January 2 -- St. Macarius
St. Macarius died in 394 AD. He was a monk and hermit who was noted for his austerities and his miracles. He valued silence, prayer and contemplation and taught the monks the importance of this kind of life to attain Heaven. It is in this life of solitude that man can unite his soul to God.
In modern times, this type of life is almost non-existent.
People are always constantly busy with work, entertainments, social events, etc. Television, computers, radio, ipod, mp3 and a myriad of other new technological "advances" keep everyone busy from dusk to dawn.
Most people admit that they have "no time to think". If given a rare quiet moment, men have difficulty knowing how to recollect and even worse, they have a horror of it. Recollection takes effort and man has become addicted to dissipation and excitement.
How does man then analyze, order and observe his life, his future , his eternity? More so, how can man consider his ambience in the light of Catholic doctrine? What becomes of his immortal soul?
Let us pray to St. Macarius, who represents the antithesis of this way of being, through the intercession of Our Lady, for the grace of recollection.
Let us also ask to be able to cut the ties of the agitated ambiences we are surrounded in. If we take a short time each day, to remain quiet, to think of the glory of God and His Church, Our Lady will be able to "speak" to us .
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