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In Praise of the Holy Martyrs · §2 · Hesychius of Jerusalem

Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving need one another

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The preacher is showing that each virtue is powerless without another, beginning with fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

And how can we lay hold of the crown? Fasting is good, but without prayer it does not trample on demons. For he says, “This kind does not go out except by fasting and prayer” (Mark 9:29). Prayer is good too, but without almsgiving it cannot go up to heaven. You have heard the angel saying to Cornelius, “Your prayers and your almsgiving have gone up for a memorial before God” (Acts 10:4). So almsgiving carried prayer up to heaven.

Greek

Καὶ πῶς ἐπιβάλλεσθαι τοῦ στεφάνου

δυνάμεθα; Καλὸν ἡ νηστεία, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς προσευχῆς οὐκ ἐπιπατεῖ δαίμοσιν· «Τοῦτο

γάρ», φησίν, «τὸ γένος οὐκ ἐξέρχεται εἰ μὴ ἐν νηστείᾳ καὶ προσευχῇ.» Καὶ καλὸν μὲν

ἡ προσευχή, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς ἐλεημοσύνης εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναβῆναι οὐ δύναται· ἀκήκοας

γὰρ τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρὸς τὸν Κορνήλιον λέγοντος· «Αἱ προσευχαί σου καὶ αἱ

ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἀνέβησαν εἰς μνημόσυνον ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ.» Οὐκοῦν ἡ

ἐλεημοσύνη τὴν προσευχὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐβάστασεν.