Strawberries

Continuing in the same vein, as the entry below, that is, moving in a truly personal relationship with God lets think about this. How does this work?

With a loved one you would say for example… ‘Here I brought you a chocolate truffle. I bought it just for you.’

This entails your going down to the store (time), using your money to buy something very special and maybe a little pricey (so perhaps there is some added sacrifice there), for the person that you love. In your attempt to show them how much you love them you step out of your way to do or even create something that is thoughtful and special for them.

How can one do that for God? Here is a beautiful example!

HYMN OF PRAISE
SAINT MACARIUS THE GREAT
In Egypt, in the desert
Great loved reigned
Among the simple monks,
As in the kingdom of the saints.

Saint Macarius was
as a cherubim among them.
In every good deed
An example to the monks was he.

Macarius became ill;
For him, a monk went out to seek wild strawberries,
He went forth, he found, and he brought them
To soothe his elder's pain.

To partake of them, Macarius did not want,
He said, "There is a brother more ill.
Bring it to him; this gift is
more needed to that brother."

The second ailing brother cried and,
To the gift-bearer, said: "Forgive me!
But my neighbor is more needy
Of this charity than I."

The gift-bearer, the gift he took away
And, to that neighbor, gave it,
This one gave it to a third,
And that one to a fourth; all in order,

From cell to cell,
And from brother to brother,
Until the last one with the strawberries
To Macarius, at the door!

"Behold, father, you are ill!"
Macarius began to weep,
Seeing this wonderful brotherly love -
Neither did he want to eat.

He spilled them over the hot sand,
And, to God he gave thanks,
That the dead, arid desert,
Because of love, became Paradise.

The more a brother loves his brother
Than he loves himself:
"O Lord, the gift is this,
The gift of love, the gift from You!"

From the Prologue of Ohrid, St. Nikolai Velimirovch for January 19

Here is also an example of St. Nikolai's love of St. Marcarius and of God!