Life of Saint Leo, Bishop of Catania
The biography of the saint is based on a story related to the sorcerer Iliodor. As is known from ancient sources, Iliodor was raised from birth according to Christian commandments. But later he joined a group of sorcerers. He began to trade in magic. They fought a stubborn battle with the sorcerer, and he was twice sentenced to death. From the last place of arrest, he disappeared behind the veil of invisibility.
The saint, being a Christian bishop, waged a fierce struggle with Iliodor. Finally they met face to face. Then the servant of Christianity lit a fire, entered the circle of fire along with the sorcerer, stood there until Iliodor finally burned to the ground. The bishop himself prayed frantically to God during the burning. This helped him stay alive. Then the lion came out of the ring of fire, shook off his robes, and continued the Divine service that he had led before.
Icon of Saint Leo: what does it help with?
The iconographic image of the saint belongs to the category of canonical images. In addition, this is a life-size icon, which represents a full-length image. A saint stands on a golden background. His facial features are ascetic and strict. He holds the Gospel in his hands. Golden, azure, and white shades were used for the icon.
Those who need to strengthen their faith, spirit or body bow in prayer before the icon. It helps to safely resolve personal affairs, as well as eliminate various problems.
Buy an icon of St. Leo of Katansky
In the Radonezh icon painting workshop you can buy or order a hand-painted icon “Lion of Catania”. Call us and we will help you choose a plot, a compositional solution for the icon, its optimal size and design, or we will write an icon according to your sample. Free delivery throughout Russia. If desired, the icon can be consecrated in the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.
The icon of Leo of Katansky, made by the icon painters of the Radonezh workshop, like any handmade icon, carries within itself the living warmth of human hands and a loving heart. Each icon painted with love is unique and inimitable.
We will apply all our strength, skills and abilities, all our spiritual experience, so that the handwritten list of Lev Katansky, purchased in our workshop, consecrates your home, brings peace, love, prosperity to you and all your household members.
Peace and goodness to you, dear brothers and sisters, and may the holy saint of God, Leo of Katansky, accompany you throughout your entire life’s journey.
Similar icons:
Alexy Bortsurmansky 20000 ₽
Maxim African 20000 ₽
Nika Korinthskaya 16000 ₽
Matthew the Apostle 16000 ₽
Canons and akathists
Song 1
Irmos: Having passed through the water like dry land, and having escaped the evil of Egypt, the Israeli cried out: Let us drink to the Deliverer and our God.
The Church has acquired the light of your divine lamp, Leo the wise, and is richly enlightened by your virtues through the brilliance and miracles.
From infancy you entrusted yourself to the Lord of all, and through the killing of sweets you were alive to this sacrifice, slaying yourself without blood, blessed one.
Your life shines, adorned with virtues and enriched with sparkles of miracles, God-bearer, you have manifested yourself to all.
Theotokos: Temple You were God, the Undefiled Youth, Who is more than the mind in You, the Mother of God, and drove away flattery from the souls of men.
Song 3
Irmos: Supreme Creator of the heavenly circle, Lord, and Creator of the Church, Thou hast confirmed me in Thy love, the desires of the land, the true affirmation, the One Lover of Mankind.
Savior, father, and pious, keeping the teachings of Orthodoxy harmless, you fed the flock into life-giving pastures and brought them into the heavenly enclosure.
Having ascended to the height of virtues, O Reverend, you sacredly received the anointing and praised the Most High One with the highest seat, serving the grace of Him like an angel.
Having endured adversity for Christ’s sake, O Reverend, you partook of immortality in deification; the myrrh constantly flowing fragrantly, sanctifying those who flow to you through faith.
Theotokos: The coal of the Divine and the luminous tick, the bush, without being scorched by the fire of the Divinity, my boastful ones fell into passion and fire to snatch up the eternal.
Sedalen, voice 3
Great sun, you have shone more universally than your radiance of virtues, and enlightened the cathedrals of the faithful with miracles of light, and having driven away the darkness of passions, O Reverend Leo, pray to Christ God for the gift You have great mercy on us.
Glory, even now, to the Mother of God: The Divine nature shall not depart, the flesh being in Thy womb, but God, having become man, shall remain, Even after the Nativity, the Mother of Thy Virgin, as before the Nativity, preserve To the All-blameless One, the only Lord: pray diligently to Him to grant us great mercy.
