Shed a tear

For everyone who sails in the sea runs the danger of shipwreck, and the danger is more eminent if one sails daringly. In like fashion, bodily ills are ever-present to everyone invested with a body, especially if one walks with his head held high and pays no heed to those who have fallen ill before him. As long as you sail with the tail wind [with favorable wind], give a hand to the one that has shipwrecked. When you are prosperous and whole, help the one who has lost his way. Do not wait to learn first-hand what inhumanness is and how good it is for one to receive compassion when in need. Do not will that God raise his hand against those who are high-minded and who pass quickly by the needy. Learn how you should respond to the misfortunes of others: give something even if it is a little.  It is not a little when you give to someone who has nothing. Nor is it so for God. Offer your heartful goodwill in lieu of something that is large. If you have nothing, shed a tear; compassion that comes from the heart is a great medication for the afflicted, and one who genuinely shares in another’s suffering brings relief to calamities.

St. Gregory the Theologian
14^th Homily, 28. Concerning Philanthropy

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