Hello all, Happy feast day to all born, baptized and married today Happy feast day to all Deacons, Seminarians, Priests, Bishops, Monks, Nuns, Reverend Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus. Happy feast day to all named Leonard and parents of all named Leonard Happy feast day to all successors of Saint Peter Happy feast day to the 35 Doctors of the Catholic Church Happy feast day to all Catholic Missionaries Today (November 10) marks the Feast of Pope Saint Leo I He was born year 391 in Tuscany, Western Roman Empire He was an Italian aristocrat He is also one of the 35 Doctor of the Church Leo was ordained a Deacon in year 431 He became Pope in the year 440 Pope Sixtus III died (August 11, 440), and Leo was unanimously elected by the people to succeed him. On September 29, Leo entered upon a pontificate which was to be epoch-making for the centralization of the government of the Roman Church He is a leading figure in the centralization of the organization of the Roman Catholic Church. He is popularly known as Pope Saint Leo the Great He is often referred to as Saint Leo the Great He is the first Pope Doctor. “Pope Saint Leo the Great” is perhaps best known for having met King Attila the Hun in 452, persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy For two decades during his pontificate the powers of terrorists and Hell attacked and plundered Rome and its citizens. Saint Leo the Great believed and trusted in God through the intercession of Saint Peter, the Rock of the Church, and Jesus Christ. He believed that it was Christ who gave Peter and his successors the power over all mortals who would challenges his church on earth. Due to the wars, terrorists and immense problems that Pope Saint Leo faced he strongly advocated the below works of mercy toward others to show true Christianity: CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY: To feed the hungry; Give drink to the thirsty; Clothe the naked; Shelter the homeless; Visit the sick; Visit the imprisoned; Bury the dead. SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY: To counsel the doubtful; Instruct the ignorant; Admonish sinners; Comfort the afflicted; Forgive offenses; Bear wrongs patiently; Pray for the living and the dead. -------------------------------------------------------- “Pope Saint Leo the Great” was Pope from September 29, 440 to November 10, 461. Of the all the 266 Popes of the Catholic Church, the Church has chosen only 2 successors of Saint Peter as “Doctors of the Church” Considering the amount of teaching and writing many of our popes have done, only two of them were included among the Doctors of the Church! They are “Pope Saint Leo the Great” and “Pope Saint Gregory the Great” Pope Leo I and Pope Gregory I-are also the only popes to be called the Great. “Pope Saint Leo the Great” (was the 45th Bishop of Rome since the Pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) “Pope Saint Gregory the Great” (was the 64th Vicar of Christ since the Pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) ------------------------------------------------- “Pope Saint Leo the Great” whose feast we celebrate today gives us the same remedy he possessed to help us meet the challenges of the power of evil, its temptations and its many enemies that confront us. Pope Saint Leo informs us that those who will clash with visible or invisible forces must arm himself with: 1) persistence and perseverance in prayer; 2) fasting; 3) almsgiving. Through our weakness we sin but we will be pardoned for our sins and obtain forgiveness when we exercise the above three golden remedies. Charity in almsgiving covers a multitude of sins; Fasting is the one special mortification that the devil or evil is defenseless against; Genuine prayer will united us to God in love and empower us to keep our wills united with the holy will of God amidst repeated failures. One of the four greats of the Church, along with Basil, Gregory, and Albert, Leo was pope in the 400s and left behind numerous sermons and writings that show great wisdom and intellect. Besides being a faithful leader of the Church during times of threatening heresies and rebellious individuals among the flock, Pope Leo was well known for stopping King Attila the Hun from invading Rome. Rome was a weak city in the 450s and practically defenseless when Attila and his barbaric Huns swept through Italy and arrived at the doorstep of Rome. It was Pope Saint Leo the Great who went out and met Attila in what seems to be a meeting just between the two of them. --------------------------------------------------------- Simply put: No man knows what they said to each other, the great wise Pope of old Rome and the new Church and the brutal bandy-legged King Hun whose forebears had come out of the wastes of Asia..... But when the talk was over, King Attila turned his army around and rode out of Italy, never to return. A year later, back in the lands along the Danube, he (Attila) died suddenly and mysteriously after a night of hard drinking. Perhaps in heaven we will know what words passed between those two great leaders and will appreciate the work of the Lord in that pivotal situation. It seems that victory was somewhat short-lived