Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Today is the Feast of Pope St. Leo the Great. After this contentious election, he is a great saint for us to remember. In his time, the Church had been divided for centuries over whether Jesus was truly God and truly Human, or just one of the two. Leo found a way of explaining how Jesus is one person with both a divine and human nature; this teaching unified the divided Church at the counsel of Chalcedon. We need a unifying spirit right now in our society. Saint Leo, Pray for Us!
The same Spirit that worked through Leo was also at work in St. Paul, 400 years earlier. As we see in today’s first reading, Paul is mediating a conflict between the run-away slave Onesimus and his master Philemon. In just a few short verses, Paul appeals to love before obedience, and transforms slavery into brotherhood. The Holy Spirit was working mightily! Since we still have this letter today, we can assume that Philemon didn’t rip it up and reject Paul’s request. How is the Spirit calling you to work for peace and unity in our society?
In his later years, Pope Saint Leo held the Church together as the Roman Empire collapsed around it. When the imperial city fell and was ransacked by the Vandals, St. Leo took care of the victims left behind. This is what Jesus was talking about when he says “The Kingdom of God is among you” in today’s gospel. The city of Rome fell; the empire was finished, but the Kingdom of God cannot be overcome. It does not exist in capital cities, government buildings, and administrations. The Kingdom is us taking care of one another, and nothing can stop that. The same Spirit works in you and I today. Our good deeds shine like a flash of lightning across the sky, and the Kingdom becomes real all around us. As a good friend once said, “I don’t believe in Kings; I believe in the Kingdom.” As this election has finally ended, let us come to know more fully that divine Love is the Kingdom, and nothing but that Spirit of Love deserves our faith and belief. Let us Love one another more powerfully than ever before. Amen!
-Chris Nieport