May: Day 23: Teaching 2: Saint Leontius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov

May: Day 23: Teaching 2:
Saint Leontius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov
 
(The Greatest Must Be the Servant of All)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Where Saint Leontius, whose memory is celebrated today, was born is unknown; some consider him a Greek who came from Constantinople; others, with greater certainty, think that he was ordained Bishop of Rostov from among the monks of the Kiev Caves, around the year 1050.

A difficult task lay before him. The inhabitants of Rostov, having expelled two bishops, did not greet the third with joy. Strongly attached to paganism, they began to insult the holy preacher of the word of God in every way and, finally, expelled him; but Leontius decided not to retreat from the good deed. Despite the danger threatening him, he began to live near the city, near a stream. On this site he subsequently built a church in the name of the Archangel Michael. Here he cooked kutia and distributed it to small children, trying in this way to attract them to himself with the power of love and Christian meekness. He told them about the Lord Jesus Christ, and the children began to willingly come to him and listen to him. Then several adults came.

The instructions and words of the holy preacher penetrated their souls, and they accepted holy baptism. But when this became known in the city, the most inveterate pagans came with sticks and poles to kill the holy bishop. He met their threats fearlessly, and the pagans, struck by the extraordinary light that illuminated his face, fell prostrate before him. They all suddenly went blind, but the Lord, through the prayer of the holy bishop, healed them, they believed and asked for baptism. From that time on, the influence of Saint Leontius on the inhabitants of Rostov was confirmed; he strongly influenced them with words, miracles, the example of a holy, pious living, and converted many to the Lord God. He died around the year 1073.

Many years later, his relics were found incorrupt, and he was canonized by the Church. Many miraculous healings took place at his grave, and his memory is dear to the residents of Rostov.

II. Saint Leontius, who devoted his entire life to serving his neighbors, to enlightening the pagans with the light of Christ's teaching, teaches us, brethren, the truth that the greatest must be the servant of all, the first a slave of all.

"Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all" (Mark 10:44) - this is what Jesus Christ said in the Gospel. We strive to exalt ourselves, but we are commanded to humble ourselves, we want to subordinate others to ourselves, to rule and dominate, but we are commanded to serve all and everyone. Can worldly self-interest and vanity be reconciled with such a rule? No, it says to serve everyone, to be a slave to everyone - is this feasible? The most capable people should occupy a dominant position in relation to others, and everyone should take care of the arrangement of his own position. But such apparent inconsistencies are merely imaginary and illusory. The Lord cannot impose upon us obligations that are unachievable, which we are incapable of fulfilling.

a) The greatest, according to the word of the Savior, must be the servant of all, the first must be the slave of all. What is there incomprehensible in this? What is more natural - that the strong and powerful should give help to the weak, that the higher should support the lower, or, on the contrary, that the weak and lower should strengthen the higher and the strong? If we occupy some higher position, can service to the common good and service to the lower ones humiliate this position, and not exalt it? Not at all. Look - which of their ancestors does posterity honor with grateful memory? Those who sought their own benefit, or those who strove for the benefit of society? It honors the valiant warriors who died a glorious death for the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland; it honors the statesmen who gave all their strength for the good of the people; it honors the men of science who sacrificed all the pleasures of the world in order to enrich the Fatherland with useful discoveries, inventions, or to bring the light of truth and goodness into the living environment of the society of their time; it honors the merciful, the builders of churches, the founders of schools for youth, hospitals for the sick, almshouses for the old, shelters for orphans and the poor; it honors all who have selflessly and devotedly served the common good, rather than their own personal benefit.

b) True, it is difficult to overcome one’s pride, it is difficult to suppress selfish desires, it is difficult to force oneself to be a servant and slave to everyone, but this difficulty should not frighten a Christian. He must remember that only pagans, according to the word of the Lord, are capable of ruling and exercising power over their neighbors (Mark 10:42), i.e., oppressing and enslaving them for their own benefit. But we Christians – with all the differences in our titles and states – “are one body in Christ, and members of one another” (Rom. 12:5). Like limbs or members of one body, we must not be in enmity with one another, nor enslave each other, but serve one another with all readiness and love. "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another," said the Savior (John 13:35). From love can only arise goodness, "for love worketh no ill to his neighbor" (Romans 13:10). "Love," according to the divinely inspired words of the Apostle, "suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love does not exalt itself, is not puffed up, does not behave unseemly, does not seek its own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

III. If we wish to be Christians in practice, and not merely in name, we must nurture within ourselves love for our neighbors – this essential quality of every Christian; "we ought to," according to the teachings of the Apostle, "bear the weaknesses of the weak and not please ourselves: let each of us please his neighbor for his good, for building up." For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: "the reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me" (Romans 15:1-3). What, if not an indescribable love for us sinners, prompted the Son of God to come to earth, assume the form of a servant, endure shame and reproach, and drink to the dregs the cup of suffering? Here is the highest image of love, here is the most perfect example of serving all! The King of Glory endures humiliation; the Lord of all serves His servants. Should we not humble ourselves before one another? Are we in a position to refuse to be servants of our neighbors?!

Through the prayers of Saint Leontius, who devoted his entire life to serving his neighbors, to delivering them from the darkness of paganism and eternal destruction, may the Lord enlighten and guide us. 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.