The Lives of the Saints
1. SAINT LEO I, POPE OF ROME
Leo was born in Italy of pious parents. He was first archdeacon under Pope Sixtus III, and after his death was elevated, even against his own will, to the throne of the Pope of Rome. When Attila with the Huns came near Rome and was already preparing to destroy and burn this city, Leo went out before him in hierarchical vestments, tamed the anger of the Hun leader and averted the destruction of Rome. As much as Attila allowed himself to be counseled by the holy man, so much did he have to be frightened by a vision of the Apostles Peter and Paul, who stood beside Leo, and with fiery swords threatened Attila. And not only did Leo save Rome, but he helped greatly in saving Orthodoxy from the heresies of Eutyches and Dioscorus. This heresy consisted in merging the divine and human nature of Christ into one and, consequently, in denying two wills in the person of the Lord Savior. Because of this the Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened in Chalcedon, at which Leo's epistle was read, which Leo had written and laid on the grave of Saint Peter, and Saint Peter had corrected. Before death he spent forty days in fasting and prayer at the grave of the Apostle Peter, begging him to tell him whether his sins were forgiven. The Apostle appeared to him and said that all his sins were forgiven, except the sins in ordaining priests (from which it is seen how grave a sin it is to ordain the unworthy). The saint again fell to prayer until he was informed that even those sins had been blotted out. Then he peacefully gave up his soul to the Lord. Saint Leo reposed in the year 461.
2. SAINT FLAVIAN
Saint Flavian was Patriarch of Constantinople after Saint Proclus. Contemporary of Saint Leo the Pope. He fought decisively against Eutyches and Dioscorus, but did not live to see the triumph of Orthodoxy at the Fourth Ecumenical Council, for before that at a heretical council in Ephesus he was beaten and trampled so mercilessly that he died there. Faithful soldier of Christ, brave defender and confessor of the Orthodox faith. He reposed in the year 449.
“Saint Peter had corrected Leo's epistle. Before death Leo spent forty days at the grave of Peter, begging him to tell him whether his sins were forgiven.”
Hymn of Praise
"When pride cometh, then cometh shame"
This is the word of God, this the teaching of life.
Who are the heretics? Children of pride,
Children of pride, fathers of madness.
What did they wish? To bring shame,
Therefore they had to bear shame.
Eutyches trusted in the help of a eunuch,
Flavian in the help of God's Spirit.
Pride is always followed by destruction:
Eutyches perished, Flavian conquered.
Dioscorus's hope was in his fist,
Therefore all ages despised him too.
Flavian beaten and trampled underfoot—
Now on earth glorified, and in heaven blessed.
He defended truth without fear and hesitation,
Truth he upheld, nothing feared.
Leo of Rome showed him lion's help
In defense of Christ's bright image.
These two hierarchs, and Eulogius—the third
Led the Church to victory and happiness.
Without such spirits what would the Church be?
A shot bird with broken wings.
“Without such spirits what would the Church be? A shot bird with broken wings.”
Reflection
With difficult and most difficult torment and sacrifice the tares of heresy were weeded from the wheat of Orthodox truth. Heretics have always used base means and base persons in undermining Orthodoxy. The Archimandrite of Constantinople Eutyches and the Patriarch of Alexandria Dioscorus, who spread the heretical teaching that in Christ there were not two natures: divine and human, but one, had as their ally in the imperial court the base eunuch Chrysaphius. With them secretly was also the Empress Eudocia. Orthodoxy was defended like a lion by the fearless Patriarch Flavian, in which he was helped by the emperor's sister, Saint Pulcheria. The eunuch brought to Emperor Theodosius the most vile slanders against Flavian, only so that the emperor would drive him from the throne and bring the heretic Eutyches as patriarch. When neither this nor everything else succeeded, the heretics resolved to kill Flavian. And indeed, at the robber council in Ephesus they beat and trampled him so much that Saint Flavian on the third day gave up his soul to God. What happened in the end? At the Fourth Ecumenical Council Eutyches and Dioscorus were cursed. The eunuch was cast out of the court with shame and lost his life. The Empress Eudocia was banished from Constantinople to Palestine. Flavian and Pulcheria were proclaimed saints. And the Orthodox faith was triumphantly confirmed.
Contemplation
Contemplate the Lord Jesus in the midst of the Pharisees and scribes, namely:
1. How He labors to raise up the Pharisees and scribes and to save them, and how they labor to bring Him down and kill Him;
2. How He desires to correct every one of their thoughts and words, and how they desire to distort every one of His thoughts and words;
3. How He is sorrowful that He cannot give them life, and how they are sorrowful that they cannot put Him to death.
Homily
on the struggle of the powerless with the Almighty
But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death (John 12:10)
They agreed first to kill the Worker, then also His work. For Lazarus risen was Christ's work. What good is it, they thought craftily, to kill the Wonderworker but leave alive the witness of His greatest wonder? Only then would the people be inflamed against them as criminals! But yet it happened that they killed Christ but missed Lazarus. And then? And then they—or their like-minded ones—killed a tenth of His apostles, but missed hundreds. Then they killed thousands, but missed hundreds of thousands. Then they killed hundreds of thousands, but missed millions. Finally it was shown that even the slain behind their backs were rising to life like mown grass, while those intended for slaughter before the face of the killers were growing like sown grass. In vain did the wise Gamaliel say: if this work be of God, ye cannot overthrow it (Acts 5:39). God-fighters through all ages have in vain sharpened their powerlessness, to cut down God's crop. But the more they cut it, the more abundantly God's crop grew.
O senseless Christ-fighters, both past and present! Your club bounces off the city of Christ, and strikes your own hut, and destroys it into dust and ashes. Through all ages you have had enough allies: besides the devil with you were heretics, idolaters, fanatics, fortune-tellers and sorcerers, dissolute princes and rich men, violent men and all hardened sinners. You have been defeated until now, and without any doubt all your allies together with you will be defeated unto the end of time.
For this to Thee, almighty and irresistible Lord, be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“They killed thousands, but missed hundreds of thousands. The slain behind their backs were rising to life like mown grass.”