Macarius the Monk

Macarius the Egyptian monk, distinguished for his miracles and virtues, wrote one letter, addressed to the younger men of his calling. In it he taught them that a person can serve God perfectly who, knowing the condition in which he was created, gives himself to every kind of labor, and who, by wrestling against everything that is pleasant in this life while at the same time imploring God’s help, also attains natural purity and obtains self-control as a well-deserved gift of nature. [a]