THE LIFE OF ABBA MARK THE ANCHORITE
They said that Abba Mark the anchorite, who lived near the Penthoucla monastery, practiced the austerity of fasting all week long for sixty-nine years, resulting in some people believing he was incorporeal. He also labored night and day in accordance with Christ’s commandments. What he gained, he gave to the poor, and he never accepted anything from anybody.
There were some people, friends of Christ, who heard of him and came, intending to give him some charitable donation. But he said to them, "I do not accept alms. The labor of my hands is sufficient both for me and for those who come to me by the grace of God."