Dear brothers and sisters, greetings for the feast of St Gerasimos, famously remembered to taking a thorn from the paw of a lion who came to him, and being befriended by the creature.
His monastery, of which he was abbot, remains a place beloved of pilgrims to the Holy Land.
Saint Gerasimos was a native of Lycia (Asia Minor). From his early years he was distinguished for his piety. Having received monastic tonsure, he withdrew into the desert of the Thebaid (in Egypt). Thereafter, in about the year 450, the monk arrived in Palestine and settled at the Jordan, where he founded a monastery.
For a certain while Saint Gerasimos was tempted by the heresy of Eutyches and Dioscorus, which acknowledged only the divine nature in Jesus Christ, but not His human nature (i.e. the Monophysite heresy). Saint Euthymius the Great (January 20) helped him to return to the true Faith.
Saint Gerasimos established a strict monastic Rule. He spent five days of the week in solitude, occupying himself with handicrafts and prayer. On these days the wilderness dwellers did not eat cooked food, nor did they kindle a fire, but ate only dry bread, roots and water.
On Saturday and Sunday all gathered at the monastery for Divine Liturgy and to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. In the afternoon, taking a supply of bread, tubers, water and an armload of date-palm branches for weaving baskets, the desert-dwellers returned to their own cells. Each had only old clothes and a mat, upon which he slept. When they left their cells, the door was never locked, so that anyone could enter and rest, or take whatever he needed.
Saint Gerasimos himself attained a high level of asceticism. During Great Lent he ate nothing until the very day of the All-Radiant Resurrection of Christ, when he received the Holy Mysteries. Going out into the desert for all of Great Lent, Saint Gerasimos took with him his beloved disciple Saint Cyriacus (September 29), whom Saint Euthymius had sent to him.
When Saint Euthymius the Great died, Saint Gerasimos saw how angels carried the soul of the departed up to Heaven. Taking Cyriacus with him, the monk immediately set off to the monastery of Saint Euthymius and consigned his body to the earth.
Saint Gerasimos died peacefully, mourned by his brethren and disciples. Before his death, a lion had aided Saint Gerasimos in his tasks, and upon the death of the Elder it died at his grave and was buried nearby. Therefore the lion is depicted on icons of the saint, at his feet.
The Orthodox Church in America
3/2/2017
Canon to the venerable one, the acrostic whereof is: “I praise Gerasimos, as I weave for him a crown,” in Tone VIII
Ode I, Irmos: Let us chant unto the Lord, Who led His people through the Red Sea, for He alone hath gloriously been glorified.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
The glory of immortality and a divine crown of incorruption hath Christ given thee who struggled well, O Gerasimos.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Having the Bestower of light attending to thy supplications, O father Gerasimos, thou didst diminish the darkness of the demons.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Through the streams of thy tears, O father, thou didst bring forth the fruits of immortality like an irrigated tree, O divinely wise Gerasimos.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Ease thou the pain of my heart, O all-pure Theotokos who, in manner past understanding and recounting, gave birth unto Christ without pain.
Ode III, Irmos: Thou art the confirmation of those who have recourse to Thee, O Lord; Thou art the light of the benighted; and my spirit doth hymn Thee.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Following Him Who endured crucifixion willingly, O venerable one, thou wast wholly crucified to life and to the passions.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Strengthened by the support of Him Who accomplisheth all things, O wise Gerasimos, thou wast able to trample down all the snares of the mighty one.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Made strong by an humble mind and a humble spirit, O wise one, thou didst utterly lay low the passions which corrupt the soul.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With the splendours of thy wonders thou dost, like the great sun, enlighten the hearts of all who praise thee with faith.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-immaculate one, thou gavest birth unto the Son Who is enthroned with the Father and of the same essence, and Who showeth the portals of life unto all.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone IV, Spec. Mel .“Thou hast appeared today….”: Passing over the wiles of the demons through the activity of the Cross, O venerable one, thou didst become a god by adoption. Wherefore, we faithfully honor thee, O Gerasimos . (Twice)
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Theotokion: Stretching forth thine all-pure hands, O Virgin Mary, protect those who trust in thee and cry out to thy Son: O Christ, grant Thy mercies unto all!
Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesdays and Fridays): Beholding thy Son suspended upon the Tree, O all-pure one, thou didst cry out in grief, thy maternal womb rent with pain: Woe is me! How hast Thou set, O mine everlasting Light?
Ode IV, Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation; I have understood Thy works, and have glorified Thy divinity.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Thine enlightened heart became a temple of the Spirit, O father. Wherefore, it poureth forth gifts, healing afflictions by grace divine.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Submitting to the law of God, thou didst follow the Lord from thy youth, O father, embracing the life of the bodiless ones while yet in the body.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thy steps were directed to the way of salvation, O venerable one, by the guidance of the divine Spirit Who dwelt within thee, O venerable one.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Jesus, Who loveth mankind, Whom thou didst bear in thy womb, O all-immaculate one, do thou beseech, that He save all who hymn thee.
