On this day we commemorate the martyrdom of the blessed father St. Macarius, Bishop of Edkow. In this holy man were fulfilled the words of the Prophet David: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:1, 2).

This Saint kept the commandments of his Lord and the Lord made many signs and wonders by his hands. In the City of Edkow, every time he went up on the pulpit to preach to the people he used to weep. When one of his disciples asked him the reason for his weeping, he answered that he could see the sins of the people and their evil deeds.

On one occasion he saw the Lord Jesus in the altar, and the angels bringing unto Him the deeds of the people, one after the other. He heard a voice saying: "Why bishop, are you slack in preaching to your people?" He replied: "My Lord, they do not accept my words". So He said unto him: "It is meet for the bishop to preach to the people and if they do not accept his word their blood be upon their own heads".

He was invited to go to the Council of Chalcedon with Abba Dioscorus. On arriving at the Royal Palace, the guards prevented him from entering because of his modest clothes, but Abba Dioscorus told them that he was the Bishop of Edkow. When he had gone in and heard the heresies about the Lord Jesus Christ he excommunicated the Emperor in the Council and was ready to deliver himself to death for the safe keeping of the Orthodox faith. They exiled him with Abba Dioscorus to the Island of Gagra. From there Abba Dioscorus sent him with a believing merchant to Alexandria saying to him: "There is a crown of martyrdom awaiting you".

When he arrived in Alexandria, he found that the messenger of the Emperor had also arrived and he had with him the Chalcedonian Creed which assigned two natures to our Lord Jesus. The Emperor had commanded his messenger saying: "Whoever signs the Creed first will be made the Patriarch of the City of Alexandria". In the city, there was a Archpriest whose name was Brotarios. He wanted to be the first to sign the Creed, but St. Macarius the Bishop reminded him that Abba Dioscorus had promised him the Papacy. Brotarios then refrained from signing the Creed.

When the Emperor's messenger knew that the Bishop disagreed with the Creed and would not sign it he kicked him. St. Macarius died on the spot and received the crown of martyrdom. The believers took his holy body and buried it with the bodies of St. John the Baptist and the Prophet Elisha. That fulfilled what these two saints had told this father in a vision that his body would be with theirs.