Care for the poor

St Isaac of Syria (7th/8th cent.)

'The person who benefits the poor finds that God takes care of him.' (Wisdom of St Isaac the Syrian, 16; ed. S. Brock, p. 2.)

"Do you wish to honor the Body of the Savior? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honor it in church with silk vestments while outside it is naked and numb with cold. He who said, 'This is my body,' and made it so by his word, is the same that said, 'You saw me hungry and you gave me no food. As you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to me.' Honor him then by sharing your property with the poor. For what God needs is not golden chalices but golden souls." (On the Gospel of St. Matthew, 50, iii (PG 58, 508))

"Above all things: forget not the poor, but support them to the extent of your means. Give to the orphan, protect the widow, and permit the mighty to destroy no man. Take not the life of the just or the unjust, nor permit him to be killed. Destroy no Christian soul, even though he be guilty of murder." (The Primary Chronicle, 1096 AD)