One of the most important concepts of Christianity is the purification of the human soul, without which it is impossible to get closer to God. The miraculous prayer of Macarius the Great, which is considered especially powerful, helps to get rid of the oppressive burden of sins. When she sincerely turns to the saint, she is capable of performing real miracles.
Read the prayer of Macarius the Great in various difficult situations!
The sacred text will help you understand how correct this or that action is, will make it possible to realize your true essence and stop looking for excuses for sinful behavior. Reading the prayer of the holy elder allows you to feel how strong repentance and cleansing are. Thanks to the utterance of these lines, it will be possible to make a decision that pleases the Lord himself.
Origin and life of the saint
Macarius was born in Egypt into the family of a priest. The elderly Abraham and Sarah did not hope to have children. One day an angel appeared to Abraham with the news of the birth of a son, who was destined to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and live among people in angelic form. From a young age, Macarius strove to serve God, but his parents forgot about the angel’s prediction and forced him to marry.
3 days after the wedding, the wife died of fever as a virgin. Abraham and Sarah no longer insisted on their son's marriage. Macarius cared for his elderly parents and diligently attended church. After the death of his father and mother, he distributed all his property to the poor and settled in the desert, not far from the village where he lived.
His mentor was an elder monk, next to whom Macarius built a cell. All his days were spent in labor (basket weaving) and prayers. A distinctive character trait of St. Macarius was humble.
Macarius did not contradict anyone, accepting injustice as a temptation that he must overcome.
From the biography of the reverend it is known that a girl slandered him, calling him the father of her unborn child. The villagers believed her, brutally beating the saint.
Macarius did not prove his innocence. He began to give her the money he earned from selling the baskets. During the birth pangs, the girl admitted to lying. Her parents decided to repent before the saint, but Macarius did not want vain glory. He secretly left his cell and went into the Faran desert. After spending 3 years in silence, Macarius went to the founder of Egyptian monasticism, Anthony the Great.
Reverend Father Anthony had already heard about the blessed one and treated him with attention and love. Macarius became his like-minded person and supporter. After some time, Macarius left Anthony and, on his recommendation, headed to the Skete hermitage. The hermit led an ascetic lifestyle: he ate a little bread and water once a week, and slept fitfully, leaning against the wall of his cell.
Trying to avoid tempting thoughts, Macarius remained in silence, keeping prayers in his mind. Detachment from worldly goods reached such a degree that when one day the hermit noticed a thief in his cell, he helped him collect his simple belongings and load him onto a donkey.
Macarius at a young age achieved the spiritual maturity that is inherent in elders. For his wisdom and patience he was called an old man. The blessed man’s saying that an unkind word will make a kind-hearted person evil, and a good word will make a hard-hearted person good, has become popular. The fame of the ascetic spread throughout Egypt, and pilgrims flocked to him: for healing, prayer, advice.
He gained followers who built cells next to the saint’s home. 5 years passed, and 4 churches appeared in the harsh region, Macarius became a presbyter. In 374, the persecution of the Orthodox began in Egypt. The most influential monks, including Macarius, were removed to an island among the pagans in the Nile Delta. The humility and virtue of the confessors struck the minds of the pagans, and they accepted Christianity. Popular outrage forced the monks to return from exile.
History of Macarius the Great
The Monk Macarius the Great was born in the year 300 in the village of Ptinapor (Lower Egypt). Left without a wife and parents, he distributed his property to the poor and went wandering. Over the many years spent in the desert, he visited several holy elders, studied and prayed with them, preaching the love of God. The monk became famous for his numerous exploits: it was argued that the prayer of St. Macarius the Great of Egypt could not only heal the sick, but even bring back the dead.
Miracles
People flocked from all over Egypt to the Skete desert to see Macarius the Great, hoping for his help in illness and sorrow. Macarius set up a hotel for the sick.
Every day the monk healed one sick person with holy oil, keeping the rest in the monastery in order to cleanse not only the body, but also the soul from illness.
The saint, in order to sometimes remain alone with God, made a hidden room under his cell. Here Macarius indulged in prayer and contemplation of God.
