November 10 2023 - Pope Leo the Great and the Barbarians

 Today we honor the first Bishop of Rome to have been called Leo, a name used subsequently by 12 later Popes, the latest being Leo XIII at the turn of the 20th century.

Leo was a native of Tuscany. Around the year 430, he was ordained a deacon of the Church of Rome. 10 years later, he was sent by Pope Sixtus III on a diplomatic mission to Gaul to resolve a difficult conflict. While Leo was carrying out this mission of Peace, Pope Sixtus died. Leo was elected Pope to succeed him, and his Pontificate lasted for 21 years, which is quite long for a papacy, the ninth longest, in fact.

Constant barbarian invasions and the gradual disintegration of the Roman Empire, certainly made the papacy of Pope Leo the First a challenging one. And yet, his papacy was so effective, and his holiness so evident, that he is the first Pope to be given the title, “The Great”. Leo Magnus, Leo the Great.

In 452, the Pope received reports that Attila the Hun was invading northeastern Italy with his horde of barbarians. So, the 52 year old Pope rode on horseback to meet the barbarian leader and pleaded with Attila to call off his invasion. The leader of the Huns, impressed by the Pope, left Italy.  Unfortunately, a few years later, another barbarian horde, the Vandals, attacked and sacked Rome. Again, the Pope, defenseless went forth to meet the invader to implore him to desist. The Vandal leader promised to spare the great Basilicas of St Peter, St Paul and St John Lateran, in which the terrified population of Rome sought refuge and were spared.  

We live in barbarous times, again no? The barbarians may not be riding in on horses and laying waste to our beautiful structures and ransacking our treasures. Rather, modern culture—through mass media and even the so-called education system, breeds attitudes which are antithetical to culture and civilization itself. (As a priest friend of mine recently said) and the barbarians are not just at the gates, they are in the seats of power collecting their spoils of war from good honest people. They traffic human beings and murder babies. And they are proving to be quite resistant to the Gospel.

And yet, we ride out to meet them, not with swords of steel, but with the sword of the Spirit and the Word of God. For maybe, some of them will be converted. And after, they have laid waste to our land, the Church will remain, as our Lord promised in the Gospels, “the gates of hell shall not prevail”—the Church has endured barbarians before, and we’ll do it again. Our task is to keep the faith until the Lord returns, to keep the flame of faith alive during the difficult times, and to spread it as we are able, to stave off cultural decay as we can, to turn away the barbarians from their destructive ways as we are able through pleas of peace, to preserve the faith when peace is rejected, and keep our souls from sinful discouragement, to witness to the truth of the Gospel with our lives and work always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis all Bishops and clergy: that they may always lead us in fidelity to the saving Gospel of Christ. 

In reparation for sins against the innocent unborn, for an overturning of laws which disregard human life and dignity, and for courage in bearing witness to the Gospel of Life.

For the strength to be faithful to all of the Lord’s commands and the grace and humility to repent of our failings.

For the impoverished and sick and those experiencing any sort of trial: that Jesus the Bread of Life will be their sustenance, and that Christians will be instruments of God’s mercy for all those in need.  

We pray in a special way during this Month of November for all of the faithful departed; for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

Baptism of the Lord 2023 - A share in the divine life

 The Christmas season concludes with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. 

It may seem strange to conclude season of the Lord’s birth with an event taking place 30 years later, but this Feast commemorates a very important truth related to the reason we celebrate Christmas at all.

At Christmas, when Christ was born, we believe that God, who loves us so much, plunged himself into our world; the omnipotent God became one of us, sharing our humanity.  When we are baptized, we are plunged into the life of God; through the waters of baptism we became sharers in his divinity.

So the Lord’s Baptism is an important link in the chain between his saving birth and our new birth in the Sacrament of Baptism.

At the Lord’s Baptism, it was revealed by the voice of the Father speaking from heaven, and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus indeed was the incarnate Son of God. And in our baptism, we receive adoption by God as “sons in the son” as St. Paul writes.

Pope Saint Leo the Great, would give special catechism lessons to the newly baptized. In his famous instruction, he said, "Christians, recognize your dignity. And, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God."  

Never forget! Recalling that we are baptized should bring us joy when we are sad, and strength when we are tempted. A powerful way to fight off temptation is to recall our baptism.  To say to ourselves, “wait, I’m a Christian, I’m not supposed to do that; I’m not supposed to talk like that. I’m supposed to act like Christ.”  

For Baptism is more than just a symbolic ceremony where we express our faith; in Baptism, as he does in all the Sacraments, God does something for us that we cannot do ourselves.  He gives us a sharing in his divine life, a share in the power and strength by which Christ overcame sin and death on the cross.

This is the greatest of the Christmas gifts—the gift of salvation—the gift which overcomes the power of darkness and evil and death, the gift of eternal life. 

May the grace of our baptism be renewed and flourish within us, strengthening us in our mission to “go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them all that Christ commands and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church may live out their baptismal call with greater conviction and faithfulness.

For all those to be baptized, especially those preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil:  that they may be open to the grace of conversion and the joy of the followers of Christ.

For the conversion of all those who dwell in the darkness of sin and ignorance of God and His commandments: that the mercy of Jesus Christ will bring light to their minds and hearts.  