Theotokos of the Cross: The undefiled Lamb of the Word, the imperishable Virgin Mother, hanged on the Cross visually from Ney, freezing from illness, weeping motherly, crying out: woe is Me, My Child! How do you want to suffer, even if you want to save man from the passions of dishonor?
Song 4
Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the sight of Your sacrament, I have understood Your works and glorified Your Divinity.
Having cultivated the field of your mind, a hundredfold class brought you, O rich man, divine virtues and healings.
Thy holy, more glorious, holy oil flows from the crayfish, sanctifying the souls that flow to you by faith.
Cleanser of ailments, driver of evil demons, saint, you were also a refuge for faithful people.
Theotokos: Uncontainable to all, Most Pure One, fits in Your womb, saving me with grace, immersed in many sins.
Song 5
Irmos: Thou hast cast me away from Thy presence, O everlasting Light, and the alien darkness of the accursed one has covered me? But turn me, and direct my path to the light of Your commandments, I pray.
With the purest mind of all, looking at the Guilty One, from Him you received the gift of the dawn, God-inspired healing of the holy light, in the image of which you resolve the darkness of passions.
By the charms of demons, you delivered all those who believe in Christ to the fiery judgment, righteously, blessedly, and you delivered souls from this all-destroying harm, as the shepherd is true and saving .
The fire that flared up in the midst of you became, unburnt, more glorious: the Divine dew of the Holy Spirit surrounded you, like a sacred mystery, like a servant of the Divine glory, like the highest lordship of the sacrament Nick.
Theotokos: Having seen the most divine of old, the most divine, the honest prophets of the sacrament, the indescribable depth of your honest Nativity, the Most Pure One, in various images, as if containing, She proclaimed this.
Song 6
Irmos: I will pour out my prayer to the Lord and to Him I will proclaim my sorrows, for my soul is filled with evil and my life is drawing near to hell, and I pray like Jonah: from aphids, O God, lift me up ́.
Blinded by your prayers, Father, you have received insight, God-wise: for you have Christ as a co-worker, and having acquired your souls towards Him, you have richly received petitions.
You were the king, wonderful, terrible, you always went into his courtyards, you wore burning coals in your clothes: for God glorified you, Who through your life, O Lion, you glorified.
The reliquary of your relics smells fragrant and flows forth ever, O all-blessed, like a pure and fragrant spring, the oil of the Divine, through which sickness is driven away from the faithful and health is granted to those who need it.
Theotokos: Sanctify my soul, O Virgin, who gave birth to the Holy Word, truly in the saints, as our One God rests most pure, and grant me, as I am merciful, a cloud of tenderness, O All-Nepor full-time.
Kontakion, tone 8
Like a great lamp, the Church is, blessed to you, more than the shining sun, preserved by your prayers, blessed, invincible, and unshakable from all heresies and unfiltered oh, like the ever-memorable one.
Song 7
Irmos: The youths of the Jews in the cave boldly asked for the flame and turned the fire into the dew, crying out: Blessed are you, O Lord God, forever.
In a divine manner, disembodied with flesh, resembling the godly wisdom, you served God, constantly chanting: Blessed are you, Lord God, forever.
O all-blessed one, with your prayers you opened deaf ears and clearly gave grace to the lame, - blessed are you, - crying, - Lord God, forever.
By the mania of the Divine Lord, you remained unburnt and entered into the midst of the fire; He who is not involved in this, is scorched by the righteous judgment of Iliodor, by your prayer.
Theotokos: Your womb is not scorched. The Divine Fire, the Virgin Mother, is incarnated from You, the ends watered by the Divine lordship. For your sake, we eat.
Song 8
Irmos: Conquerors of the tormentor and the flame of Thy grace, let us earnestly obey Thy commandment, O children, crying out: Bless all the works of the Lord, the Lord.
Grace has been poured out, Father, in your mouth, O holy monk, for this sake, O Leo, God of the anointing, the saint, to the people crying: Bless, all the works of the Lord, the Lord.
To the king, the all-blessed one, the Eternal One, you pleased the earthly Lion, you appeared to the king, carrying coals and this, Father, the terrible thought of miracles, was exceedingly glorious.
Like an olive tree, Father, which was planted and became fruitful in the house of the Lord, bearing fruit after death, from your divine body the divine oil, always driving away every ailment of the faithful, comes to you with love I, wiser, flowing.
Theotokos: By desire you have accomplished everything, the All-blameless, the Blessed One, having desired to dwell in Your womb, and appear in the flesh, and deify me, having decayed before the flatterer with evil advice.
