During a moment of ardent supplication to God, the great Christian ascetic Macarius of Egypt (?390) heard a voice from heaven, saying: ?Macarius! thus far thou hast not attained the spiritual level of two women who live in the town nearby!? The elder straightway took his staff in hand and went to seek out the righteous women of whom the voice from on high had spoken. After a lengthy search, he knocked on the door of a certain house in the town, and two women admitted him with kindness. Macarius said to them: ?I have left the desert specifically to meet you, that I might acquaint myself with your works. Tell me of yourselves.? ?O man of God, ?the women answered, abashed, ?can one expect anything God-pleasing from those who are continually occupied with domestic tasks and must needs fulfill the responsibilities of marriage?? But the ascetic persisted, asking the women to disclose to him their manner of life.
