SR
The Praktikos/Book 1 · Πρακτικός
Chapter 26Evagr.1.26

Κεφ. ΚϚ'

The Power of Generosity

Acts of generosity and hospitality serve as effective tools to overcome resentment and foster reconciliation.

Gifts extinguish resentment. Let Jacob convince you: he won over Esau with gifts when Esau came out to meet him with four hundred men. But since we are poor, let us meet the need by offering a meal.1

Read the original Latin

Μνησικακίαν σβέννυσι δῶρα· καὶ πειθέτω σε Ἰακὼβ τὸν Ἠσαῦ δόμασιν ὑπελθὼν μετὰ τετρακοσίων εἰς ὑπάντησιν ἐξελθόντα. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς πένητες ὄντες τραπέζῃ τὴν χρείαν πληρώσωμεν.

Notes

  1. 1Literally “with a table”; here it means providing hospitality or a meal in place of costly gifts.

The Praktikos companion

A daily portion of stillness

Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.

Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.

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  • A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
  • Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent
Chosen Portion — Daily Prayer (free iOS app)