10 November 2016
Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
In the United States of America, it is an amazing fact that both major political parties, that is, Republicans and Democrats, have members who are Christian. For example, the current president of the Senate and the current Speaker of the House are both Catholics. They both look to Jesus Christ and to His Church for guidance in life’s most important decisions. They may reach different conclusions, but they both look to the same person. To put it differently, Jesus Christ has the power to unite us, despite our political differences.
That power to unite is more clear in the case of St. Leo the Great, whose feast we celebrate today. St. Leo was a great orator, and he was gifted with a sharp theological mind. When Rome was in a political crisis, he emerged as a leader not only of the souls of the faithful, but also of the city’s government. He was able to persuade the Huns not to sack the city of Rome. Too bad that the Vandals, on the other hand, were deaf to his pleas.
The details of St. Leo’s encounters with the barbarians are not well known to historians. Better known are his interventions in major theological disputes. His writings were so keen and so persuasive that he was able to put an end to bitter feuds within the Church. May he help us by his intercession today, and may God’s grace bring us all to greater unity as we follow His Son, Christ, Our Lord.