HOME PAGE    MEET US    HOLY BIBLE    BIBLIOTHECA THEOLOGICA "PORPHYROGENITUS"
   BOOKSHOP  HOLY SHRINE OF SAINT BARBARA    THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE  
Lord's Voice | Diakonia | Links | Baptism | Multimedia

 

back


Latter-day Fathers

Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain

Gerontissa Gabrielia

Elder Germanos of Stavrovouni

Stories from the Desert Fathers

On Good and Evil

On Lasciviousness

On Avarice

On Repetance

On Prayer

On Fasting

On Labour

On Confession

On Matrimony

On Holy Communion

Gerontikon of
Mt. Athos

Elder Joseph the Hesychast and the teaching of mental prayer which flowed
from his letters

Prayer of the heart for the Faithfull Living in the world

With the Fathers

On the Necessity of Constant Prayer for all Christians

Hermas: The Shepherd

First Vision

Second Vision

Third Vision

Fourth Vision

Fifth Vision

First Commandment

Second
Commandment

Third Commandment

Forth Commandment

Fifth Commandment

Sixth Commandment

Seventh
Commandment

Eighth Commandment

Ninth Commandment

Tenth Commandment

Eleventh
Commandment

Twelwth
Commandment

First Similitude

Second Similitude

Third Similitude

Forth Similitude

Fifth Similitude

Sixth Similitude

Seventh Similitude

Eighth Similitude

Ninth Similitude

Tenth Similitude

St. John Chrysostom - Homily on the passage <Father if it be possible...>

Symeon of
Thessaloniki -
All should pray in the
name of Jesus Christ

Basil of Caesarea - Letter 234 to Amphilochius

Basil of Caesarea - On the Holy Spirit 66-68

The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp

St. John Chrysostom Instructions to Catechumens

First Instruction (1)

First Instruction (2)

First Instruction (3)

First Instruction (4)

First Instruction (5)

Second Instruction (1)

Second Instruction (2)

Second Instruction (3)

Second Instruction (4)

Second Instruction (5)

St. John Chrysostom Three homilees concering the power
of demons

Introduction

Homily 1

Homily 2

STORIES FROM THE DESERT FATHERS

ON AVARICE

Abba Arsenios

Abba Markos asked Abba Arsenios :

"Is it proper, for someone not to have any amenities in their cell ? Because I noticed a brother who had a few vegetables and was uprooting them."

And Abba Arsenios replied :

"It certainly is proper, but only proportionately to one's habits; because if one does not have the strength to pursue this way of life, he will later plant other vegetables."


Abba Agathon

Abba Agathon said :

"I have never given anything to charity, but, I consider that my transactions with people were like a charity in my favour, because I felt that my brother's profiting was a fruit-giving labour."


Abba Isaiah

He was once asked :

"What is avarice ?"

He replied :

"Not to believe that God attends to your needs, also, to despair over God's promises, and to covet expansion."


Vasiliios the Great

Whom have I wronged , he (the wealthy man) said, by protecting the things which belong to me ?

Tell me then, what are those things, that belong to you ?

Where did you acquire them, and subsequently placed them in your life ? (.......) Didn't you enter this world naked ? Won't you return naked unto the earth ? Where did you find those things which you now possess ? If you believe that fortune gave them to you, then you are an atheist : you do not acknowledge the creator, you do not feel gratitude towards the one who gave them to you; if, however, you admit that they have come from God, tell me, for what reason did He give them to you ? Is God perhaps unjust, who therefore distributes unevenly the necessities for our life ?

Why are you wealthy, and the other one is poor ? For no other reason, than for you to be rewarded for kindness and for proper management of the inheritance, while the other earns the supreme prizes for his patience. However, you have hoarded everything in the insatiable bosom of avarice; do you therefore believe that you are not wronging anyone, when you deprive so many others of this bounty?

Who then is greedy? It is he, who does not limit himself to only the necessary things.

Who is a usurper ? He that takes away others' property.

Aren't you greedy ? Aren't you a usurper ? Aren't you keeping for yourself all those things which were given to you to be justly administered, for everyone's benefit ?

He that undresses a clothed person is called a thief, but, shouldn't he that does not clothe a naked person, perhaps deserve to be called by the same name ?

The bread which you have hoarded, belongs to the hungry; the clothes which you amass, belong to the naked, the shoes which you have, that stand rotting, belong to the barefooted, the money which you bury, so that it may not be stolen, belongs to the poor.

The number of people whom you have wronged, are as many as those whom you could have helped.


Saint Mark the Ascetic

The root of all evils is known to be avarice, but it is obvious that avarice consists of vainglory and lasciviousness.

The mind is blinded by the following three vices : avarice, vainglory and lasciviousness.


Saint Diadochus of Fotiki

The prerequisite and the definition of disregard for wealth, is a person's desire not to possess anything, with the same intensity that another desires to possess.


Saint Maximos

Three are the causes of avarice : lasciviousness, vainglory and faithlessness, The worst of the three, is faithlessness.

A lascivious person loves money, in order to secure his pleasures;

the vainglorious uses it to acquire glory;

the faithless will hoard it and guard it, for fear of hunger, old age, sickness or expatriation.

He has more faith in his money than in God, who created everything and who fends for the smallest and least significant of animals.

Four are those who have interest in money; three of them we have already mentioned, and fourth, the economizer. It is obvious that only he shows the proper interest in money, because by implementing it, he is enabled to continuously distribute it to those in need .

 

 

 

 

  

For receiving news, offerings and in general any actions regarding the Organization please fill in the next fields. For protection of data see here.

 
{ technical support        contact