He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
To look down on a neighbor with contempt is itself sin, a real transgression and not a harmless fault, even in conduct people dismiss as too small to notice. To show mercy to the poor makes the one who shows it happy, and this is the right rule for relations between rich and poor. The good returns upon the giver himself and his own soul, for God repays and blesses those who care for the poor, the stranger, the widow, the orphan and the helpless, in part in this life and more fully in the next. Such kindness to those in need brings greater joy than giving to friends who lack nothing, promotes health and blesses the body while selfishness breeds disease, so that benevolence is a special condition of a happy life that leaves no excuse for living unhappy.
Sin of Despising Neighbor
To despise one's neighbor is to sin. That contempt is a sin of commission, a wrong actively done and not merely a duty left undone. Contempt shown toward a neighbor is therefore sin in the full sense, and kindness toward the poor stands opposite to it as the path to happiness.
Contempt for another person is a real transgression, not a harmless or insignificant fault. It includes conduct that people dismiss as too minor to matter. Even when such conduct is treated as a small matter not worth notice, despising a neighbor remains sin.
Blessing of Mercy to Poor
Having mercy on the poor makes the one who shows it happy. That kindness is the right rule for relations between poor and rich. The benefit returns to the giver himself and to his own soul. Kindness to those in need is one special condition of a happy life, leaving no reasonable excuse for living unhappy.
Giving to those in need brings greater joy than giving to friends who are not in need. God repays those who give to the poor, with part of the reward in this life and the greater part in the next. God blesses those who care for the poor, the stranger, the widow, and the orphan, and blesses the basket and store of those who help supply the needs of the helpless. The duty to provide for one's own family is no reason not to help others, but calls for a heart of love that prepares homes and provision for fatherless and helpless children as if they were one's own.
The knowledge of being a blessing to others promotes health. Selfishness and disease are closely related, and selfishness is responsible for much chronic invalidism, while benevolence blesses every cell of the body. Many hopeless invalids would be helped by thinking less of self and more about the needs of others.
To look down on a neighbor with contempt is itself sin, a real transgression and not a harmless fault, even in conduct people dismiss as too small to notice. To show mercy to the poor makes the one who shows it happy, and this is the right rule for relations between rich and poor. The good returns upon the giver himself and his own soul, for God repays and blesses those who care for the poor, the stranger, the widow, the orphan and the helpless, in part in this life and more fully in the next. Such kindness to those in need brings greater joy than giving to friends who lack nothing, promotes health and blesses the body while selfishness breeds disease, so that benevolence is a special condition of a happy life that leaves no excuse for living unhappy.
Sin of Despising Neighbor
To despise one's neighbor is to sin. That contempt is a sin of commission, a wrong actively done and not merely a duty left undone. Contempt shown toward a neighbor is therefore sin in the full sense, and kindness toward the poor stands opposite to it as the path to happiness.
Contempt for another person is a real transgression, not a harmless or insignificant fault. It includes conduct that people dismiss as too minor to matter. Even when such conduct is treated as a small matter not worth notice, despising a neighbor remains sin.
Blessing of Mercy to Poor
Having mercy on the poor makes the one who shows it happy. That kindness is the right rule for relations between poor and rich. The benefit returns to the giver himself and to his own soul. Kindness to those in need is one special condition of a happy life, leaving no reasonable excuse for living unhappy.
Giving to those in need brings greater joy than giving to friends who are not in need. God repays those who give to the poor, with part of the reward in this life and the greater part in the next. God blesses those who care for the poor, the stranger, the widow, and the orphan, and blesses the basket and store of those who help supply the needs of the helpless. The duty to provide for one's own family is no reason not to help others, but calls for a heart of love that prepares homes and provision for fatherless and helpless children as if they were one's own.
The knowledge of being a blessing to others promotes health. Selfishness and disease are closely related, and selfishness is responsible for much chronic invalidism, while benevolence blesses every cell of the body. Many hopeless invalids would be helped by thinking less of self and more about the needs of others.