Mar Macarios (St Macarius the Great)

Word for the day

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

Life

Macarius, often called Macarius the Great or Macarius the Egyptian, was born around 300 in a village of Upper Egypt. Early accounts say that as a young man he earned his living as a camel driver carrying natron, a kind of salt, before he gave himself to a life of prayer.

Around the age of thirty he withdrew into solitude, and about 330 he went deep into the desert of Scetis, the Wadi el-Natrun west of the Nile delta. According to the early monastic sources, he visited St Antony, the father of monks, and learned from him. Disciples gathered around Macarius, and Scetis became one of the great centres of monastic life. He was ordained a priest.

He was known for his humility, gentleness and long prayer, and the Sayings of the Desert Fathers preserve many of his words. According to the historians of the time, during the Arian persecution under Valens he was briefly exiled to an island in the Nile. He died around 390, at about ninety years of age. The monastery that bears his name, Deir Abu Maqar, still stands in the Egyptian desert.

A collection of Fifty Spiritual Homilies on the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart has long been attributed to him; most scholars now think they were written later by a Syrian monk, but they reflect the spirit of the desert and are loved in East and West.

Lessons

Humility conquers

Macarius overcame evil by lowliness, not by force.

Prayer of the heart

A short prayer, repeated with faith, can fill the whole day.

Purity of heart

Fasting and silence serve to make the heart clear for God.

Gentleness

He corrected others with kindness.

Stories

Your humility defeats me (tradition)

The Sayings of the Desert Fathers tell that the devil said to Macarius: whatever you do, I do also; you fast, I never eat; you keep vigil, I never sleep; in one thing only you overcome me, your humility.

Lord, have mercy (tradition)

When monks asked him how to pray, Macarius told them they need not use many words; it is enough to stretch out the hands and say: Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy.

The false accusation (tradition)

The Sayings tell that as a young hermit Macarius was falsely accused of wronging a village girl. He did not defend himself, but worked to support her. When the truth came out, the villagers came to ask his pardon, and he withdrew to Scetis.

Words of the saint

Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy.
Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Macarius 19, in substance

Homily

1. The pure in heart

Fasting clears the heart to see God (Matthew 5:8).

2. Humility defeats evil

The devil could not imitate his humility.

3. A simple prayer

Lord, have mercy.

Dear friends, on this second day of the fast of the Ninevites we remember Mar Macarios, one of the great fathers of the Egyptian desert. He was once a camel driver; he became a man of prayer whose wisdom drew disciples from far and wide.

Jesus says: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). Macarius went into the desert not to escape people, but to let God purify his heart. Fasting, silence and work were his ways of making room for God.

The Sayings of the Desert Fathers tell that the devil once complained to him: you fast, but I never eat; you keep vigil, but I never sleep; only your humility defeats me. Our fasts mean little without humility. The people of Nineveh did not only fast; they humbled themselves and turned from evil.

Macarius taught a very simple prayer: Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy. During these days of fasting, let us repeat it often, at work, on the road and before sleep, and come to the Holy Qurbono with humble and pure hearts. Amen.

Prayer

Lord God, you led Mar Macarios into the desert to seek your face in silence and humility; through his prayers give us pure hearts, a spirit of prayer and true repentance. Amen.