The Monk Macarius was at the repose of Saint Anthony the Great. The saint inherited a staff, on which the elder leaned when walking. It doubled his spiritual power. The saint's mercy and humility knew no bounds. Macarius offered prayers to the Lord for the righteous and sinners.
Blessed Macarius reached such spiritual heights that at the age of 40 God endowed him with the gift of miracles. Once, to prove to the heretic that the human soul is immortal, Macarius resurrected the dead. The heretic appeared in the desert and began to proclaim to the disciples of Macarius that there was no resurrection of the dead. He was witty and sarcastic, and the monastic brethren doubted the truth of the Christian faith.
Macarius did not argue with the tempter, but suggested going to the monastic cemetery and making sure of the resurrection. Together with the heretic and the monks, the monk came to the cemetery. After a long prayer, Macarius cried out to the Lord to revive the recently deceased monk. The monk called out the name of the recently buried monk, and everyone heard the answering exclamation. The monks dug up the grave and brought out their revived brother. The frightened heretic disappeared into the desert.
Twice more did the Monk Macarius perform short-term resurrections of the dead: to help an unfortunate widow repay her husband’s debt; justify the innocently convicted.
The prayers of Saint Macarius helped against witchcraft and in driving out demons. One wizard, at the request of a wicked man who wanted to persuade a beautiful married woman to cheat, cast a spell that made her seem like a horse to everyone. Three days later, Macarius the Great, at the request of her husband, freed the woman from magical deception by dousing her with holy water.
In a similar way, Macarius delivered from evil spells a girl turned into a donkey, which her parents brought to him. Another girl was sick with a terrible disease: her whole body was covered with festering wounds with worms. The monk anointed her body with oil, over which he read a prayer to the Lord, and she became healthy.
One day they brought a young man possessed by a demon to Saint Macarius. The devil who possessed him demanded a huge amount of food, which immediately came out of the possessed man’s mouth in the form of steam. The mother begged Macarius to save her son from demonic possession. The monk fasted and prayed for seven days and cast out the devil.
Death and canonization
Blessed Macarius spent 60 years in the desert in prayerful service, constantly repenting of his sins, and at work. The monk lived to be 97 years old. Macarius learned about his imminent death from a dream in which messengers from the Lord, Saints Anthony and Pachomius, appeared to him.
Macarius the Great, saying goodbye, blessed his followers and like-minded people. His last words were: “Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” The Orthodox protected the holy relics from desecration by Muslims. Since 1754, they have been buried in a Coptic monastery founded by Macarius the Great of Egypt.
During the period of the undivided Church, canonization took place without the adoption of acts. Canonization for special services to the Church applied to patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and ascetics.
How do prayers to Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt help?
The saint died at 90 years old. They began to call him the Great during his lifetime, and after his death he left behind not only the glory of his exploits and miraculous healings, but also dozens of writings and Orthodox prayers of Macarius the Great.
The saint's feast day is celebrated on February 1.
The saint is approached with requests:
- about patronage;
- about the gift of wisdom;
- about strengthening the spirit and faith;
- about help in life's difficulties.
Creative heritage
The constant spiritual work of Macarius the Great was reflected in theological works. For the Orthodox world, 50 conversations, 7 instructions and 2 messages have been preserved. In his revelations, the Monk Macarius reflects on how to achieve the union of the soul with God, analyzing his own life path and the experience of other Egyptian ascetics. In conversations, Macarius the Great gives an interpretation of the Bible in allegorical form.
Saint Macarius preaches bodily asceticism and constant observance of the commandments of God for the upliftment of spiritual life.
Explanations and excerpts from the theological works of St. Macarius:
- Why is the soul a container of darkness if God created it? Because Adam, having violated God’s Covenant, allowed sin into her, where the evil one now finds himself. Only a soul that has believed in God and accepted the Holy Spirit into itself is capable of defeating the dark passions that penetrated into it as a result of original sin.
In order for the soul to be eternally close to the Lord, it must become dead to earthly life, where the evil one reigns. She must reincarnate into another entity that can access divine truths.
To destroy the sinful spirit, one must pray until the soul can receive and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Because prayer is not just words, but work done by the soul. Without the spiritual benefits that prayer gives, a person is poor in soul, and he must be in constant sadness, sorrow, and crying. One must continually turn to the Lord and ask in faith in order to gain true life.
