January 19
The saints and feasts remembered on January 19, each with a short life, a Bible passage and a prayer.
Saint Macarius the Great
Desert monk of Scetis known for gently covering the faults of others
Macarius was born in Egypt around 300. According to the stories of the desert fathers, as a young man he drove camels carrying natron, a mineral salt. At about thirty he settled in the desert of Scetis, a remote valley west of the Nile delta now called Wadi el-Natrun. Disciples gathered around him, he was ordained a priest, and visited Anthony of Egypt.
Life there meant little food, long prayer, and weaving palm leaves to earn a living. Around 374, when the emperor Valens was pressuring Christians loyal to the Council of Nicaea, Macarius was exiled to an island in the Nile. The sayings of the desert monks remember his gentleness: he would hide his brothers' faults as if he had not seen them. He taught a short prayer: “Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy.”
He died around 390. A monastery bearing his name still stands in Wadi el-Natrun, and Christians of East and West honour him as a father of monastic life.
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray. Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:7–8 · BSB
A prayer
God of mercy, you led your servant Macarius into the desert and taught him to pray simply and to cover the failings of others with love. Give us humble hearts that trust your will, patience with those around us, and the courage to show the mercy we ourselves have received. Amen.
The lives are written with AI help from public-domain histories and checked before publishing; the prayers are ours. Bible quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), in the public domain. How we write.