A HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF SAINT HILARION THE GREAT
(Oct. 21/ Nov. 3)
About How God Recompenses Us for Generosity and for Miserliness
In the sixth verse of the ninth chapter of his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, the holy Apostle Paul writes, He which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully. How exactly should we understand these words, brothers and sisters? Clearly, the person who gives little to God’s church and the poor will not receive a rich reward in the Kingdom of heaven, whereas he who gives much, proportionate to his means, will be recompensed well beyond the grave. Yet, there is another sense in which the Apostle’s words are true, as Saint Paul himself explains in the verses that follow, saying, Let him give, not grudgingly, nor of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: as it is written, He hath dispersed abroad: he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.[1] In other words, God by His grace in this life rewards the cheerful, generous giver with a sufficiency of everything he needs to continue doing good works of charity. Conversely, He often punishes the grudging giver with a lack of means or even of the necessities of life, so that he and others suffering from the passion of miserliness will correct themselves.
A good example of this is found in the Life of the saint we commemorate today, Hilarion the Great. Hilarion was born in the Palestinian village of Tabatha, which was near Gaza. He went to Egypt and was accepted as a disciple by Saint Anthony, but after some time returned to his homeland. He and Saint Chariton the Confessor became the first great abbas of Palestinian monasticism. With Hilarion’s blessing, monasteries were established throughout the country. All the monks would visit him for spiritual counsel. Once, the brethren entreated him to visit them in their communities instead, to which Hilarion agreed, following the example of his abba Saint Anthony, who previously had visited the monks throughout Egypt. Three thousand monks gathered around Saint Hilarion and escorted him from one monastery to another. While they travelled, the man of God taught his spiritual sons and worked miracles.
On the way Saint Hilarion visited an extremely generous, hospitable monk who supported himself by making wine. The monk’s vineyard produced a hundred measures of wine yearly. The grapes were ripe when Saint Hilarion arrived, so the brother had him and all three thousand monks take as much fruit as they wanted. Moved by this kindness, the saint blessed the vineyard, which produced more than three hundred measures of wine that year, an unprecedented amount. But there was another brother, a miserly, heartless man who, when he saw Hilarion coming with his spiritual flock, set a watch about his vineyard so that no one could take a single grape. The guards threw stones at the brethren and shouted, “This is private property; keep away!” The saint did not bless those vines, and they gave very little wine. What they did produce turned to vinegar.
Thus you see, brothers and sisters, how he which sowed sparingly reaped also sparingly; and he which sowed bountifully, reaped also bountifully, not just in the realm beyond the grave, but in the present life as well. There are many other cases illustrating the same principle in the Lives of the saints. On the one hand, for example, there is the righteous Philaret of Amnia, who richly deserved the appellation by which he is usually known, “the Merciful,” for he completely impoverished himself and his family by unstinting almsgiving. Then, however, his granddaughter married the Byzantine Emperor, and Philaret suddenly found himself much wealthier than he ever could have dreamed. On the other hand, in the Life of Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker of Trimithus, we have the unforgettable account of the rich man who hoarded grain in order to sell it at an inflated price in time of famine, only to have a terrible flood carry it all away and leave him with nothing. Such incitements to generosity and warnings against stinginess recur constantly in the pages of the Lives of the saints.
And so, dear Christians, be assiduous readers of the Lives of the saints, lest you become forgetful of our duty to give alms; lest you forget Christ’s exhortation to take no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.[2] Give alms generously, with a beautiful simplicity of soul, and with patience and thanksgiving. Why with patience and thanksgiving? Because the Christian almsgiver should have a lively awareness that even if the Lord tries him with lack for a short time, He ends by amply rewarding his love for the poor. Remember that you are cared for by the kindest, the most philanthropic Patron of all, Who throughout your life has made it possible for you to have whatever you need. Rest assured that God will continue to provide for you as He has in the past, and know that, having such a Benefactor, you cannot undermine your material security by generous almsgiving, but will only add to your treasures, in the here and now, and in the Kingdom to come as well. Amen.
[1] II Cor. 9:7-9
[2] Matt. 6:34
