Memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
(Romans 15:14-21; Luke 16:1-8)
In today’s reading from the Letter to the Romans St. Paul
has gracious words for his readers. He
says that they are full of goodness and knowledge and capable of
self-criticism. Such qualities are the
makings of a church destined to be the leader of all Christian churches in the
world. Certainly today’s patron, Pope St.
Leo the Great, saw the Church of Rome in this way.
St. Leo lived in the fifth century when Church governance
was still fluid. As Bishop of Rome, he
was the Patriarch of the West with substantial influence over western churches. But there were still four patriarchies in the
East who claimed territorial jurisdiction of their own. The most important of these was
Constantinople, called “the new Rome.”
Although Leo could not convince Eastern churches to look to him as the
final word, he did achieve their respect.
Meanwhile he maintained recognition of Rome’s supreme authority in the
West.
St. Leo is called the Great not because he saw himself as
particularly magnificent but because he fulfilled his office as leader of the
Church with unfailing excellence. In this
achievement he presents us with a model.
We too should forget any pretensions that we are better than others but strive
to live as perfectly as possible.