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

November 10 2021 - Pope St. Leo the Great - Truth, Peace, and Barbarians Inside and Out

 Constant barbarian invasions and the gradual disintegration of the Roman Empire, certainly made the papacy of Pope Leo the First a challenging one. And yet, his papacy was so effective, and his holiness so evident, that he is the first Pope to be given the title, “The Great”. Leo Magnus, Leo the Great.

I shared this last year, but it is such a great story.

In 452, Attila the Hung was laying siege to northeastern Italy. They vanquished city after city and reports were circulating that Attila was setting his sights on the rest of Italy.  

So Pope Leo himself, 52 years old at the time, rode on horseback to meet the barbarian leader and pleaded with him to spare Italy. The leader of the Huns, impressed by the Pope, left Italy.  Unfortunately, a few years later, another barbarian horde, the Vandals, attacked and sacked Rome. Again, the Pope, defenseless and surrounded by his clergy, went forth to meet the invader to implore him to desist. The Vandal leader promised to spare the great Basilicas of St Peter, St Paul and St John, whose dedication we celebrated yesterday, in which the terrified population of Rome sought refuge and were spared.  

The Collect for today’s feast asks God to grant the Church, through the intercession of Pope St. Leo, that we may stand firm in truth and know the protection of lasting peace.

Truth and peace. These are no doubt always to goals of any papacy. And aims of the Christian life.

Pope Leo worked hard to control the heresies prominent in his day and to call their followers back to true Christian belief. And he worked to promote peace and protection against the barbarians when the government failed to protect its people. Barbarians inside the Church are combatted with Truth. Barbarians outside of the Church are dealt with courage, diplomacy, and concern for their souls, and with prayers of protection for God’s people.

Pope Saint Leo was indeed a great Pope, a man boundless in his energy, compassionate, and clear in his sense of duty as Peter’s successor.  He is an example for all of us, for he was focused entirely on Christ, fulfilling the vocation to which Christ called him.

When things get difficult, and cloudy, and confusing, when barbarians are on the move, we are to focus on the Truth of Christ and recommit to the life to which he calls us: a barbarian or two might even be converted in the process. For it is the Freedom and Joy that comes from the Truth of Christ that the world longs for, that even the barbarians long for, that will ultimately bring deliverance from the darkness of the age and the darkness of evil. 

May Pope St. Leo assist us in loving the truth, living the truth, and working for the peace of Christ in our time for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the purification of Holy Church, and for all Bishops and clergy, that they may always lead us in fidelity to the saving Gospel of Christ.

That the Christian faithful may continue to nurture and discover their spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

For those who have left the Church, for those who have grown lukewarm, for those in mortal sin, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

November 10 2020 - Pope St. Leo the Great - Confronting the New Barbarism

Pope Benedict XVI called Pope Leo the Great, whom we honor today, “truly one of the greatest Pontiffs to have honored the Roman See.” He was the first Bishop of Rome to have been called Leo, a name used subsequently by another 12 Supreme Pontiffs. He is also the first Pope to be given the title “great” and is known for his great administration of the Church during chaotic times and for his writing, which confronted and corrected the many heresies arising in his day.

Constant barbarian invasions and the gradual weakening of the Roman Empire’s authority made the time in which Pope Leo reigned quite difficult.

There is a famous encounter between Leo and the barbarian warlord Atilla the Hun. In 452, Attila and his Huns were vanquishing city after city. Attila had already devastated the northeastern regions of Italy and reports circulated that Attila was setting his sights on the rest of Italy.  The 52 year old Pope, rode on horseback to meet the barbarian leader and pleaded with Attila to spare Italy. The leader of the Huns was so impressed by the Pope, that he agreed to leave Italy. 

Unfortunately, a few years later, another barbarian horde, the Vandals, attacked and sacked Rome. Again, the Pope, defenseless went forth to meet the invader to implore him to desist. The Vandal leader promised to spare the great Basilicas of St Peter, St Paul and St John, whose dedication we celebrated yesterday, in which the terrified population of Rome sought refuge and were spared.  

Today, it seems, the barbarians are again at the gate, in fact they’ve entered it—disregard for law and order, right religion, and moral precepts threaten the very fundamentals of society.  You cannot have civilization without civility and civics, and therefore civilization is threatened by a new barbarism that seeks to tear down and plunder—through political and even physically violent means. 

What are Catholics to do? We do well to hold fast to that which is good. Hold fast to our right doctrines, persevere in prayer, engage in sacrificial service, and maybe we’ll even convert a barbarian or two by the constant and faithful witness we give to Christ. Pope Benedict writes, "Dear Friends, may no adversity paralyze you. Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness. The Lord has allowed you to live in this moment of history so that, by your faith, his name will continue to resound throughout the world."

Pope Leo reminds us to fear no adversity, not even a hoard of barbarians and the crumbling of society, but to be people of sound doctrine, people of civility, and people who see even the human dignity of barbarians. Let us be good to one another, and work always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the purification of Holy Church, and for all Bishops and clergy, that they may always lead us in fidelity to the saving Gospel of Christ.

That the Christian faithful may continue to nurture and discover their spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church.

For those who have left the Church, for those who have grown lukewarm, for those in mortal sin, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.