A Word Picture of Salvation and Forgiveness from St Macarius the Egyptian

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A Word Picture of Salvation and Forgiveness 
from St. Macarius the Egyptian
Fifty Spiritual Homilies: Homily 27
A.J. Mason, D.D.
London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1921

St. Abba Macarius the Great (295-392 A.D.), also known as Macarius the Egyptian, was among the most influential Desert Fathers of Egypt, and a disciple of St. Anthony the Great.

From Homily 27 as Told by A.J. Mason

Suppose a king were to find a poor maiden, clothed in rags, and were not ashamed, but took away her soiled clothes, and washed off her blackness, and adorned her with splendid clothes, and made her a partner of the king, and gave her a share of his table and the banquet ; so did the Lord find the soul wounded and stricken, and gave her medicine, and took off her the black garments and the disgrace of sin, and clothed her with royal, heavenly garments, the garments of the Godhead, all shining and glorious, and put a crown upon her, and made her a partaker of the royal table for joy and gladness. And as when there is a pleasure garden, and it has there fruit trees, and all sweet-smelling ones, and there are there many charming spots, all lovely and filled with fragrance and refreshment, and whoever goes there is delighted and refreshed ; so are the souls in the kingdom, all in joy, delight, and peace.

Homily 27 Told in Today's English by Mary Katherine May 

with Related Bible Verses

Isaiah:  61:10 NKVJ

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

My soul shall be joyful in my God;

For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Suppose a king were to find a poor girl wearing only dirty rags. He didn’t think it was beneath his dignity to help her but instead took away her soiled clothes, washed off the dirt and grime, and dressed her in splendid garments.  In his court he made her equal to himself, and seated her at his table at the banquet. 

Revelation 3:5 NKJV  He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.   Psalm 23:5 NKJV  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Just so did the Lord find the soul wounded and stricken, and gave her medicine, and took off her the black garments and the disgrace of sin, and clothed her with royal, heavenly garments, the garments of the Godhead, all shining and glorious, and put a crown upon her, and made her a partaker of the royal table for joy and gladness.

Psalm 23: 2, 3a NKJV  He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

And as when there is a beautiful garden with sweet smelling fruit trees with many places filled with fragrant scents and views that revive soul and body, and whoever goes there is delighted and refreshed.  So are the souls in the kingdom, all in joy, delight, and peace.

Sources

The Homilies of St. Macarius the Great are available as an online public domain work through archive.org and other online sites free audio reading on librivox.org, as well as books in print both old and new, and many public libraries.

Read about The Monastery of St. Macarius the Great founded in the fourth century by the saint himself and still in use today. Here during restoration of the monastery begun in 1969 the crypts of St. John the Baptist and Elisha the Prophet were discovered.

Read about the life of St. Macarius by clicking the link that goes to the Orthodox Church of America website.

Read by clicking here about how Egyptian government officials invaded the monastery in 2010 injuring several monks over a land dispute.

This blog post by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.  The content of this blog post by St. Macarius and Mary Katherine May is available free for nonprofit use. Scripture verses from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible are subject to copyright restrictions of the copyright holder.