Saint Leo the Great

"Seated upon the throne of the priesthood, glorious Leo, you shut the mouths of the spiritual lions. With divinely inspired teachings of the honored Trinity, you shed the light of the knowledge of God upon your flock. Therefore, you are glorified as a divine initiate of the grace of God." Kantakion, Tone 3

Encounter of Leo the Great with Attila

Today, November 10th, we celebrate the Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great. He was elected Bishop of Rome in 440 A.D. on September 29th coinciding with the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel. He would be the successor to St. Peter until his death in 461 A.D. He is the patron saint of popes and confessors. And before his papacy, he even met with St. Augustine during a time he served in Africa.

I first came across Pope Leo the Great I when I was looking at a long list of saints for my Confirmation name when I was about 15 or 16 years old. I remember clearly seeing “Saint-Saint-Saint-Saint-Saint” until I found a name without “Saint” in front of it, and that name was Pope Leo the Great.

Admittedly, I did the minimal amount of research required on the guy (I have to confess I was a teen and didn’t really care about my Confirmation at the time) but discovered he was named “the Great” because of some pretty major things he did that really impacted the Catholic Church’s history as well as the rest of the world.

Pope Leo I was able to prevent Attila the Hun from invading and attacking the Vatican and Rome towards the end of Attila’s invasion over this region. In 452 A.D., Pope Leo met with Attila the Hun in northern Italy, which became known as “the Scourge of God.” There is a legend that says Attila the Hun peacefully retreated from Rome because of a vision of both Saint Peter and Saint Paul standing behind Pope Leo and wielding swords during their meeting. After this, Leo was nicknamed, “The Shield of God.” (May I point out that it seems it took two saints, or possibly three!, to scare away a guy like Attila the Hun, who is infamous for being one of the most brutally violent and fearsome conquerors of world history...thank you, God's Holy Saints!)

The next defining moment of Leo I's papacy was clearly defining Jesus Christ’s two natures in his letter titled, “Tome of Leo.” In 451 A.D., during the Council of Chalcedon, Pope Leo was able to dispel any arguments of the true nature of Christ. He defined that Jesus has both a divine nature (TRUE GOD) and a human nature (TRUE MAN) “without confusion or admixture.” And since this council, the Catholic Church has adhered to this teaching of Jesus’ two inseparable natures in one body.

Leo the Great fought against many heresies and opposing ideologies against the Catholic Church. He removed many pagan rituals and festivals happening in Rome at the time, promoted charitable causes to combat poverty and famines, as well as giving support to a flood of refugees in Rome.

He was the first pope to be buried within St. Peter’s Basilica and was the 10th longest-reigning pope with a papacy that lasted 21 years, 1 month, and 13 days. During his papacy, Pope St. Leo the Great was able to uphold the virtues of Catholicism with such prominence and vigor, especially during a time where many people of the faith were being led astray by heretics and opposing leaders that muddled the truth of Christianity. His fellow cardinals and bishops admired his leadership because Leo I was fervent and steadfast in all of his actions, writings, and speeches when upholding the Catholic church and faith.

Pope Leo the Great was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754. Pope Leo I stayed true, despite invasion and division, to his strong belief that everything he did and said was truly to be a representation of Jesus Christ and the first pope, St. Peter.

We can take something away from Pope Leo the Great that is powerful in our day to day lives. Championed as an instrument of the Church in strengthening the teaching of the true Doctrine, he is a guide for us to study the Catechism and speak the truth of the Faith.

As a spiritual exercise this week, choose one of these statements by him and meditate on his words in a practical application to your life: "Those who are not good to others are bad to themselves."

"Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife."

"Beyond our grasp, He chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, He began to exist at a moment in time."

When and/or where do you feel the most vulnerable when it comes to showing or sharing your Faith? Why do you think that is? How do you think you can work on your vulnerability and become more fervent and steadfast as a Catholic like Leo the Great?

Think, meditate, and contemplate on these questions this week and I hope you may grow even stronger in your Faith!