Song 9
Irmos: Fearful of all hearing the indescribable condescension of God, for the Most High came down to the flesh by the will of a girl, from the virgin’s womb he became Man. Moreover, we magnify the Most Pure Mother of God.
May you be blessed with divine voices, having lived like a saint, and ascended to heaven, and, rejoicing, from passions and sorrows, save us with your prayers, and from circumstances, to the saint and shepherd most wonderfully.
Like the rod of the true grape, Father, you are frozen with virtuous dreams, seeking miracles for sweetness, from them you drink more faithfully, health and joy are received by those who praise you It’s good, Leo to all things.
Your body was the temple of the Holy and Honest, Father, Spirit and now lies inside the Divine Temple, which you created for the glory, Leo, and the honor of Luke the martyr, the miracle is true Rivers of tea for us, who reverence you piously.
Like the sun is radiant, always illuminating the ends with virtuous lights, and now you have passed to the Light that never sets. Moreover, you who celebrate your luminous memory, O rich Leo, deliver from the darkness of all.
Theotokos: I fear Your second coming, O One King, and I am afraid, having sinned immeasurably against You and not being strengthened in my mind; but because this is Good, convert and save me, who gave birth to You, with prayers acceptable to Jesus.
The month is February. Twentieth day. Saint Leo, Bishop of Catania
(It is a sin to believe that wizards can “spoil” people.) I. In the Sicilian city of Catana there was a sorcerer named Iliodorus, who very skillfully performed false miracles. He was repeatedly condemned to death, but he suddenly disappeared and appeared in different places on the same day. In vain St. Leo, Bishop of Catania, whose memory is celebrated today, urged Iliodor to repent. He laughed at the admonitions of the saint and one day came to the temple where St. Leo performed the service, and with his sorcery he made the Christians praying in the temple begin to stomp, jump, laugh, and do other obscenities. For such an insult to St. Temple Leo approached Iliodor, tied him with an omophorion and led him out of the temple. Then he ordered the fire to be lit, went into the fire with Iliodor, and stood until the sorcerer burned. The fire that destroyed Iliodor did not even touch the clothes of the saint. Leo, who remained unharmed. This is the great and instructive punishment that befalls those who commit wicked behavior in the temple of God. II. From the above story from the life of St. Leo, Bishop of Catania, some may draw a very false conclusion, namely, that wizards can harm people, or, as villagers usually say: “spoil” people. This opinion has no reasonable basis. If mentioned in the life of St. Leo the wizard could, by the power of demonic sorcery, make the Christians praying in the temple begin to stomp, jump, laugh and generally behave disorderly, this happened solely by the permission of the Lord, who wanted through this solemnly and clearly for everyone to show all the powerlessness of magical enchantments, for Not even a few minutes had passed before St. The lion, strengthened by the power of God, performed a great miracle: having bound the wizard with his omophorion, he went up with him into the burning fire and remained in it completely unharmed until the wizard burned, clearly showing through this all the powerlessness of the demonic power with which the wizard acted. And so, to believe that wizards can spoil people, i.e. placing a demon in them is unreasonable and sinful. a) Superstitious wizards or sorcerers are harmful only to themselves, and not to other people; they only deceive themselves and others - and there are simply self-deluded deceivers. The devil cannot help a superstitious wizard in anything, because he himself cannot do anything without God’s permission: without God’s permission, the devil cannot even approach a person, as can be seen from the example of the righteous Job; in the same way, the devil cannot disobey the command of God, as can be seen from many examples described in the gospel. St. John of Damascus says: “Devils have neither power nor strength against anyone, unless this is allowed at the discretion of God, as happened with Job, and as it is written in the Gospel about the Gadarene swine. But with God’s permission, they are strong, they accept and change whatever dreamy image they want” (Exposition of Ver. Book II, Chapter IV40;, p. 58). Therefore, the popular belief is that wizards, or so-called sorcerers, “spoil” people, i.e. they place devils in whatever people they want, absurdly and completely unfounded. Therefore, one should not attribute special powers to them and fear them. The devil enters people by God’s permission, therefore, on his own, no outsider, a wizard or sorcerer, can have any participation or mediation in this disaster. b) But there are conditions under which the devil can take up residence in a person. The devil takes up residence in demon-possessed people because these people themselves have attracted evil spirits to themselves; they themselves prepared within themselves a dwelling place for the devils, swept and cleaned with unrepentant sins, not occupied by God, by the grace of God, prepared by sinful life for the receptacle of the devil. Possessed people, by their unrepentant sins, instead