Today January 15

Today is the feast of St. Macarius (300 - 390). He was a camel driver but left the world to become a priest. He was accused of sexual misconduct and run out of office. Rather than defend himself, even against physical blows, he gave away all he had and even worked day and night to (financially) support his accuser! Wow. But she was in great travail when delivery time came, and when asked "What is the matter?", the woman cried out, "I know what it is, it is because I slandered the priest, and accused him unjustly; it is not he who is to blame, but such and such a young man." Her conscience cleared, the woman gave birth. Then Macarius must have been relieved, but he left that village and went to live in the desert.

They said of Abba Macarius that a thief went into his cell when he was away. Macarius came back to his cell and found the thief loading his things onto a camel. So Macarius went into the cell, picked up his things and helped him load them onto the camel! When the loading was finished, the thief began to beat the camel to make it get up but in vain. Seeing that it did not get up, Abba Macarius went inside his cell, found a small hoe there, picked it up and put in onto the camel saying, "Brother, the camel wants to have this." Then the old man kicked it, saying, "Get up." At once the camel got up and went forward a little, because of his command. Then it lay down again and refused to get up until it was completely unloaded; and then it set off.

Another time a demon approached Abba Macarius with a knife and wanted to cut his foot. But, because of his humility he could not do so, and he said to him, "All that you have, we have also; you are distinguished from us only by humility; by that you get the better of us."

He prayed even for the souls in hell -- and it was not in vain. He was granted a spirit visit once. Abba Macarius said, "Walking in the desert one day, I found the skull of a dead man, lying on the ground. As I was moving it with my stick, the skull spoke to me. I said to it, 'Who are you?' The skull replied, 'I was high priest of the idols and of the pagans who dwelt in this place; but you are Macarius, the Spirit-bearer. Whenever you take pity on those who are in torments, and pray for them, they feel a little respite.' The old man said to him, 'What is this alleviation, and what is this torment?' He said to him, 'As far as the sky is removed from the earth, so great is the fire beneath us; we are ourselves standing in the midst of the fire, from the feet up to the head. It is not possible to see anyone face to face, but the face of one is fixed to the back of another. Yet when you pray for us, each of us can see the other's face a little. Such is our respite.' The old man in tears said, 'Alas the day when that man was born!' He said to the skull, 'Are there any punishments which are more painful than this?' The skull said to him, 'There is a more grievous punishment down below us.' The old man said, 'Who are the people down there?' The skull said to him: 'We have received a little mercy since we did not know God, but those who know God and denied Him are down below us.' Then, picking up the skull, the old man buried it."

They said of Abba Macarius the Great that he became, as it is written, a god upon earth, because, just as God protects the world, so Abba Macarius would cover the faults which he saw, as though he did not see them; and those which he heard, as though he did not hear them. A fine epitaph. St. Macarius, pray for us.