MACARIUS THE GREAT AND MACARIUS OF ALEXANDRIA

The name Makarios translates as “blessed.” In Greek, it is related to the Beatitudes from the Gospel. Ancient ascetic monuments have preserved valuable information about three saints named Makarios who were renowned for their spiritual authority.

1 On February 1, the Church commemorates Macarius the Great (300–390) and Macarius of Alexandria (295–394). Both lived at the same time, labored together in the Egyptian desert, left behind a great legacy, and were among the greatest prophetical figures in Christian history.

2 Even their contemporaries often confused the two saints. All the more so in these Last Days, when “the way of truth is hidden, and the universe is depleted of faith” (3 Esdras 5:1), it is important to remember what distinguished each of them. A thorough study of the lives of the saints inspires to ask that God, through their prayers, not abandon this world.

3 The lives of the saints were recorded by Bishop Palladius of Helenopolis (364–430) in his “Lausiac Story”. Palladius did not meet Macarius the Great in person, but he knew Macarius of Alexandria personally. Rufinus of Aquileia (340–410), Evagrius Ponticus (345–399), and the authors of the work known as the History of the Monks and the collection of sayings of the hermits, Apophtegmata Patrum or Sayings of the Fathers, wrote about the saints.

4 The names “Egyptian” and ‘Alexandrian’ are not accidental. For the Roman Empire, Alexandria and the rest of Egypt were different administrative units. Macarius the Great was slightly older than his brother, who, according to Palladius, was “second in age but first in monastic virtues.” Both studied under Anthony the Great.

5 Macarius the Great was born in the Nile Delta near modern-day Cairo into a Christian family. At the age of thirty, he came to the desert, where he spent sixty years. At the age of forty, he was granted great gifts, so much so that he was nicknamed “the young elder.” At that time, he was ordained a presbyter. The reverend lived in the inner desert, called Skete. He had two disciples.

6 Hiding from the lay people and desert dwellers who came to him, Macarius dug a special cave. “When he was disturbed, he would go into the cave, and no one could find him.” The Bishop of Alexandria, Lucius the Arian, sent him into exile among the pagans, hoping that they would kill him.

7 A letter, numerous prayers, and 50 spiritual words have been preserved under the name of Macarius the Great. The saint cast out demons, performed miracles and signs, and was a prophet. Macarius the Prophet … who hid from people.

8 Macarius of Alexandria, or Macarius the Citizen, according to Palladius, “sold snacks and was a citizen of Alexandria” until the age of forty. At forty, he experienced a conversion. After being baptized, he went to the desert, where he spent about sixty years. He lived in different parts of the desert—in Skete, Kelia, and also in the monastic site of Nitria—but he had no permanent place of residence.

9 The saint was one of the first to be ordained to the priesthood in Nitria. He was distinguished by an amazing desire to compete with other ascetics in all the feats he saw. Once, he entered the monastery of Pachomius incognito but was recognized because of his extreme asceticism. Monastic rules, a letter to monks, and “The Word on the Departure of the Soul” have been preserved under his name. Macarius the Desert Father … who did not have a desert.

10 Palladius wrote about another Macarius. He is sometimes referred to as Macarius “the Younger” and is therefore mistakenly identified with the “urban” Macarius. However, this is not the case.

11 Macarius was a shepherd. As an eighteen-year-old young man, he playfully fought with a peer and unintentionally killed him. “Without saying a word to anyone,” writes Palladius, “he went into the desert.” For three years, Macarius simply wandered and then lived for twenty-five years in a shelter he built for himself. “And he was granted such grace that he defeated demons.”

12 “Living with him for a long time,” writes Palladius, “I asked him what he thought about the sin he had committed.” “This is what happens to those who do not want to do good of their own free will,” he replied.

13 In these latter days, “when those who possess knowledge are delighted” (3 Esdras 5:1), it is fitting for the wandering Church to take the example of the first, second, and third Macarius. Although he is not mentioned in the liturgical calendars, it is proper and right to commemorate him on this first day of February.