of the dwelling place of God become a receptacle for the unclean spirit. Our Savior speaks about this this way: when the unclean spirit comes out of a person (expelled at our baptism), it walks through waterless places, looking for peace, and does not find it. Then he says: I will return to my house from where I came. And here he comes. And if, having arrived, he finds him not occupied by God, when someone loses the Holy Spirit for his unrepentant life, then the unclean spirit goes and takes with him seven other spirits (both the seven spiritual gifts, and, in contrast to this, the seven spirits of malice, or seven mortal sins and passions; seven can also be taken as a designation of a multitude in general, and not in the strict sense) (“Interpretation of the Gospel.” Bishop Michael), those who are more evil than themselves, and having entered, live there; and for that person the last thing is worse than the first (Matthew XII:42-45; Luke XI:24-26). Thus, people possessed by evil spirits, who were attracted to themselves by their unrepentant sins, should complain in their temporary and eternal torment not about wizards or sorcerers, but only about themselves. And indeed, there are many examples in the lives of saints, from which it is clear that unrepentant sinners are sometimes punished by demonic possession. To Rev. One demon-possessed youth was brought to Ammon for healing; but he said: “Give back the ox that was stolen from the widow and eaten by you, and the boy will recover.” And so it happened. (H.-Min. Oct. 4. d.). Another example: St. Pachomius with the anointing of St. He healed one girl from a demon with oil after she confessed her sin to her father and promised not to sin again, but before that he did not want to heal her as she had been defiled by fornication (Ch.-M. May 15). Demons cannot enter into people pleasing to God: the demon cast out by St. Parthenius from one person asked to show him another into whom he would enter, and when St. Parthenius, opening his lips, offered to enter him; the devil, saying: “How can I enter the house of God,” disappeared. (Ch.-M. 7 Feb.). And for no other reason does God allow the devil to inhabit a person than so that the person in his unrepentant sins does not perish for all eternity, but so that, tormented by the demon, he repents and turns to God. Thus, the devil becomes an involuntary instrument of salvation for the person whom he intended to destroy. This is exactly what the devil confessed to the teacher. Pachomius “your strength has increased against me through the incarnation of God the Word, who has given the power to attack all our strength, so I cannot approach you, and when I overcome you, I am the culprit of your benefit” (Ch.-M. May 15), c) What means exist to drive out demons? The Savior Himself said that the spirit of evil can be driven out by fasting and prayer, and not by magical power. It is not wizards who can drive out the spirit of evil, but only saints. let the apostles, to whom the Savior Himself gave power over the unclean souls, drive them out, and after them the shepherds of the church have the same power as the successors of the apostles (Matthew X: 1). They have in St. The church provides grace-filled means for driving out unclean spirits, such as: prayers and incantations in favor of believers possessed by unclean spirits, gospel readings, blessing of water, confession of those possessed by unclean spirits, blessing of oil, communion of St. mysteries and other God-given remedies. Those suffering from unclean spirits should make fervent prayers to the Lord I. Christ, His Most Pure Mother and to that saint whose name is named after them, as well as confess and receive Holy Communion more often. secret Then the spirit of malice cannot live in a person. In the lives of the saints of God we find that the most powerful means of driving away demons is, as often as possible, from a pure heart and zeal, the communion of St. and the life-giving mysteries of Christ. About Rev. John of Vostrsky is told that this St. The husband once asked the demons who were tormenting the young women: “Why are they afraid of Christians?” The demons answered: “You have three great things that we are afraid of: one you wear around your neck (the Holy Cross), the other you wash yourself with (Holy Baptism), the third you eat in church (Holy Communion).” - “Of these three, which one is scarier for you?” asked the teacher. John. They answered: “if you, Christians, knew well how to preserve what you partake of, then none of us would dare to approach you” (Trinity leaf. No. 361. 1887). III. So “damage” is an empty, absurd and absurd belief: wizards can neither place evil spirits in possessed people nor drive them out. There is nothing to fear or fear from them. Without the will of God, not a hair falls from our heads, and even more so, without the will of God, anything beyond the circle of ordinary events cannot happen. Everything is done under the direct order of God. (Compiled from No. 1 and 2 of the “Pastoral Interlocutor” for 1888, G. D-ko).
Source: A complete annual circle of short teachings compiled for each day of the year in relation to the lives of saints, holidays, etc. sacred. events remembered by the Church and adapted to the living preaching word (improvisation). Compiled according to the best preaching samples by priest Grigory Dyachenko
