Living Large And Dying Well - Macrina

330–79

Her brother called her “Macrina the Great.” Of all the nicknames that brothers give sisters, that’s a pretty good one, and it shows the sense of love and honor within this extraordinary family. Macrina had not just one, but three famous brothers, and all credited her with a great deal of their success.

After centuries of persecution, the 300s brought freedom and power to the church. One key issue was deciding what Christians believed. The church needed leaders who could preach and teach and write good theology. Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and to a lesser degree, Peter of Sebaste stepped up to do just that—with the help of their brilliant sister, Macrina.

Theirs was an affluent family from the region of Cappadocia in Asia Minor. Macrina grew up with a thorough religious education (unusual for a girl), memorizing huge portions of Scripture and cheerfully following a regimen of hourly prayers. Her beauty, wisdom, and heritage attracted many suitors, and she became engaged to one. But he died before the wedding, and Macrina then decided to devote her life fully to God. Staying on the family estate, she cared for her parents and siblings, living simply.

Holiness became her focus. She started a community of like-minded women who stepped out of their worldly pursuits in order to connect with God more fully. (The monastic movement was quite new and especially rare for women.) From her inheritance, she funded a hospital. All the while, she encouraged her brothers to refuse the trappings of church power and to remain humble.

You might say that Macrina the Great “lived large”—not in the extravagance of her wealth but in the commitment of her heart. As a result, her influence was huge—on her family and on her world. And when it came time to die, she did that well too, in the arms of her brother Gregory, who recorded her final prayer: “You have granted me that the end of this life should be the beginning of true life . . . O eternal God, . . . whom my soul has loved with all its might . . . lead me to the place of refreshment, where is the water of peace.”

Living large and dying well. That’s Macrina’s story, and perhaps our own.

To me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

Philippians 1:21