as the Vandals came in to Rome three years later and attacked it, although they didnt destroy it. The crowd always seems to assume if you can pull off a great feat once, you should be able to do it twice. One wouldnt want to wish a papacy like that on anyone, and maybe Pope Saint Leo deserves to be labeled a great simply for the challenges he had to face, let alone all that he did for the Kingdom of God. Saint Leo the Great, pray for us! --------------------------------------------------------- Pope Saint Leo the Great tells us... In baptism the sign of the cross makes kings of all who are reborn in Christ, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates them priests. So, apart from the particular obligations of our ministry, any Christian who has the gifts of rational and of spiritual understanding knows he is a member of a kingly race and shares in the priestly office. For what could be more royal than a soul which by subjecting itself to God becomes ruler of its own body? Or what more priestly when it consecrates a pure conscience to God and offers on the altar of its heart the spotless sacrifice of its devotion? By the grace of God this is common to all. But it is also a gracious and a religious thing in you that on the day of my consecration you rejoice as for an honour that is your own. Thus the one sacrament which confers the high priesthood is celebrated in the whole body of the Church. (From one of Pope Saint Leos sermons) --------------------------------------------------------- Pope Saint Leo died in the year 461 He was the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church to receive the title the Great. The significance of Leos pontificate lies in his assertion of the universal jurisdiction of the Roman bishop, as expressed in his letters, and still more in his ninety-six extant orations. This assertion is commonly referred to as the doctrine of Petrine supremacy. According to Pope Saint Leo and several Church Fathers, as well as certain interpretations of the Scriptures, the Church is built upon Peter, in pursuance of the promise of Matthew 16:16-19. Peter participates in everything which is Christs; what the other apostles have in common with him they have through him. What is true of Peter is true also of his successors. Every other bishop is charged with the care of his particular flock, the Roman pontiff with that of the whole Church. Other bishops are his assistants in this great task. In Leos eyes the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon acquired their validity from his confirmation. Leos letters and sermons reflect the many aspects of his career and personality, including his great personal influence for good. On Dignity and Equality (Saint Leo appears to articulate a fundamental and inclusive human dignity and equality) In his Nativitate Domini, in the “Christmas Day sermon” Pope Saint Leo tells us…… Christians, Remember your Dignity The saint, the sinner, and the unbeliever are all equal as sinners, and none is excluded in the call to happiness: Our Saviour, dearly-beloved, was born today: let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord the destroyer of sin and death finds none free from charge, so is He come to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life ------------------------------------------------------------ Let us pray (Oremus): God our Father, you will never allow the power of hell to prevail against your Church, founded on the rock of the apostle Peter. Let the prayers of Pope Leo the Great keep us faithful to your truth and secure in your peace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen ------------------------------------------------------------ Let us pray that by the works, spiritual direction, spiritual maturity and intercession of Pope Saint Leo the Great, we may in this group find the spiritual motivation to win our souls for God. Amen Summary of the life history, works and teachings of Pope Saint Leo the Great can be viewed by clicking the photo of the Saint in our groups photo section. Saint of the day, would be communicated to you as promptly and consistently as humanly possible, by Gods grace. May we all in this group and beyond this group, Christians and non Christians alike, Catholics and non Catholics alike, be saved from the fires of hell and lifted up into heaven after our stay here on this exile. Amen May our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Pope Saint Leo the Great and all other Saints before and after him, through Gods Divine Mercy strengthen our souls, open out the way for us all, and above all, intoxicate us with HIS love. Amen May Christ make us into blazing fires to enkindle the earth with the heavenly fire HE brought us. Amen Jesus we love you, all we have is yours, yours we are and yours we want to be, please do with us whatever you will. Amen Jesus, Mary we love you, please save our souls. Amen God bless you and grant your heart’s desire. Amen Pope Saint Leo the Great, pray for us. Amen. For a brief on our Saint of today, please click the link below: https://youtube/watch?v=rnC4BsLnMIM
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 20:27:28 +0000
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