The Orthodox Church celebrates the Venerable Gerasim today. He was a native of Libya, from a young age he dedicated himself to serving God and, having left the world, retired to the Thebaid Desert, writes pravoslavieto.com, citing the Lives of the Saints. After living there for many years, he visited Jerusalem and settled near the Jordan River. Many ascetics gathered around him and a large monastery was created.
At that time (5th century), the Eutychian heresy disturbed the Church. Many rejected the definition of the Council of Chalcedon (451) and joined the false doctrine.
A monk, a clever and cunning man named Theodosius, greatly contributed to the spread of the heresy. Having come to Jerusalem, he converted Queen Eudocia, the wife of Theodosius the Younger, to false teachings, and through his cunning he stirred up the entire clergy against the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Juvenalius, who was deposed, and the cunning Theodosius took his place.
His mischievous eloquence also carried away Gerasim for a while. But Gerasim did not remain in this delusion for long, because he sincerely loved the truth and zealously sought it. He turned to the Venerable Euthymius the Great for advice, and the teachings of this holy man had a beneficial effect on Gerasim. He rejected heresy and repented of his temporary delusion.
Gerasim established in his monastery a most austere way of life and himself set an example to the brethren of perfect selflessness and strict abstinence. The brothers had no property except for one garment, a mat on which they slept, and a pitcher of water.
During the holy Lent, Saint Gerasim usually left the monastery so that he could devote himself completely to spiritual life in solitude. He would retreat to the desert with only one disciple.
Once, when he was spending time in the desert, a wonderful vision announced to him the death of Saint Euthymius. He saw choirs of angels carrying the soul of the holy elder to heaven, and he hurried to the monastery of Saint Euthymius to attend his funeral.
They say that Saint Gerasim, with his holiness, attracted wild beasts to himself in the desert. Once he met a wounded lion, bandaged its wound, and from then on the lion followed him everywhere and served him. And when the saint died, the lion mourned for a long time and finally died at his grave.
Saint Gerasim died in great old age in the year 475.
Gerasim feasted on his name day.