Monday February 20/March 4 ns 2024 • St. Leo, Bishop of Catania; St. Bessarion of Egypt ~ I St. John 2:18-3:8; St. Mark 11:1-11 QUOTES: #2 H Y M N S O N P A R A D I S E Saint Ephraem the Syrian ~ From St. Dorotheos of Gaza P E R F E C T L O V E

Saint Leo 

was bishop of Catania, Sicily. He was renowned for his kindness and charity, his Christian love for strangers and the poor. The Lord made him worthy of the gifts of working miracles and healing people of various illnesses. 

During St. Leo’s episcopacy, there lived in Catania a sorcerer named Iliodor, who amazed the people with false miracles. He had been a Christian, but later secretly renounced the Savior and became a servant of the Devil. St. Leo often strove to convince Iliodor to cease from doing evil and instead to return to God, but his efforts were in vain. Once, Iliodor even dared to enter the church where the bishop was celebrating Divine Services, and using sorcery, tempted the faithful, creating a disturbance to disrupt the service. Seeing the people frenzied by the sorcery, St. Leo realized that the time for humble entreaties had passed. He calmly left the Altar, and tying his omophorion around the sorcerer’s neck, led him out of the church and into the courtyard. There he directed that a bonfire be built and ignited. Not wavering in the least, and holding Iliodor fast with his omophorion, he walked into the flames. There they stood in the fire until Iliodor was consumed by the flames, while, through the power of God, St. Leo remained unharmed. That miracle brought St. Leo fame during his lifetime.

When the Venerable One reposed, a woman with an issue of blood who was standing next to her coffin received healing.

The saint’s body was placed in the Church of the Holy Martyr St. Lucia, a church he himself had established; later his relics were translated to the church of St. Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Turo (commemorated on October 12.)

Bessarion of Egypt,
also known as Bessarion of Scetis or Bessarion the Great (4th century – 5th century) was an Egyptian Christian monk who lived around the 4th to 5th century in Egypt, in the Nitrian Desert.

1 Saint John 2:18-3:8 KJV

18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Saint Mark 11:1-11 KJV

11 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

H Y M N S   O N   P A R A D I S E

Saint Ephraem the Syrian

Very brief but may require contemplation

#2

LINK

From St. Dorotheos of Gaza

P E R F E C T   L O V E

"St. John in one of his epistles says, 'Perfect love drives out fear' (I Jn. 4:18). What does the holy man signify to us by this? What sort of love and fear is he talking about? The psalmist says, 'Fear the Lord all you who love Him' (Ps. 34:9), and we find many similar sayings in Holy Scripture. If, therefore, the saints who so love Him feared Him, how can he say, 'Love casts out fear'? St. John wishes to show us that there are two kinds of fear: One preliminary, the other perfect; the one found in beginners as someone called it 'of the devout'; the other in those perfected in holiness, of those having arrived at true love.

One forms a desire of God through fear of condemnation; this is the starting point. His starting point is not 'what is good' but the fear of torments.

Another forms desire for God because he loves God Himself, loves Him and knows what is acceptable to God. Such a man is goodness itself, knowing what it is to be with God.

See! This is the man who has true love, which St. John calls perfect love, and that love leads a man on to perfect fear. Such a man fears and keeps to God's will, not for fear of punishment, not to avoid condemnation, but because he has tasted the sweetness of being with God; he fears he may fall away from it; he fears to be turned away from it. This is perfect fear which is generated from perfect love and throws out preliminary fear."

STS. PETER AND PAUL