Macarius the Roman

Venerable Macarius the Roman was a hermit of Roman descent, born in Rome around the middle of the fourth century, who struggled in a cave far away, beyond the borders of Persia. His life became known through three monks from Mesopotamia.

He was the son of a Christian senator named John and was raised in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, from which there grew in him the desire to serve the Lord as a monk. His parents nevertheless betrothed him to a maiden of noble family. On the night of the wedding he fled from his father's house and was sheltered by a pious widow, with whom he stayed seven days in tears and prayer. Then he set out and met an old man of noble appearance, who took him along, and they travelled together three years, as far as beyond the borders of Persia. There the old man became invisible, then appeared surrounded by light and told him that he was the Archangel Raphael, sent to bring him there by command of the Most High.

Macarius found a cave in which a lioness lay dead with her hungry cubs. He buried the lioness and raised the cubs, who obeyed him. For two years he struggled free of great temptations, but then the devil appeared to him in the likeness of his betrothed, and he, forgetting to make the sign of the Cross, took her into the cave and fell into sin. The woman vanished at once. Macarius understood the deception, left weeping bitterly, and asked the Lord for a way and a time of repentance. The Archangel Raphael appeared to him and urged him to remain in the cave to the end. For three years he wept for his sin, until he received a heavenly light as a sign of forgiveness.

The cave was found by three monks of the monastery of Saint Asclepius in Mesopotamia of Syria, Sergius, Theophilus and Hyginus, who with their abbot's blessing had set out for spiritual benefit, had gone to Jerusalem and wished to reach the end of the earth to see where Eden is. They noticed a fragrance coming out of the cave and saw an old man covered only by his hair and beard, which reached the ground, served by two lions. Macarius, after assuring himself by prayer and the sign of the Cross that they were not demons, received them. He told them they could not reach where they wished, since the Lord had appeared to him one night and told him not to attempt it, because man cannot know these things while in the body. A raven brought a loaf and a half for them all. Then the three left, accompanied for three days by lions, reached Jerusalem again and returned to their monastery, making known the life of Venerable Macarius the Roman. The Saint fell asleep in peace in the wilderness.

He is commemorated on 23 October.