🦁Saint Leo the Great, acclaimed as a Doctor of the
Church, was a beacon of orthodoxy and leadership in a 5th century marked by
barbarian invasions and profound theological crises. Elected Pope in 440, his
pontificate was one of the most important in Christian antiquity, notable for
his vigorous defense of the faith and the consolidation of papal authority. His
most celebrated contribution was the "Tome to Flavian," a dogmatic letter that
clearly defined the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, divine and human,
united in one Person. This document formed the basis for the decisions of the
Council of Chalcedon in 451, where the council fathers exclaimed: "Peter has
spoken through the mouth of Leo!" In addition to his theological genius, Saint
Leo demonstrated extraordinary pastoral courage. In 452, he went to meet Attila
the Hun and persuaded him to spare Rome from destruction. Three years later,
although he could not prevent the sack of Rome by the Vandals, he negotiated
with Gaiseric to ensure the city was not burned and its population not
massacred. A zealous pastor and wise administrator, his sermons reveal a deep
spirituality and an ardent love for Christ and His Church. He passed away in
461, leaving an indelible legacy of faith, courage, and pastoral love.
📜Epistle
(1 Peter 5:1-4, 10-11)
✉️Dearly beloved: The elders who are among
you, I beseech, who am myself also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of
Christ: as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to
come: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by
constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre's sake, but
voluntarily: Neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of
the flock from the heart. And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall
receive a never-fading crown of glory. But the God of all grace, who hath called
us unto his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little,
will himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you. To him be glory
and empire for ever and ever. Amen.
📖Gospel (Matthew 16:13-19)
✨At
that time, Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his
disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is? But they said: Some
John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the
prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter
answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and
blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to
thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be
bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be
loosed also in heaven.
🤔Reflections
🔑Today's Gospel
transports us to the foundational moment of the Church, Peter's confession at
Caesarea Philippi. Christ's question, "But whom do you say that I am?", seeks
not a mere opinion but a profession of faith born of divine revelation. Peter's
response, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God," is not the fruit of
human intellect or perception, but a gift from the Father. It is upon this
faith, revealed and confessed, that Christ builds His Church. The "rock" (petra)
is not just the person of Simon, but the faith he proclaims. By giving him the
"keys of the kingdom of heaven," Jesus confers upon Peter and his successors a
unique authority to govern, sanctify, and teach, a power that, as the Catechism
of the Catholic Church states, "signifies the authority to govern the house of
God, which is the Church" (CCC 553). St. Leo the Great profoundly understood
this truth, exercising the Petrine ministry not as an earthly power, but as a
service to the truth of Christ.
🐑The Epistle of St. Peter perfectly
echoes the responsibility that accompanies the authority received in the Gospel.
The Prince of the Apostles himself, to whom the keys were given, instructs the
"elders" (presbyters and bishops) to shepherd the flock "not by constraint, but
willingly... not as lording it over them, but as models." Authority in the
Church is not tyranny, but selfless service in the example of Christ, the
"Supreme Pastor." St. Leo the Great is the perfect model of this pastorate. He
did not use the authority of the See of Rome to impose himself, but to serve the
unity of the faith, defending sound doctrine against the heresies that
threatened to scatter the flock. When he faced Attila unarmed, he did not act
with military might, but with the moral authority of one who represents Him to
whom all power in heaven and on earth has been given, thus becoming a true
"pattern of the flock."
🪨Saint Augustine, in meditating on this
passage, offers a view that deepens our understanding. He explains that Christ,
in saying "thou art Peter," gives him a name that reflects his faith in the
Rock, who is Christ Himself. "Upon this Rock, which you have confessed, upon
this Rock which you have recognized, saying, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God,’ upon this Rock I will build my Church; that is, I will build my
Church upon Myself, the Son of the living God. I will build you upon Me, not Me
upon you" (St. Augustine, Sermon 76, 1). This interpretation does not deny the
primacy of Peter but roots it in Christ. The Pope is the Vicar of Christ; his
authority is vicarious and his foundation is unshakeable only when it rests
firmly on Christ. St. Leo the Great lived this mystery in an exemplary way. His
strength at the Council of Chalcedon came not from his own person, but from his
faithful adherence to the truth about Christ. He was "Leo" (lion, strong)
because he was founded on the "Rock" (Christ), and thus, like Peter, he became
the visible rock that confirms his brethren in the faith revealed by the
Father.
➡️See English version of the critical articles here.
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