was born in Italy of devout parents. At first, he served as archdeacon under Pope Sixtus III and following the death of Sixtus was elevated against his will to the throne of the Pope of Rome. When Attila, with his Huns, drew near to Rome was prepared to destroy and to set fire to the city, Leo came out before him in his episcopal vestments mitigated the wrath of the leader of the Huns and averted the destruction of Rome.
Before his death, Leo spent forty days in fasting and prayer at the tomb of St. Peter, beseeching him to tell him whether his sins are forgiven. The Apostle Peter appeared to him and said that all of his sins are forgiven except the sins of ordaining priests when it is evident how grave a sin it is to ordain one who is unworthy. The saint again fell into prayer until he was told that even those sins were forgiven. He peacefully gave up his soul to the Lord. St. Leo died in the year 461 A.D.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
45 Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,
46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
47 Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.
21 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
1. “Each of us is threatened by a twofold fear: either of returning to our former life through faintheartedness in struggling against the Enemy, or of being tripped up while running in the arena of ascetical contests. For the Devil, our adversary either draws us to himself from behind, when he sees that our souls are slack and sluggish, or, when he sees that they are zealous for Ascesis, steals into them in a subtle and hidden manner and, through pride, destroys them totally.
2. “This is the Enemy’s ultimate weapon, and it is more powerful than any of the others in his warfare against us. For it is through the very passion through which he was cast down from the Angelic ranks that he endeavors to destroy those who are stronger in virtue. For, just as the most skillful warriors, after using up their lighter missiles, produce—if their enemies still have the upper hand—their swords (their strongest weapons) last of all, so also the Devil, after expending all of his darts, finally uses a stronger weapon, the sword of pride, in order to destroy the one struggling against him.
3. “What are his initial weapons? Obviously, gluttony, voluptuousness, and fornication, through which he is wont to war against the young; these are followed by avarice, greed, and the like. When, by the Grace of God, the ascetic has overcome these, the crafty one, in desperation, then suggests the following thought to him, which makes him act with intemperate haughtiness towards his brothers: he fancies that he understands things unknown to most of them and that he surpasses the rest of them in fasting, vigils, and the other forms of Ascesis, ascribing to himself a multitude of other ascetic feats.
4. “Moreover, the Devil blots out from his mind the memory of his sins and renders him totally oblivious of his own faults, so that he will henceforth be unable to say to God the salutary words, ‘Against Thee only have I sinned, ...have mercy upon me’ (Psalm 50:6,3). Just as the Devil said in his mind (when he decided to rebel against God), ‘I will go up to Heaven; I will set my throne above the stars of Heaven; I will sit on a lofty mount, on the lofty mountains towards the north; I will go up above the clouds; I will be like the Most High’ (Isaiah 14:13-14), so also he fills the mind of the prideful ascetic with fantasies about being in authority and occupying seats of honor (cf. St. Matthew 23:6) and about teaching others and working miracles of healing.
As much as Attila allowed himself to be counseled by this holy man so also had he to be afraid of the vision of the Apostles Peter and Paul who stood along side Leo and with flaming swords threatened him.
Not only did St. Leo save Rome, but he also contributed much to save Orthodoxy from the heresy of Eutyches and Dioscorus. This heresy consisted in the merging of the divine and human natures of Christ into one and following this, in the denial of the two wills in the person of the Lord Savior. Because of this, the Fourth Ecumenical Council [Chalcedon 451 A.D.] was convened at which time the Epistle of St. Leo was read. St. Leo had written this epistle and placed it on the tomb of St. Peter, who corrected it.
Before his death, Leo spent forty days in fasting and prayer at the tomb of St. Peter, beseeching him to tell him whether his sins are forgiven. The Apostle Peter appeared to him and said that all of his sins are forgiven except the sins of ordaining priests when it is evident how grave a sin it is to ordain one who is unworthy. The saint again fell into prayer until he was told that even those sins were forgiven. He peacefully gave up his soul to the Lord. St. Leo died in the year 461 A.D.
SAINT AGAPETÓS THE CONFESSOR,
BISHOP OF SYNAUS
BISHOP OF SYNAUS
1 Saint Timothy 6:11-16 KJV
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Saint Luke 20:45-21:4, 8:8 KJV
46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
47 Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.
21 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
A PORTION FROM
THE EVERGETINOS
Saint Synkletice said
to her assembled nuns . . .
2. “This is the Enemy’s ultimate weapon, and it is more powerful than any of the others in his warfare against us. For it is through the very passion through which he was cast down from the Angelic ranks that he endeavors to destroy those who are stronger in virtue. For, just as the most skillful warriors, after using up their lighter missiles, produce—if their enemies still have the upper hand—their swords (their strongest weapons) last of all, so also the Devil, after expending all of his darts, finally uses a stronger weapon, the sword of pride, in order to destroy the one struggling against him.
3. “What are his initial weapons? Obviously, gluttony, voluptuousness, and fornication, through which he is wont to war against the young; these are followed by avarice, greed, and the like. When, by the Grace of God, the ascetic has overcome these, the crafty one, in desperation, then suggests the following thought to him, which makes him act with intemperate haughtiness towards his brothers: he fancies that he understands things unknown to most of them and that he surpasses the rest of them in fasting, vigils, and the other forms of Ascesis, ascribing to himself a multitude of other ascetic feats.
4. “Moreover, the Devil blots out from his mind the memory of his sins and renders him totally oblivious of his own faults, so that he will henceforth be unable to say to God the salutary words, ‘Against Thee only have I sinned, ...have mercy upon me’ (Psalm 50:6,3). Just as the Devil said in his mind (when he decided to rebel against God), ‘I will go up to Heaven; I will set my throne above the stars of Heaven; I will sit on a lofty mount, on the lofty mountains towards the north; I will go up above the clouds; I will be like the Most High’ (Isaiah 14:13-14), so also he fills the mind of the prideful ascetic with fantasies about being in authority and occupying seats of honor (cf. St. Matthew 23:6) and about teaching others and working miracles of healing.
In wisdom hast Thou made them all
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