From the sayings of ABBA MACARIUS about Humility
From the sayings of ABBA MACARIUS about Humility
As Abba Macarius was returning to his cell from the marsh carrying
Palm-leaves, the devil met him with a sharp sickle and would have struck him
But he could not. He cried out, "Great is the violence I suffer from you,
Macarius, for when I want to hurt you, I cannot. But whatever you do, I do and
More also. You fast now and then, but I am never refreshed by any food; you
Often keep vigil, but I never fall asleep. Only in one thing are you better
Than I am and I acknowledge that." Macarius said to him, "What is that?" and
He replied, "It is because of your humility alone that I cannot overcome you."
The old men used to say, "When we do not experience warfare, we ought so much
The more to humiliate ourselves. For God seeing our weakness, protects us;
When we glorify ourselves, he withdraws his protection and we are lost."
Abba Macarius constantly instilled the idea that the foundation of everything is humility: "If we see that anyone exalts himself and becomes haughty because he is a participant of grace, then even were he to perform signs and raise the dead, if he does not acknowledge his soul to be dishonored and debased, and himself poor in spirit and vile, he is robbed by malice and does not know it." This feeling of humility in the presence of an abundance of the gifts of grace is explained by St. Macarius in an excellent comparison: "If a king leaves his treasure with a poor man, the one who receives it does not consider this treasure as his own property, but everywhere acknowledges his poverty, not daring to spend another's treasure, because he always reasons with himself: this treasure is not only not mine, but what is more has been left me by a powerful king, and he, when he wishes, will take it from me. Thus should those who possess the grace of God think of themselves. If they exalt themselves and their hearts begin to grow haughty, the Lord will take from them His grace, and they will be left the same as they were before receiving it."
On one occasion some early grapes were sent to Abba Macarius because he longed for them, and to give a proof of his abstinence, he sent them to another brother who was sick, and who craved for grapes; and having received them, he rejoiced over them greatly, and then he despised his desire, and sent them on to another brother, as one who had no wish for food of any kind, and who held his self-denial in contempt. Now when the brother had received the grapes, although he desired greatly to eat them, he did the same as the other brother had done, and no man wished to eat them. And after they had gone about among many brethren, the last one who received them sent them to the blessed Macarius as a gift of great honour; and when the blessed Macarius saw the grapes he marvelled at the extent of the self-denial of the brethren, and gave thanks unto God, and he did not eat them.