St. Macarius the Great: Three anecdotes from his life

 One day someone asked [St. Macarius] how to make progress on the path to salvation. The saint sent him to the cemetery, first to insult the dead then to praise them, and when he came back, he said: "Look, the corpses said not a word to you in reply. Similarly, if you want to be saved you too must become like a dead man, making as little of the contempt of men as of their praises."

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He acquired expert knowledge of the different kinds of demon. He said that they can be divided into two main categories: one consisting of the spirits which arouse passions such as anger and covetousness; and the other, more dreadful, of the spirits which mislead men by spiritual illusion, blasphemy and heresies.

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His exceeding charity led him to pray with tears even for the damned. One day as he was walking in the desert, he came upon the skull of a pagan priest, which addressed him, saying: "Each time that you have pity on those who are in torments - on us who are plunged into the fire with our faces pressed against the backs of the one's in front - we receive a measure of comfort in being able for a while to see the faces of our fellow sufferers."

+St. Macarius the Great of Egypt, from his life in The Synaxarion Volume 3, entry for January 19.

St. Macarius the Great: Prayers for the departed

Abba Macarius said, "Walking in the desert one day, I found the skull of a dead man, lying on the ground. As I was moving it with my stick, the skull spoke to me. I said to it, "Who are you?" The skull replied, "I was a high priest of the idols and of the pagans who dwelt in this place, but you are Macarius,the Spirit-bearer. Whenever you take pity on those who are in torments, and pray for them, they feel a little respite." The old man said to him, "What is the alleviation, and what is this torment?" He said to him, "As far as the sky is removed from the earth, so great is the fire beneath us. We are ourselves standing in the midst of the fire, from the very feet up to the head. It is not possible to see anyone face to face, but the face of one is fixed to the back of another. Yet when you pray for us, each of us can see the other's face a little. Such is our respite." The old man in tears said, "Alas the day when that man was born!" He said to the skull, "Are there any punishments which are more painful than this?" The skull said to him, "There is a more grievous punishment down below us." The old man said, "Who are the people down there?" The skull said to him: "We have received a little mercy since we did not know God, but those who know God and denied Him are down below us." Then, picking up the skull, the old man buried it.
+St. Macarius the Great, from The Desert Christian, the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Translation and foreword by Benedicta Ward, SLG

Akathist: Prayer for the Departed

Looking back, our eyes behold afar the whole path of life: from the first day until now, already have died a multitude of people who did good things for me. Rendering unto them a debt of love, I cry: O Lord, vouchsafe heavenly glory to my parents and those nearest and dearest to me, who watched over my childhood cradle, who nurtured and brought me up; O Lord, glorify in the presence of the holy angels those who proclaimed the word of salvation to me, who taught me right and truth by the holy example of their lives; O Lord, delight with hidden manna those who ministered to me in difficult days. Reward and save all my helpers and benefactors.
O Lord of unutterable love, remember Thy servants who have fallen asleep!
From the Akathist for the Repose of the Departed, Ekos 10, in Book of Akathists: To Our Savior, the Mother of God, and Various Saints.