Abba Peter said this about the holy Macarius: ‘One day he came to the cell of an anchorite who happened to be ill, and he asked him if he would take something to eat, though his cell was stripped bare. When the other replied, “Some sherbet,” that courageous man did not hesitate, but went as far as Alexandria to fetch some for the sick man. The astonishing thing is that no-one knew about it.’
—–Saying of the Desert
The brother is saying that he traveled over 50 miles through the desert to get the ancient equivalent of Ensure for an ailing friend, and he told no one about his good deed. Such a willing, generous spirit is not a common thing now, or then. Yet it is the teaching of Jesus in His Sermon On the Mount. He says,” But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” The practice of charity (love) is not a source of pride or accolades, it is an act of devotion to God and His creation. We learn a valuable lesson from the desert today. Become a humble and generous giver of life, not a spectacle of self aggrandizing good deeds. Even if your actions are extraordinary, as were the actions of Macarius, we must do them to the praise of God and the benefit of His creation
A Pastor's Thoughts 