The Lives of the Saints
1. THE HOLY MARTYR LEONTIUS
He was a Roman general in the Phoenician city of Tripolis, in the time of Emperor Vespasian. A native of Hellas, "great in stature, strong, mighty, and courageous in battle." The imperial governor Adrian sent a detachment of soldiers to seize Leontius, for this Adrian was a fierce opponent and persecutor of Christians. The commander of that detachment, Hypatius, fell ill on the way with a severe fever, so the detachment had to slow its march. One night an angel of God appeared to Hypatius and said to him: "If thou wouldst be well, cry out three times like the heavens with all thy soldiers: O God of Leontius, help me!" Hypatius communicated his vision to his companions, and they all cried out unanimously as the angel had counseled, and Hypatius was instantly healed. This miracle amazed them all, and especially a certain Theodulus. Then Hypatius and Theodulus went ahead, before the rest of the soldiers, to find the general Leontius. Leontius received them hospitably and entertained them. And when he set forth his faith in Christ to them, their hearts were inflamed with love for Christ, and at that moment a radiant cloud descended upon Hypatius and Theodulus, and from the cloud dew fell upon them. It was the Spirit of God Himself baptizing these converted souls, and Saint Leontius at that moment pronounced the words: "In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." When the wicked Adrian learned that both Hypatius and Theodulus had become Christians, he ordered that they be beaten without mercy and then that their heads be cut off with an axe. Thus ended these two spiritual children of Leontius. Then Adrian ordered fierce tortures upon Leontius, but Leontius remained unshakable in his holy faith. They covered his whole body with wounds, but he fervently prayed to God not to forsake him. In the midst of the most fierce torments an angel of the Lord appeared to him and encouraged and consoled him. Finally they threw the martyr to the ground and beat him until he gave up his spirit to God. The suffering of Saint Leontius was witnessed with his own eyes by a certain lord Notarius, who recorded it all on leaden tablets and placed the tablets in the tomb of the martyr. Saint Leontius honorably suffered in the year 73.
2. THE VENERABLE LEONTIUS THE CLAIRVOYANT
A Greek by origin from the Peloponnese. He struggled ascetically in the Monastery of Dionysiou for sixty years and departed this life in 1605, being eighty-five years of age. Of this saint it is said that he entered the monastery only once and left the monastery only once in a full sixty years. Namely, he entered when he first came to the Monastery of Dionysiou, and he left when they carried him out dead for burial. He had a wondrous gift of clairvoyance and prophecy, and after his death myrrh flowed from his relics.
Hymn of Praise
Leontius of a lion's heart,
A lion's heart and a lion's name,
He was not ashamed of his God
But before all confessed Christ,
Christ God, the Savior of the world.
Youth, strength, and generalship he despised
For the truth of Christ the Crucified
And gloriously risen from death.
Flattered, honored, praised, and gifted,
He did not deny his God;
Flogged, spat upon, scraped, and crucified,
He did not deny his God.
But the greater the torment and mockery,
The greater and brighter the flame of faith.
The Roman Empire and all the powers of hell
Had set upon him,
But he knew that he was not alone,
That Christ stood beside him.
A pillar of stone amid angry reeds,
A pillar of flame amid the slaves of darkness.
By his faith he amazed the nations,
He gave his life, that he might live forever.
“Flattered, honored, praised, and gifted, he did not deny his God; flogged, spat upon, scraped, and crucified, he did not deny his God.”
Reflection
With what attention a scientist examines natural phenomena, with even greater attention we ought to examine the manifestations and effects of the grace of God. Here is what one of the great spiritual men testifies about the effects of Communion. Father John of Kronstadt writes: "I marvel at the greatness and life-giving power of the divine Communion: an old woman was spitting blood and had become completely exhausted, unable to eat anything; on the day she received Communion from me, she began to recover. A little girl on the point of death, after Communion began to recover, to eat, drink, and converse, whereas before she had been nearly unconscious, in convulsions, and neither ate nor drank." O if only every priest would observe and follow the grace-filled effects of Holy Communion with the attention of a scientist and the love of a man of prayer, like Father John!
Contemplation
Contemplate the miraculous healing of the boy whom the devil, tormenting him, cast now into fire and now into water (Matt. 17:14), namely:
1. How the Lord rebuked the devil and the boy was healed,
2. How the evil spirit also casts me now into the fire of passions and now into the water of carnality,
3. How the Lord can save me too from falling into fire and water, if only I pray to Him.
Homily
On Lending to God
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again (Prov. 19:17)
Both the poor man who begs and the rich man who gives place the Lord in their debt, but only on the condition that the poor man begs in the name of the Lord and with humility, and that the rich man gives in the name of the Lord and with mercy. Everyone who receives should know that he receives what is God's; and everyone who gives should know that he gives what is God's. Such giving has value, and such receiving has value.
We all enter this world naked, and naked we depart from it. We are all beggars before the Lord, for we have nothing that we have not received from the Lord. Therefore give to thy poor brother, as God has given to thee. Thou takest what is another's and givest to thine own when thou givest alms. A poor man is nearer to thee than all thy possessions, just as to God, the Creator of men, every man is incomparably more precious than all His possessions.
If wealth has been given to thee, it has been given to thee as a test. To try thy heart! That God and all the heavenly hosts may see whether thou hast understood from Whom thy wealth comes and for what it has been given to thee. Blessed art thou if thou knowest that thy property is from God and belongs to God! Blessed art thou if thou countest the poor among thy partners, among thy household, and if thou sharest with them from what God has entrusted to thee!
O how immeasurable is the love of God for mankind! Behold, all that thou hast belongs to God, and yet God considers Himself thy debtor if thou takest from His own and givest to the poor, and He will repay thee for thy good deed. What mercy can compare with this!
O Lord Who lovest mankind, open our minds to understand the mystery of Thy mercy, and soften our hearts like wax, that like wax they may burn and shine with the reflection of Thy inexpressible mercy! To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“We all enter this world naked, and naked we depart from it. We are all beggars before the Lord, for we have nothing that we have not received from the Lord.”