Sermon 164A
Sermon 164/A
On the Generality of Alms
To whom alms should be given.
There are those who think that alms should only be given to the righteous and that such help must not be given to sinners. In this error, first place is held by the sacrilegious Manicheans, who believe that in any food the members of God are mixed and bound, which they think must be spared so they are not polluted by sinners and entangled in more wretched bonds. Perhaps this madness is less satisfactorily refuted than it offends the sense of all sane people if it is merely put forward. However, some, feeling nothing of the sort, think that sinners should not be fed so that we do not contend against God, whose wrath is declared in them, as if He might also become angry with us because we want to help those whom He wishes to punish. They also cite testimonies from the holy Scriptures, where we read: "Give mercy, but do not accept a sinner," and, "Render vengeance to the ungodly and to sinners." "Do good to the humble but do not give to the impious. For the Most High also hates sinners and will render vengeance to the impious." Not understanding how these words should be taken, they are clothed in detestable cruelty. Therefore, brothers, it is fitting that we speak to your charity on this matter, so that you do not consent to a perverse thought contrary to the divine will.
The Apostle teaches that mercy is to be extended to all.
Paul the apostle teaches that mercy must be extended to all most clearly, saying: "Let us not become weary, as long as we have time, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." From this, it truly appears that in such works the just should be preferred. For whom else are we to understand as the household of faith, when elsewhere it is plainly written: "The just shall live by faith"? Yet, the bowels of mercy are not to be closed to other men, even sinners, nor even if they bear a hostile mind towards us, with our Savior himself saying and advising: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you." Nor is this silent in the Old Books. For there it is read: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink," which also the Apostle used in the New.
Neither lax in punishing, nor inhuman in aiding.
The things we have stated above are not false, because they are also divine precepts: Give mercy and do not support the sinner. For these things are said so that you do good to no sinner because he is a sinner, but to do good to him who hates you, not because he is a sinner, but because he is a man. Thus, you will hold fast to both precepts, neither lenient in vindication nor inhumane in assistance. For anyone who properly rebukes a sinner, what else does he want but for him not to be a sinner? Thus, he hates in him what God also hates, so that what man has done may be destroyed, and what God has made may be freed. For man made sin, but God made man. And when we say the two names together, sinful man, they are not said in vain. Rebuke because he is a sinner, and have mercy because he is a man. You will not by any means free the man unless you persecute the sinner in him. Every discipline watches over this office, as it is fitting and accommodated to each ruler: not only to the bishop ruling his congregation, but also to the poor man ruling his household, the rich man ruling his family, the husband ruling his wife, the father ruling his offspring, the judge ruling his province, and the king ruling his nation. All these, when they are good, certainly wish well for those they rule, and according to the power imparted by the Lord of all, who also rules those who rule, they strive to ensure that those they govern are preserved as men and that sinners perish. Thus, they fulfill what is written: Give mercy and do not support the sinner, so that they would not wish that what is sinful in him be saved; and render vengeance to the impious and sinners, so that what is impious and sinful in them may be eradicated; do good to the humble because he is humble, and do not give to the impious because he is impious, for the Most High hates sinners and will repay vengeance to the impious. However, because they are not only sinners and impious but also men, He makes His sun rise on the good and on the evil, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Thus, mercy is to be denied to no man, and impunity is to be relaxed to no sin.
Even to sinners mercy should not be denied, because they are also human.
From this, therefore, it is especially to be understood how alms, which are bestowed upon the poor by the right of humanity, should not be despised, since the Lord relieved the need of the poor even from those purses which He filled with the wealth of others. But if perhaps someone might say that neither those weak and beggars, whom the Lord ordered rather to be invited, nor those to whom He used to distribute from the purses, were sinners; therefore, it does not follow that, on account of these evangelical testimonies, even sinners should be received or fed by the merciful; let him consider what I have already mentioned above, that surely the sinners and especially the wicked are those who hate and persecute the Church, concerning whom, however, it is said: Do good to those who hate you. And this is affirmed by the example of God the Father, who makes His sun rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Therefore, let us not receive sinners because they are sinners, but nevertheless treat those same individuals, because they are also human, with human consideration. Let us combat their inherent wickedness, but pity their common condition. And thus, tirelessly, while we have time, let us do good to all, but especially to those who are of the household of faith.