Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Today is the Memorial of Saint Leo the Great. Saint Leo was a man who knew what it was to be constantly on guard throughout his papacy. During the twenty one years he served as pope he was constantly battling for unity within the church, rooting out heresies, and averting wars. His sermons are as inspiring today as they were in the fifth century. Leo was deeply committed to preserving the fullness of truth in the church and living true to the Gospel. Leo believed in the discipline required of living Christianity and, just as adamantly, embraced the ideas of mercy and clemency that characterized the life of Jesus. Today’s Scriptures are well suited to remember this Doctor of the Church.
In the Gospel passage from Luke, Jesus says to his disciples, “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4) The remainder of this particular passage contains similarly strong admonitions regarding behavior towards ‘little ones’ and the primacy of faith. Jesus is speaking in clear directives to his disciples and telling it ‘like it is’. This is not a soft discipleship and in no way sugarcoated. It is really hard to think about forgiving someone seven times in one day. The truth is, sometimes just one wrong encounter with someone we do not have good feelings for can derail an entire day (or longer). Oftentimes my initial reaction to a slight from another person is to react to feelings; this seems completely normal. But if I have decided to live as a Christian who follows the Christ who has called me, how should I deal with this? Perhaps these words of Jesus are most important: “Be on your guard!” This warning should alert me to the fact that I will frequently be faced with challenges—challenge from other people as well as challenges from within. Jesus is telling me to be aware that even what may be a seemingly small incident can draw me away from my focus on him and into a place that fosters unforgiveness. The warning to be on guard is for our own benefit; it makes the difference between choosing to remain with Jesus or move away from him. Jesus is completely aware of how easy it is for us to lose our focus.
Saint Leo writes, “Mercy itself wishes you to be merciful, righteousness itself want you to be righteous, so that the Creator may shine forth in his creature, and the image of God be reflected in the mirror of the human heart…”
When our hearts hold something against another this is not possible. So even when I have been unjustly treated by someone it does not relieve me of the demands discipleship. The truth is, when I have been wronged I am even more deeply obliged to press forward fulfilling that which Jesus requires of me. This means rolling up my sleeves and getting to work. The feelings and thinking patterns that result from being hurt or abused or rejected by another can either lead to anger and resentment and broken relationships or it can result in deeper personal faith in God and an opportunity to encounter Jesus—again. It is a choice I must consciously make. Strong feelings can seduce me into following them instead of Jesus. And my knowledge that I am justified can tempt me to follow a pattern of thinking that leads me away from following Jesus as well. Today I pray for the grace to ‘be on guard” and, when challenged, choose forgiveness, choose mercy—choose Jesus.
--Gail Lyman