See how great the virtue of alms, both in the former discourse, and here! There, it delivered from death temporal; here, from death eternal; and opened the gates of heaven. Such are the pains taken for the bringing of Cornelius to the faith, that both an angel is sent, and the Spirit works, and the chief of the Apostles is fetched to him, and such a vision is shown, and, in short, nothing is left undone. How many centurions were there not besides, and tribunes, and kings, and none of them obtained what this man did!
Hear, all you that are in military commands, all you that stand beside kings. “A just man,” it says, “fearing God; devout” (<!--<span class="stiki"></span>-->v. 2, and 22); and what is more than all, with all his house. Not as we (who): that our servants may be afraid of us, do everything. but not that they may be devout. And over the domestics too, so * *. Not so this man; but he was “one that feared God with all his house”, for he was as the common father of those with him, and of all the others (under his command.)
But observe what (the soldier) says himself. For, fearing * *, he adds this also: “well reported of by all the nation.” For what if he was uncircumcised? Nay, but those give him a good report. Nothing like alms: great is the virtue of this practice, when the alms is poured forth from pure stores; for it is like a fountain discharging mud, when it issues from unjust stores, but when from just gains, it is as a limpid and pure stream in a paradise, sweet to the sight, sweet to the touch, both light and cool, when given in the noon-day heat.
Such is alms. Beside this fountain, not poplars and pines, nor cypresses, but other plants than these, and far better, of goodly stature: friendship with God, praise with men, glory to Godward, good-will from all; blotting out of sins, great boldness, contempt of wealth. This is the fountain by which the plant of love is nourished: for nothing is so wont to nourish love, as the being merciful: it makes its branches to lift themselves on high. This fountain is better than that in Paradise; a fountain, not dividing into four heads, but reaching unto Heaven itself: this gives birth to that river “which springs up into eternal life”: on this let Death light, and like a spark it is extinguished by the fountain: such, wherever it drops, are the mighty blessings it causes.
This quenches, even as a spark, the river of fire: this so strangles that worm, as naught else can do. He that has this, shall not gnash his teeth. Of the water of this, let there be dropped upon the chains, and it dissolves them: let it but touch the firebrands, it quenches all.— A fountain does not give out streams for a while and anon run dry—else must it be no more a fountain—but ever gushes: so let our fountain give out more copiously of the streams of mercy (in alms). This cheers him that receives: this is alms, to give out not only a copious, but a perennial, stream.
If you would that God rain down His mercy upon you as from fountains, have thou also a fountain. And yet there is no comparison (between God's fountain and yours): for if you open the mouths of this fountain, such are the mouths of God's Fountain as to surpass every abyss. God does but seek to get an opportunity on our part, and pours forth from His storehouses His blessings. When He expends, when He lavishes, then is He rich, then is He affluent. Large is the mouth of that fountain: pure and limpid its water.
If you stop not up the fountain here, neither will you stop up that fountain.— Let no unfruitful tree stand beside it, that it may not waste its spray. Have you wealth? Plant not poplars there: for such is luxury: it consumes much, and shows nothing for it in itself, but spoils the fruit. Plant not a pine-tree— such is wantonness in apparel, beautiful only to the sight, and useful for nothing— nor yet a fir-tree, nor any other of such trees as consume indeed, but are in no sort useful.
Set it thick with young shoots: plant all that is fruitful, in the hands of the poor, all that you will. Nothing richer than this ground. Though small the reach of the hand, yet the tree it plants starts up to heaven and stands firm. This it is to plant. For that which is planted on the earth will perish, though not now, at any rate a hundred years hence. Thou plantest many trees, of which you shall not enjoy the fruit, but ere you can enjoy it, death comes upon you. This tree will give you its fruit then, when you are dead.— If you plant, plant not in the maw of gluttony, that the fruit end not in the draught-house: but plant thou in the pinched belly, that the fruit may start up to heaven.
Refresh the straightened soul of the poor, lest you pinch your own roomy soul.— See you not, that the plants which are over-much watered at the root decay, but grow when watered in moderation? Thus also drench not thou your own belly, that the root of the tree decay not: water that which is thirsty, that it may bear fruit. If you water in moderation, the sun will not wither them, but if in excess, then it withers them: such is the nature of the sun. In all things, excess is bad; wherefore let us cut it off, that we also may obtain the things we ask for.— Fountains, it is said, rise on the most elevated spots.
Let us be elevated in soul, and our alms will flow with a rapid stream: the elevated soul cannot but be merciful, and the merciful cannot but be elevated. For he that despises wealth, is higher than the root of evils.— Fountains are oftenest found in solitary places: let us withdraw our soul from the crowd, and alms will gush out with us. Fountains, the more they are cleaned, the more copiously they flow: so with us, the more we spend, the more all good grows.— He that has a fountain, has nothing to fear: then neither let us be afraid.
For indeed this fountain is serviceable to us for drink, for irrigation, for building, for everything. Nothing better than this draught: it is not possible for this to inebriate. Better to possess such a fountain, than to have fountains running with gold. Better than all gold-bearing soil is the soul which bears this gold. For it advances us, not into these earthly palaces, but into those above. The gold becomes an ornament to the Church of God. Of this gold is wrought “the sword of the Spirit”, the sword by which the dragon is beheaded.
From this fountain come the precious stones which are on the King's head. Then let us not neglect so great wealth, but contribute our alms with largeness, that we may be found worthy of the mercy of God, by the grace and tender compassion of His only begotten Son, with Whom to the Father and Holy Ghost together be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, world without end. Amen.
Source: Homilies on Acts (New Advent)