The Rejection Of Gifts

Ἡ ἀχάριστος ἡμῶν καὶ φαύλη διάθεσις, πᾶσαν Θεοῦ δερεὰν ἀναξίως ἐδέξατο. Πνεῦμα εἰλήφαμεν ἅγιον, καὶ πράξεσιν αὐτὸ φαύλαις ὠθήσαμεν. Θαυμάτων ἐδεξάμεθα χάρισμα, καὶ ἀπιστίαις αὐτὸ παρωσάμεθα. Διδασκαλίαν καὶ σοφίαν ὁ δοτὴρ τῶν τοιούτων ἐνέπνευσε, καὶ βλασφημίαις αὐτὰς ἀπωσάμεθα· Ἰερωσύνην τὴν οὐράνιον ἐπιστεύθημεν, καὶ κρίσει αὐτὴν σφαλερᾷ διεφθείραμεν. Ὁ δεῖνα ἐλαβε βιαίως ἐπισκοπὴν, καὶ γένει φορτίζει τὰ πράγματα. Ὁ δεῖνα οἰκονομεῖ, καὶ οἰκέταις ὀχλεῖ τὸ θυσιαστήριον. Οὖτος ἐκείνῳ ᾠκείωται, καὶ τὰ πτωχικὰ σφετερίζεται. Ἔκεῖνος τούτῳ εὐνοεῖ, καὶ ἐντομίας καὶ θηλυδρίας ἀνδράποδα εὔωνα ἐπεισφέρει τοῖς ἀνεκτόροις. Βαβαὶ, πόσαις κηλῖσι τὸ Θεῖον χραίνεται Βῆμα! Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΝ’, Εὐσεβιῳ Ἐπισκοπῳ Source: Migne PG 78.333c

Our repulsive and base disposition unworthily receives every gift of God. We received the Holy Spirit and we drove Him off by vile acts. We received the gift of miracles and by faithlessness we rejected it. The Giver inspired us with wise teaching and by blasphemy we cast it away. We believed in the heavenly priesthood and by degenerate judgements we ruined it. That man takes the office of bishop by violence and he loads its expenses on the people. That man arranges things so that he makes the saving sacrifice amid a crowd of house slaves. This man joins him and plunders the collections of the poor. That man thinks well of him and he brings into the temple worthless, slavish eunuchs and effeminates. Father, with how much filth we have defiled the Divine altar! Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 250, to The Bishop Eusebius