If any man or woman that believes has widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.
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Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
But if it is praiseworthy to have one’s soul free from this failing of greed, how much more glorious is it to gain the love of the people by liberality. This should be neither too freely shown to those who are unsuitable, nor too sparingly bestowed upon the needy…. There is also another kind of liberality which the apostle teaches, “If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her assist them. Let the church not be burdened so that it may assist those who are real widows.” Useful, then, is liberality of this sort. , –.
“But none of those reclining at table understood why he said this to him. For some thought that, because Judas held the purse, Jesus says to him, ‘Buy the things that we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor.” Therefore, the Lord, too, had a purse. Keeping safe the offerings from the faithful, he distributed both to the needs of his people and to others in need. The paradigm for handling church money was thereby established: We should understand that his teaching that one must not take thought of tomorrow was taught for this purpose, that no money should be kept by the saints, but that God should not be served for money and that justice should not be abandoned because of a fear of need. For the apostle too, looking ahead to the future, said, “If any believing woman has widowed relatives, let her provide sufficiently for them so that the church not be burdened, in order that it can have enough for true widows.”
Observe how again he speaks of those as widows indeed, who are left destitute, and have no resource from any other quarter. It was better to have it so. For thus two great objects were attained. Those had an opportunity of doing good, while these were honorably maintained, and the Church not burdened. And he has well said, If any believer. For it is not fit that believing women should be maintained by unbelievers, lest they should seem to stand in need of them. And observe how persuasively he speaks; he has not said, let them maintain them expensively, but let them relieve them. That the Church, he says, may relieve them that are widows indeed. She therefore has the reward of this help also, for she that helps the Church, helps not her only, but those widows too whom the Church is thus enabled to maintain more bountifully. I will therefore that the younger widows— do what? Live in luxury and pleasure? By no means; but— marry, bear children, guide the house. That he may not be supposed ...