Like the physical essence, true life for the soul, which is a cast of the Divine image, can only continue with the perception of spiritual food, drink, and clothing.
- Only God can liberate from the unclean, who has acquired dominion over the soul and body of a person. The Lord gave the Messiah, who helped throw off the shackles of slavery to the devil.
By sinning, man was transformed from being perfect to being disobedient to God's law. He is hidden from God by the devil's clothing: slander, unbelief, fearlessness, arrogant arrogance, greed, debauchery. Jesus atoned for human sin, and people can again become perfect and live forever in the Kingdom of God.
- A Christian who wants to live with God in his soul, first of all, must acquire the gift of reliably distinguishing between good and evil. There are few people who were able to remain faithful to the indivisible love for the one God and gave up everything. Temptations encountered in worldly life turn us away from heavenly love due to weakness, timidity, and excessive love for something earthly.
What is dear to a person in the world comes first for him, weakening him in the fight against temptations. This is the vicious power of sin that tests every person’s loyalty to the Lord.
Only those Christians will be able to fully accomplish the feat of serving the Lord who, of their own free will, have renounced worldly love. To pass the test, you must constantly monitor your desires in order to immediately ask God to deliver you from the desire for pleasure and participation in worldly problems.
- The main thing in turning to the Lord in prayer is to do it in silence, peace of mind, without distractions or attracting other people’s attention. The soul, cleansed from passions, will unite with the Holy Spirit and be filled with joy, love, mercy, and kindness.
To fill the soul with the Holy Spirit, a Christian must observe the divine commandments, exclude worldly concerns from his consciousness, so that the mind does not react to earthly problems. Hourly prayer addressed to the Lord is what the believer’s mind should be full of.
You can defeat sin, which is present in every person, only by constantly forcing yourself to humility:
- considering himself unworthy before any of the people;
- avoid fame;
- approval.
Good deeds and exploits can be dedicated to God alone.
Efforts of will must be aimed at overcoming character flaws. A true Christian must be merciful, generous, patient, despite insults and humiliation. If he finds it difficult to force himself to pray, he should not give up. God will see how a person curbs himself through an effort of will, and will give spiritual fruit: prayer, through which the feeling of true love, meekness, and kindness will come.
If a Christian forces himself to pray, but does not fulfill the commandments of God, does not force himself to meekness, wise humility, love for his neighbor, then he is given the grace of prayer. He will receive peace and joy in his soul, but his moral essence will not change.
Every Christian must force himself, despite his heart, both to prayer and to wise humility, love, meekness, sincerity, simplicity of heart, and patience. He must fight his pride, considering himself a beggar and the worst of people, wean him from idle conversations and thoughts, not express his feelings by shouting, and not get irritated.
Anyone who wants to truly serve God will have to fight against worldly temptations, moving away from entertainment, sinful passions, and spirits of evil. The Holy Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs remembered and kept in their hearts the commandments of the Holy Spirit, following them not only in words, but also in deeds: renouncing wealth, fame, and pleasures. As a result of this, there was no place for irritability in their souls, but love reigned. Those who participate in this grace love all people, including evil blasphemers and persecutors, forgiving offenses and praying to God for them.
- A virtuous lifestyle leads to spiritual joy, because virtues are links in one chain, dependent on each other. Prayer comes from the heart, from love. Love arises from joy. The source of joy is meekness, which is born from humility.
Humility is cultivated during service to the Lord; service comes from hope; the source of hope is faith. Faith is impossible without obedience, and obedience is impossible without simplicity of needs.
And bad deeds are the generation and continuation of each other:
- anger - from nervousness;
- nervousness - from pride;
- pride - from love of fame;
- love of fame comes from unbelief;
- lack of faith - from hardness of heart;
- hard-heartedness - from negligence;
- negligence - from laziness;
- laziness - from despondency;
- sadness - from impatience;
- impatience is from lust.
The earthly life of a true Christian, as Macarius the Great teaches, with all the struggle against worldly temptations and moral and spiritual labors, is the preparation of the soul for the acceptance of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The spiritual heritage of the saint remained with Christian believers forever. The Holy Church included the ascetic prayers of St. Macarius in morning and evening services (1st morning prayer, 1st and 4th evening prayers).
