Day of St. Macarius the Great, Egyptian

On February 1, the Christian world honors St Macarius the Great, who received the gift of a miracle worker Macarius the Great, was born in Lower Egypt near the Nitrian desert in the village of Ptinapor around 300 Obeying the will of his parents, he got married Soon widowed, Macarius confirmed his desire to take the path of a monk and immersed himself in the study of the Holy Scriptures Fulfilling the commandment to honor parents, he did not leave his elderly parents After the death of his parents, Macarius went to the nearest desert and became a novice under an old hermit The elder instructed him in spiritual science and taught him handicrafts The local bishop, having learned about the virtuous life of Macarius, ordained him as a junior cleric of the local church Macarius was burdened by the dignity he had received and retired to the Paran desert After living alone in the desert for several years, Macarius went to Saint Anthony the Great as a disciple The Monk Abba Anthony received Macarius with love, who became his devoted follower On the advice of Anthony, after living for a long time in the Thebad desert, Macarius went to the Skit desert (northwest of Egypt) At the age of thirty, Macarius showed himself to be a mature monk, for which he was called an “elder youth” At the age of 40, Macarius was ordained a priest and made abbot of the monks living in the Skete desert At the same time, Macarius received the gift of miracles According to church tradition, the saint raised the dead to convince the heretic of the possibility of resurrection Around 360, the monk became the founder of a monastery in the Nitrian desert, which was later called the monastery of Macarius the Great Macarius the Great and Macarius of Alexandria during the reign of the Arian emperor Valens were exiled to a deserted island inhabited by pagans According to legend, having healed the priest’s daughter, Macarius converted the local residents to the Christian faith, and the Arian Bishop Luke allowed the monks to return to their deserts The Monk Macarius the Great died in 391 in the monastery he founded Before moving to the heavenly monasteries, the Monk Macarius gave instructions to his disciples and plunged into peace, saying, “Into Thy hands, Lord, I commend my spirit” Theological writings are a precious inheritance of the wisdom of the Monk Macarius The clear and intelligible instructions and messages of St Macarius are close to the heart and mind