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Macarius the Great

1,176 bytes added, 04:43, May 13, 2006
Excerpts from his writings: quotes
As they reached the monastery, all the monks came out holding candles and singing. Then they carried the body on their shoulders and went into the church in a great celebration, and God performed many wonders on that day.
==Quotes and Excerpts from his writings=====God for your sake humbled Himself===God, for your sake humbled Himself, and you will not be humbled for your own sake?! The Lord Himself who "This is the Way mark of Christianity—however much a man toils, and is Godhowever many righteousnesses he performs, after He came not on His own behalf but for you so to feel that He might be an example for you of everything goodhe has done nothing, see, He came and in such humilityfasting to say, taking "the form of a slaveThis is not fasting," [Philippians 2:7]and in praying, He Who "This is God, the Son of God, King, the Son of King ... But do not despise His divine dignityprayer, as you look " and in perseverance at Himprayer, externally humiliated as one like us. For our sakes He so appeared, not for Himself... When they spat in His face and placed a crown of thorns on Him and hit Him, what more humiliation could He "I have yet undergone?... If God condescends shown no perseverance; I am only just beginning to such insults practice and sufferings to take pains"; and humiliationeven if he is righteous before God, youhe should say, who by nature are clay and are mortal"I am not righteous, no matter how much you are humiliatednot I; I do not take pains, will never do anything similar to what your Master didbut only make a beginning every day. God, for your sake, humbled Himself and you will not be humbled for your own sake?!"
"The soul that really loves God and Christ, though it may do ten thousand righteousnesses, esteems itself as having wrought nothing, by reason of its insatiable aspiration after God. Though it should exhaust the body with fastings, with watchings, its attitude towards the virtues is as if it had not yet even begun to labour for them." "Souls that love truth and God, that long with much hope and faith to put on Christ completely, do not need so much to be put in remembrance by others, nor do they endure, even for a while, to be deprived of the heavenly desire and of passionate affection to the Lord; but being wholly and entirely nailed to the cross of Christ, they perceive in themselves day by day a sense of spiritual advance towards the spiritual Bridegroom." "God, for your sake humbled Himself, and you will not be humbled for your own sake?! The Lord Himself who is the Way and is God, after He came not on His own behalf but for you so that He might be an example for you of everything good, see, He came in such humility, taking "the form of a slave" [Philippians 2:7], He Who is God, the Son of God, King, the Son of King ... But do not despise His divine dignity, as you look at Him, externally humiliated as one like us. For our sakes He so appeared, not for Himself... When they spat in His face and placed a crown of thorns on Him and hit Him, what more humiliation could He have yet undergone?... If God condescends to such insults and sufferings and humiliation, you, who by nature are clay and are mortal, no matter how much you are humiliated, will never do anything similar to what your Master did. God, for your sake, humbled Himself and you will not be humbled for your own sake?!" --St. Macarius the Great (''Homily 26, 25-26)''.
===The aim of the Incarnation===
"I would wish to speak about a more subtle and profound topic to the best of my ability. Wherefore, listen attentively to me. The infinite, inaccessible and uncreated God has assumed a body, and on account of His immense and ineffable kindness, if I may say it, He diminished Himself, lessening His inaccessible glory so as to be able to be united with His creatures, so they can be made participators of divine life [2 Peter 1:4]. God who transcends all limitations and far exceeds the grasp of our human understanding, through His goodness has diminished Himself and has taken the members of our human body which He surrounded with inaccessible glory. And through His compassion and love for mankind, taking upon Himself a body, He mingles Himself and becomes "one spirit" [1 Corinthians 6:17] with them, according to Paul's statement. He becomes a soul, if I may so say it, in a soul, substance in substance so that the soul may live in God, and sense the immortal life and become a participator in eternal glory.  " --St. Macarius the Great (''Homily 4, 9-10)''.
''See also'': [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arbible/message/25833 Selected Sayings of St. Macarius]
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