The Words of a Heart

It seems that the great elder Apa Makarios was journeying in the blazing North African desert one day with a zealous young novice.

Urging the disciple to go on ahead of him, Apa Makarios found a shaded place to rest awhile. The novice went on ahead and soon encountered a priest of the Egyptian idols traveling on the same road. Filled with fundamental zeal, the novice verbally attacked the priest, piously proclaiming that God could not and would not have anything to do with his religion and its evil idols. So abusive was this young monk, that it is said the priest of idols struck him with a mighty blow, leaving him semiconscious at the side of the road.

As the priest proceeded on his way, he soon encountered Elder Makarios, sitting beneath the shade of a great rock. Seeing him, the old monk called out saying, ‘My brother, you must be weary with the burden of your travels. Why don’t you sit here with me in this cool place for a while and speak to me of your journey?’ ‘What?’ the priest responded, still enraged by the last encounter. ‘Are you, old monk, not also going to berate me and condemn my faith and my gods as did that young monk down the road?’ ‘Certainly not,’ replied Makarios, and again bade him to sit and speak with him as a brother and fellow-pilgrim.

There the two sat and spoke of things great and small for hours.

Seeing evening’s approach, the ancient Makarios finally arose to bid his new friend farewell and be on his way, but the priest of idols would not let him go. ‘I shall in no wise allow you to depart this place, unless you allow me to return with you.’ And so the two made their way back to the monastery, picking up and helping the young, confused—and very much humbled—novice on their way. When they arrived, Apa Makarios called together all the brethren to greet the new seeker, and treated him with the greatest of honors.

Now all of this was beyond the comprehension of the young monk, who was so certain of where God was and where God was not. So he went by night to ask the elder to explain all that had happened with the infidel priest of idols. And the ancient Makarios, who must have shined like the sun in the midst of that desert night, responded with words like these: ‘My child, the hostile words of a closed heart can turn a potentially good situation into a bad one, while the hospitable words of an open heart can turn a potentially bad situation into a good one.’

+ As retold by Fr. Elias Bouboutsis in his book "Singing in a Strange Land," (Massachusetts, Holy Cross Orthodox Press: 2010) 30-31.