The History of Abba Macarius (the Alexandrian) and a Certain Virgin
There was in
Alexandria a
certain virgin
who though meek in
appearance was of a
haughty disposition. Now
she was exceedingly rich
and had possessions
without number, but she
never relieved the poor,
and the strangers, and
those who were in misery,
and she never gave a
drachma to the Church,
and notwithstanding the
frequent rebuke with
which the Fathers rebuked
her, she never allowed any
portion of riches to leave
her. And this woman had
kinsfolk, and she adopted
her sister’s daughter, to
whom she used to promise by day and by night (to
give her) all that she had, for she had fallen from
heavenly love. Now, it is a customary thing which
belongeth to the deception of Satan that he produceth
avarice under guise of love of family, for that he hath
no genuine care for kinsmanship is well known from
the fact that he taught murder in order that he might
make war (between) brethren, and is admitted by the
Holy Book. And, if he imagined that he implanteth
solicitude for kinsfolk in (the hearts of) men, (it must
be remembered) that he is not moved to do this on
their behalf because of his love for them, but only
that he may minister unto his own will, for manifestly
he knoweth the sentence of judgment which hath been
passed, that the wicked shall not inherit the Kingdom
of God (I Corinthians 6:9). For if a man be moved by
spiritual understanding and by divine desire, he will
be able to care for his kinsfolk if they be in want without bringing himself into contempt; but if he
devoteth the whole of himself to the care for his
kinsfolk, and he bringeth himself into contempt by
making himself to labor under poverty, he will fall
from the divine law. And the divine man David
singeth in the Psalms concerning those who possess
themselves of the solicitude of the fear of God, and
he saith, “Who shall go up into the mountain of the
Lord?” (Psalm 24:3). Now, inasmuch as he saith,
“Who,” he maketh known concerning the smallness
of number (who shall go up). And (again he saith),
“Who shall stand in His holy place? He whose hands
are clean and whose heart is chosen, and “who giveth
not himself unto poverty” (Psalm 24:3-4). For those
who devote themselves to poverty are those who think
that the soul is dissolved with this body.
Now this virgin, who was so in name only, became a stranger unto the various kinds of spiritual excellence.
And there was a certain priest whose name was
Marcarius (or Isidore) who wished to cut away as
with iron and to lighten the weight of the possessions
of those who loved money, and he had the care of,
and was the governor (or secretary) of a house for the
poor who were sick and infirm in their bodies. And
this man thought out the following plan whereby he
might entrap the virgin. From his youth up he had
been a skillful workman in the cutting of gems, and
he went to her and said, “Certain very precious
emeralds and gems have fallen into my hands, and
whether they have been stolen or not I do not know;
their value cannot be ascertained, because they are
above price, but the man who hath them will sell them
for five hundred dinars. If thou wishest to take them
thou wilt be able to recover the price of the five
hundred dinars from the sale on one of the gems, and
the rest thou wilt be able to employ in the adornment
of they sister’s daughter.”
Now when the virgin heard this she was perturbed,
and she fell down at his feet making entreaty unto
him, and saying “I beseech you to let no other person
take them.” Abba Macarius saith unto her, “Come to
my house and see them,” but she would not consent
to this; and she poured out for him five hundred dinars,
and said unto him, “according to what thou dost
require even so take, but I do not wish to see the man
who is selling them.”
And having taken the five hundred dinars he spent
them on food and on things for the use of those who
were hungry, and on the poor. And when much time
had passed, inasmuch as he was a famous man in
Alexandria—now this blessed man was well known
for his love of God, and for the merciful disposition
which was in him, and he was almost one hundred
years old, and we also knew him and had tarried in
his house with him—the virgin was ashamed to call the matter (of the five hundred dinars) to his mind.
But finally she found him in the church and said unto
him, “I beseech thee to tell me how thou hast disposed
of the gems for which we gave thee the five hundred
dinars. And he answered and said unto her, “When
thou gavest me the money I gave it for the price of
the gems; if thou wishest come and see them in my
house, for there are they deposited. Come and see
them, if it pleaseth thee so to do, and if thou wilt not
then take my money.”
So she went with him joyfully. Now the place to
which she went was a house of the poor; in the upper
parts thereof were lying women whose bodies were
destroyed, and in the lower parts were men. And
when they had come there Marcarius brought her in
through the door, and said unto her, “Which wouldst
thou see first, the emeralds or the gems?” She said
unto him, “Whichever thou pleasest.” Then he took
her up to the upper parts of the house and showed her
the women whose faces and bodies were diseased and
deformed, and said unto her, “These are the gems;
and brought her down to the lower parts, and showed
her the men, and said unto her, “These are the
emeralds. If these please thee good and well; but if
not “take thy money.”
Then was the virgin ashamed, and she went forth and
departed, and by reason of her grief she fell forth into
a sickness, because it was through God and of her
own will that she had in this wise performed this
matter. Finally, however, she came to herself, and
was exceedingly grateful to the priest, and as for the
maiden for who the wedding feast she was laying up
her riches, she died.
|
