Elder Gabriel (Urgebadze)
The apostle Paul says: “Not one hair shall fall from the head by chance.” That is, everything has its cause. All the more must we know that without the will of God there is neither rich nor poor, neither the destitute nor the beggar. In everything we must see God's providence and mercy. We must not imagine that beggars are oppressed by God and given over by Him. They serve the matter of our salvation and are often the cause both of our condemnation and of the salvation of our soul. Therefore in exchange for their torments and sorrows in this world, in the eternal dwelling they will be in a blessedness far greater than ours.
The Lord says: “What good thou hast done to one man, that thou hast done to Me.” There is such an icon: a merciful rich man puts a purse into the hand of a beggar lying by the road, and the same purse is held by the hand of the Saviour stretched out from heaven. But in many cases we do not know who it is that stands bodily before us in the form of a beggar. In the Holy Scriptures many examples are given where, in the form of a beggar or of one lying by the road, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself asked help and aid of those who passed by. For example, the monk Martin was once going from his own monastery to another monastery to greet them on the patronal feast. On the way he saw a beggar lying there. The man asked Martin to take him along to the feast. Notwithstanding the difficulty, the good monk set the man upon his back and thus, with great effort, drew near the monastery gates. Near the gates he set the beggar down in order to open them. At that moment all the brethren of the monastery opened the gates at once. It turned out that the abbot had had a revelation: “Open the gates quickly, the Lord is coming.” The monk Martin and the brethren of the monastery looked at one another in amazement, but the beggar who had been lying there was nowhere to be seen: he had vanished from that place. A little later there came from heaven, like an echo, the voice of the Lord: “Martin, as thou didst not leave Me lying upon the earth, so shall I not leave thee in heaven on the day of judgement.”
Of such cases there are many examples. Therefore it may be that often, for the salvation of our own soul, the Lord Himself, or an angel, or one of the saints appears to us in the form of one in need, hungry, fallen, a beggar, or even a traveller; and we of our own will receive or reject such a great saving mercy of God.
Beggars have always been and will be. But in the present state of our country their number has greatly grown. Past each of them there pass in a day hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of people, and only a small part give alms. Perhaps thou hast no money; perhaps thou canst give him one apple, break off some bread, or help him with what thou canst. If thou hast nothing, thou canst at least pity him. Say from thy heart: O God, do Thou help all who are in need, — and this too will be alms given by thee.
Notwithstanding what has been said, a part of the people often look with disgust upon the beggars lying in the street. They do not even count them as people, the more so if some beggar lies there who has wet his trousers. To such hard-hearted people I would recall: first, thou dost not know who is being shown to thee at that time in his form; and second, even if thou didst know who he is — he is God's creature. And the Lord says to us: what thou hast done to one man, that thou hast done to Me. Therefore, when in such a case, instead of helping, thou mockest a beggar or lookest upon him with loathing, at the same time, willingly or unwillingly, thou mockest and lookest with loathing upon the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Such people often say: if we help him, he will drink again, get drunk and fall down. This false opinion is a justification of one's own miserliness. Nowhere does the Lord tell us: help this one or that one, or: only to such will I give help; but He says: “Ask, and it shall be given you.” And we must help every one who asks with what we can.
Often the greater part of homeless beggars pass the night lying upon the ground, even in winter. It is just such people who keep from freezing by taking spirits or the like, even in excess; and they, having barely made their way by day to the place where they beg, need from us not judgement but humanity, warmth and help.
We must remember that it is not our business why anyone begs; whether he is a cripple; whether he can feed himself by working, and so on. Since he has come to begging, it befits us, if we can, only to help, not to judge. Still less to mock.
We must believe that by God's providence a particular mission is laid upon beggars and that they play an important part in the working out of God's justice: who shall be set on the day of judgement at the Lord's right hand for everlasting gladness, and who at the left, prepared for everlasting torment.
May the Lord grant us the sense that by showing mercy to others we too shall obtain mercy.