Iconography
On the icons the Monk Macarius of Egypt is depicted as an old man with a long gray beard to the waist or below, with gray hair. The gaze of large, stern eyes is fixed on those praying. The sacred halo shines above the head of the saint.
In images, a Christian hermit can be depicted naked, covered only by a beard, or in a tunic, waist-length or full-length. The image without clothes is a reminder of the ascetic lifestyle of the saint, who was so absorbed in spiritual improvement and communication with God that he forgot about the material side of earthly life.
Macarius's hands are either prayerfully folded on his chest, which means humility, or he makes a gesture with his palms turned towards the believers - as a warning against the temptations of the evil one. The images of the scroll in the hands are the spiritual instructions that the saint gave to his disciples. There are images where the Cherub stands next to Macarius, the Venerable Onuphrius, and Peter of Athos.
Lyrics
On the days of memory of Macarius the Great, an akathist, kontakion, and troparion are read in church. Orthodox believers turn to the icon of the saint with prayer requests.
Troparion
Desert dweller, and in the flesh an Angel, and a miracle worker appeared, Our God-bearing Father Macarius: by fasting, vigil, and prayer, we received Heavenly gifts, healing the sick and the souls of those who come to you by faith. Glory to Him who gave you strength, glory to Him who crowned you, glory to Him who heals you all.
Kontakion
Having passed away the blessed life of life with the faces of martyrdom, you worthily settled in the land of the meek, God-bearing Macarius, and having inhabited the desert like a city, you received grace from the God of miracles, with the same we honor you.
Prayer
Prayers are offered to Macarius of Egypt in the morning, during times of adversity and sadness.
First
To You, Lord Lover of Mankind, having risen from sleep, I hasten, and I take up deeds pleasing to You, according to Your mercy, and I pray to You: help me at all times, in every matter, and deliver me from all evil vicissitudes in this world and from the devil. help, and save me, and bring me into Your eternal Kingdom. For You are my Creator and Provider and Giver of all good. And in You is all my hope, and I send up glory to You, now, and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Second
Oh, Rev. Father Macarius! We pray to you, unworthy ones, by your intercession, ask our All-Merciful God for mental and physical health, a quiet and pious life and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. With your prayers, extinguish the arrows of the devil, so that sinful malice may not touch us, and having piously ended our temporary life, we may be worthy to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and together with you glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Third
Oh, sacred head, reverend father, most blessed Abvo Macarius, do not forget your poor to the end, but always remember us in your holy and auspicious prayers to God. Remember your flock, which you yourself shepherded, and do not forget to visit your children. Pray for us, holy father, for your spiritual children, as if you have boldness towards the Heavenly King, do not be silent for us to the Lord, and do not despise us, who honor you with faith and love. Remember us unworthy at the Throne of the Almighty, and do not stop praying for us to Christ God, for you have been given the grace to pray for us. We do not imagine that you are dead, even though you have passed away from us in body, but even after death you remain alive. Do not give up on us in spirit, keeping us from the arrows of the enemy and all the charms of the devil and the snares of the devil, our good shepherd. Even though your relics are always visible before our eyes, your holy soul with the angelic hosts, with the disembodied faces, with the heavenly powers, standing at the Almighty Throne, rejoices with dignity. Knowing that you are truly alive even after death, we bow down to you and pray to you: pray for us to Almighty God, for the benefit of our souls, and ask us time for repentance, so that we may pass from earth to heaven without restraint, from the bitter ordeals of the demons of the air princes and may we be delivered from eternal torment, and may we be heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom with all the righteous, who from all eternity have pleased our Lord Jesus Christ; to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, with His Beginning Father and with His Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer 1
Oh, reverend Father Macarius! We pray to you, unworthy ones, through your intercession, ask our All-Merciful God for mental and physical health, a quiet and godly life and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. With your prayers, extinguish the arrows of the devil kindled against the servants of God (names), so that the malice of sin may not touch us, and having piously ended our temporary life, we will be worthy to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and together with you we will glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
