“For thy stewardship of these corruptible things thy reward shall be glory everlasting, a crown of righteousness, the heavenly kingdom…Thy heart is so fixed on the present that thou despisest what is waited for in hope. Come then; dispose of thy wealth in various directions. Be generous and liberal in thy expenditure on the poor. Let it be said of thee, He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever.
Do not press heavily on necessity and sell for great prices. Do not wait for a famine before thou openest thy barns. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him. Watch not for a time of want for gold’s sake — for public scarcity to promote thy private profit…Thou keepest thine eye on thy gold, and wilt not look at thy brother…Thou canst not tell who is thy brother in the day of distress.”
Basil of Caesarea (330-379) bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, also known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers, in Homily VI on Luke 12:18 on selfish wealth and greed.
A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water. The people curse those who hold back grain, but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it. Proverbs 11:25-26
In reading Basil’s homily and related Scriptures this morning this phrase stuck with me: “Do not wait for a famine before thou openest thy barns.” Basil exhorts us to be generous at all times, not just in crisis, and to shift our eyes off gold and on to people. What do you possess that you could be generous with toward people today?