the suffering officer, ‘show me your leg.’ He began forthwith to anoint the leg of the sick man and to massage it. After a short time, he said to the ill man, ‘Get up and walk.’ ‘I cannot, Sir, because it is broken.’ ‘Do not be afraid,’ the man told him, ‘lean on me.’ In fact, the officer of the palace guard rose up from his bed and walked; he had become perfectly well.


After this strange miracle, the unknown man said to the healed officer; ‘See, you have become perfectly well. Lie down and rest from your night time vigil and your sufferings and do not worry.’ Continuing he spoke a few words about the value of charity, based on the words of Holy Scripture: ‘Blessed are the meek (poor): for they shall inherit the earth’ (Matt. 5:5) and ‘For He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy’ (James 2:13).


Following this short dissertation, the unknown man bid farewell to the healed officer: ‘Good bye and be always healthy!’ Saddened by the impending departure of his benefactor, the officer asked him: ‘Are you leaving?’ ‘What else do you want?’ he said. ‘You are now completely well.’ The officer said back to him: ‘In the name of God, who sent you? Tell me who you are.’ ‘Look at me carefully’ – the unknown man said – ‘and see if you recognise what I am wearing.’ ‘Yes’ the officer said, ‘Those are my own clothes.’ ‘Well, then,’ said the unknown man, ‘I am the same one whose body was tossed aside naked on the street and which you – with succour and mercy – covered with your clothes. It is thus that God sent me to cure you. For this you should always thank him.’


Having finished his words, he climbed up again, through the attic window from which he had come, and became invisible. From that time forward, the healed man never ceased to thank God and to distribute alms to the poor. 

Gerontikon

On almsgiving.. ( St. Seraphim of Sarov )

Giving alms must be done with a spiritually kind disposition, in agreement with the teachings of St. Isaac the Syrian: "If you give anything to him who asks, may the joy of your face precede your alms, and comfort his sorrow with kind words."

St. Seraphim of Sarov

Almsgiving gives rise to many blessings - St. John Chrysostom

Build palaces and mansions in Heaven without the help of engineers and contractors.
Buildings are erected in Heaven by the poor whom you help here on earth. These structures never
deteriorate or collapse.

Furthermore, they also help you to win God’s favor, and they purify you from sins—sometimes they can even deliver you from death!
Do not be surprised with what I say.

Everyone, of course, is powerless before death;
almsgiving, none the less, can conquer even death itself. This is confirmed by the account of Tabitha.
Tabitha was a Christian who lived in Jope during the time of the Apostles. As described in the
Holy Scriptures, she performed many good works and continuously gave alms.

At some point she became ill and died. At that time the Apostle Peter happened to be in a
neighboring city named Lydda, which was not far from Joppa. Two Christians from Jope went to
find the Apostle and informed him that this compassionate and charitable woman had just died. Upon hearing this, the Apostle immediately followed them.

When he arrived in Joppa, he proceeded to the second story of the house where they had placed the body of the deceased. There, he was encircled
by many widows; all of them were crying and showing him the clothes and garments that Tabitha had bought for them while she was still alive.

What did the Apostle Peter do then? He kneeled and prayed. Next he turned to the corpse and said, “Tabitha, arise!” That very same moment the dead woman opened her eyes, and, when she saw the Apostle, she got up. The Apostle Paul grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

Then he called all the Christians and the widows
who were gathered there and presented her to them (Acts 9:36-41). Do you see how she was rewarded for the alms and help she gave to those poor and needy widows? The blessing she received was incomparably greater than the alms she gave, even if she had given all the money in the world.


St. John Chrysostom

About Alms - Constantine Zalalas

Almsgiving gives rise to many blessings (Prophet Elias )

          
A short while after the Prophet Elias prayed for there to be no rain,God told him to go dwell in
Zarephath of Sidon,where a widow would provide for him (vid. 3 Kg.17:1-9).


So, he arose and went to Zarephath.When he came
to the gate of the city, there was a widow gathering firewood.Elias called to her and said, “
Please bring me a little water in a cup so I can drink.”
She went to get it, and Elias called after her and said,“Please bring me a morsel of bread in your
hand.” But the woman said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have any bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar. As you see,I am gathering a couple of sticks, so I can go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” But Elias said to her, “
Take courage, and do as you say, but make me a small cake from it first and bring it to me.

Afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord,‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, and the jar of oil shall not run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’” So
the woman went and did it. Thus she and he and her children ate for many days.

The bin of flour was not used up, and the jar of oil did not run dry, according to the word the Lord spoke by Elias(3Kg.17:10-16).

Do you see how many blessings almsgiving gives rise to? Did this woman perhaps know that the person standing before her was a prophet and a saint of God? No! Not in the least!

All she saw was a poor and destitute fellow human
being. However, because she was merciful and hospitable, she preferred to give the little food she had remaining to this needy and hungry person rather than keep it for herself and her children. She took bread away from her children's mouth in order to feed this stranger. At the first request of the Prophet Elias, she deprived herself and instead gave to him. But take a close look at the blessings
she received from God in return.

During that time of drought and famine, there were many rulers and wealthy people who possessed vast amounts of gold and silver; however, they were dying of starvation. This poor widow, on the other hand, on account of her
merciful almsgiving had adequate food to eat and water to drink: “And the bin of flour was not used up, and the jar of oil did not run dry, according to the word the Lord spoke by Elias.”

Not only did she receive this blessing, but
when her son fell ill and died, the Prophet Elias resurrected him: “Now after this, the son of the woman who owned the house became sick, and his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him...

But Elias said to her, ‘Give me your son’...
Then he called on the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, let the soul of this child come back to him.’ So it happened, and the child cried out.

Elias took the child...and gave him to his mother
and said, ‘Behold, your son lives.’ Then the woman said to Elias, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth’” (3 Kg. 17:17-24).

From the life of the Prophet Elias