The beautiful friendship between a saint and a beast is how God wanted to remind people of the holiness they can reach through prayers and good deeds. Saint Gerasimus and the Lion is in the Stories of Saints for Children series written especially for children who want to learn about the lives of saints. Saint Gerasimus of the Jordan ( also spelled Gerasimos or Gerasim ) was a Christian saint, monk, and abbot of the 5th century AD. Gerasimus was born into a wealthy family in the province of Lycia, the southern part of Asia Minor, but he left his family's wealth and worldly affairs to become a monk. Saint Gerasimus went to Palestine and settled in the wilderness near the Jordan River. There he established a monastery. He is known for his righteous life of asceticism and prayer. The story of Gerasimus and the lion, when the saint tamed the animal by removing a thorn from its paw and taught it obedience, became widely known in the Christian world. His feast day is celebrated on 4 March by the Eastern Orthodox Church and on 5 March by the Roman Catholic Church.
