Alms And The Soul

Quid illis dixit: Facite eleemosynam, et ecce omnia munda sunt vobis? Quid est: Facite eleemosynam? Facite misericordiam. Quid est, Facite misericordiam? Si intellegis, a te incipe. Quomodo enim es misericors alteri, si crudelis sis tibi? Date eleemosynam, et omnia munda sunt vobis. Facite veram eleemosynam. Quid est eleemosyna? Misericordia. Audi Scripturam: Miserere animae tuae placens Deo. Fac eleemosynam, miserere animae tuae placens Deo. Mendicat ante te anima tua, redi ad conscientiam tuam. Quicumque male vivis, quicumque infideliter vivis, redi ad conscientiam tuam: et ibi invenis mendicantem animam tuam, invenis egentem, invenis pauperem, invenis aerumnosam, invenis forte nec egentem, sed egestate obmutescentem. Nam si mendicat, esurit iustitiam. Quando inveneris talem animam tuam, intus in corde tuo sunt illa, fac prius eleemosynam, da illi panem. Quem panem? Si Pharisaeus interrogaret, diceret illi Dominus: Fac eleemosynam cum anima tua. Hoc enim illi dixit; sed ille non intellexit, quando enarravit illis eleemosynas quas faciebant, et putabant latere Christum; et ait illis: Novi quia facitis; decimatis mentam et anethum, cuminum et rutam: sed ego alias eleemosynas loquor: contemnitis iudicium et caritatem. In iudicio et caritate fac eleemosynam cum anima tua. Quid est in iudicio? Respice, et inveni; displice tibi, pronuntia in te. Et quid est caritas? Dilige Dominum Deum in toto corde tuo, et tota anima tua, et tota mente tua; dilige proximum tuum tamquam te ipsum; et fecisti misericordiam prius cum anima tua, in conscientia tua. Hanc autem eleemosynam si praetermittis, da quod vis, dona quantum vis; retrahe de fructibus tuis, non decimas, sed dimidias; novem partes da, et unam tibi dimitte: nihil facis, quando tecum non facis, et tecum pauper es. Anima tua vescatur, ne fame pereat. Da illi panem. Quem panem, inquit? Ipse tecum loquitur. Tu si audires, et intellegeres, et crederes Domino, ipse tibi diceret: Ego sum panis vivus, qui descendi de coelo. Nonne istum panem primum dares animae tuae, et faceres cum illa eleemosynam? Si ergo credis, debes facere, ut prius pascas animam tuam. Crede in Christum; et mundabuntur quae intus sunt, et quae foris sunt munda erunt. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis,Sermo CVI, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 38.626-627

Why did He say to them, 'Give alms and behold all things are clean to you?' 1 What is, 'Give alms?' Be merciful. What is, 'Be merciful?' If you understand, begin with yourself. For how can you be merciful to another, if you are cruel to yourself? 'Give alms, and all things are clean to you.' Give true alms. What alms? Mercy. Hear Scripture; 'Be merciful to your own soul, pleasing God.' 2 Give alms, be merciful to your own soul, pleasing God. Your soul begs before you, return to your conscience. Whoever lives wickedly, whoever lives faithlessly, return to your conscience, and there you will find your soul in beggary, you will find it needy, you find it poor, you find it in sorrowful. Or perhaps you do not find it needy, but made dumb by its need. For if it begs, it hungers after righteousness. 3 When you find your soul in such a state, that is, in your heart, first give alms, give it bread. What bread? If the Pharisee had asked, the Lord would have said to him: 'Give alms to your own soul.' For He did say this to him, but he did not understand it, when He enumerated to them the alms which they did give, and which they thought were unknown to Christ, and He says to them, 'I know what you do, you give a tithe of mint and anise, cummin and rue, but I speak of other alms. You scorn judgement and charity.' 4 In judgement and charity give alms to your soul. What is 'in judgement?' Look back and discover; be displeased with yourself, pronounce against yourself. And what is charity? 'Love the Lord God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; love your neighbour as yourself,' 5 and you have been merciful first to your own soul, in your conscience. For if you neglect alms, give what you will, as much as you will, reserve from your goods not a tenth, but a half, give nine parts, and leave only one for yourself, you do nothing when you do not give to yourself, and you are poor in yourself. Let your soul feed, lest it perish by famine. Give it bread. What bread, do you say? He Himself speaks to you. If you would hear, and understand, and believe the Lord, He would say to you: 'I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven.' 6 Would you not first give this Bread to your soul, and so give alms to it? If then you believe, you should do so, that you may first feed your soul. Believe in Christ, and what is within shall be cleansed, and what is without shall be clean also. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Sermon 106, Chap 4 1 Lk 11.41 2 Sirach 30.24 3 cf Mt 5.6 4 Lk 11.42 5 Mt 22.37 6 Jn 6.41