Ode V, Irmos: Waking at dawn, we cry to Thee: Save us, O Lord! For Thou art our God, and we know none other than Thee.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Having received rays of the Holy Spirit with a purified mind, thou didst become a light to monastics.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Thy life, shining forth through the constraint of nature, showed thee to be an earthly angel in the flesh.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Filled with the life-imparting waters of the Spirit, thou didst pour forth rivers of wonders, O father Gerasimos.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Theotokos, the incarnate Word descended upon thee like a shower, unto the enlightenment of our souls.
Ode VI, Irmos: Cleanse me, O Saviour, for many are my transgressions; and lead me up from the abyss of evils, I pray, for to Thee have I cried, and Thou hast hearkened to me, O God of my salvation.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
The weakness of thy flesh, strengthened by the power of Him Who hath shone forth upon us from the pure Virgin, O venerable father, hath brought low the power of the incorporeal foe.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Having crushed the jaws of the noetic lions by grace, thou didst put down the assaults of the senses, O venerable one. Wherefore, a lion submitted to thee, like a sheep to a shepherd, ministering to thee right dutifully.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Acquiring an angelic life and a mind humble in Christ, O father, thou wast meek. And now, thou hast made thine abode in the land of the meek, filled with divine joy.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Effulgence of the Father dwelt within thee, O pure one, and, born in the flesh, He hath enlightened the world and delivered all from the darkness of polytheism. Wherefore, we hymn thee.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone IV, Spec. Mel. “Having been lifted up….”: Burning with heavenly love, thou didst prefer the harshness of the desert of Jordan more than all the delights of the world; hence, a wild beast submitted to thee even until the time of thy death, O father, dying in obedience and grief on thy grave. Thus did God glorify thee. And when thou dost pray to Him, O father Gerasimos, be thou mindful of us.
Ode VII, Irmos: In the furnace the Hebrew children boldly trod the flame underfoot and transformed the fire into dew, crying out: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Light and gladness, its spouse, shone forth upon thee, O father, who dost ever abide in the mansions of heaven and dost chant: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Having watered thy heart with showers of tears, O God-bearer, thou bringest forth fruits of virtue, through which, with all the venerable, thou hast received the delight of heaven forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Keeping hymnody unceasingly upon thy lips, in emulation of the angels, O Gerasimos, thou didst cry out with watchful mind: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
In no wise did the fire of the Godhead burn thee, O Virgin; for the bush on the mountain, which once burned without being consumed, prefigured thee, O pure one.
Ode VIII, Irmos: Trampling down the fire and flame in the furnace, the divinely eloquent youths did chant: Bless the Lord, O ye works of the Lord!
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Thou didst stand before the Master, illumined with the splendours of fasting, O wondrous Gerasimos; and wast numbered among the choirs of the incorporeal ones.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Living a life of innocence, thou didst in all ways despise the tribunal of the wicked one, O divinely wise Gerasimos, adornment of fasters.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
By putting off the passions thou didst array thyself in the vesture of incorruption, O divinely wise father Gerasimos; and thou didst worthily receive a divine bridal chamber.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-pure one, He Who transcendeth nature found thee in the valleys of life as a fragrant lily, and through thee hath He breathed sweet fragrance upon the world.
Ode IX, Irmos: Every ear trembleth to hear of the ineffable condescension of God, for the Most High willingly came down even to the flesh, becoming man through the Virgin’s womb. Wherefore we, the faithful, magnify the all-pure Theotokos.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Following the steps of all who walked well upon the earth, O father Gerasimos, thou didst acquire love, faith, hope, temperance, wisdom, abundant prayer and ineffable abstinence, delighting in pure ascents.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
O, the wonder! How hast thou subjected a wild beast to thy command, as though he were a rational creature, O venerable Gerasimos who servest God Who doth glorify thine angelic life with signs, countless wonders and miracles.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Thou hast been shown to be the confirmation of monastics and the instruction of those who keep silence, O God-bearer; for thou didst travel the most narrow path of abstinence, ever expanding thy soul with divine hope. Wherefore, thou hast found a spacious habitation among the mansions of the elect.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst flourish in the courts of our God like a stately palm tree, and like a cypress wast thou exalted by the high praises of God, O father. Wherefore, we all faithfully celebrate thy memory, wherein we pray: Save us from all temptations!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Bearing Emmanuel on thine arms as a babe, O pure and divinely joyous one, thou didst cry out: O my sweetest Child, how can I nourish Thee at my breast Who nourishest all things? How can I wrap in swaddling clothes Thee Who wrappest the sea in mist?