"Today's patron, Saint Leo is indeed great. The fifth century bishop of Rome reigned as Pope during the last years of the Western Roman empire. His list of accomplishments is impressive. He heroically met with Attila the Hun to save the Italian peninsula from invasion, and he was a father to the Roman people whom the emperors abandoned. However, the Church does not call St. Leo 'great' merely because of his patrician birth or his political savvy. After all, the empire was falling apart and would end officially a decade after his death. So it might seem, if we only examine his secular accomplishments, that St. Leo is called 'great' for reasons that do not merit the title.
"During the fifth century, St. Leo preached against a group called the Monophysites who argued that there is a single nature in Christ. In other words, they claimed that Jesus Christ is not both really God and really man. Saint Leo, both in his famous Letter to Flavian and in his preaching, refuted their heresy and elucidated the mystery of the Incarnation for his brother bishops. . . ."
In a recent commentary, Brother Nicodemus Thomas, O.P., reflected on some of the reasons why Pope Leo 1 is called Saint Leo the Great.
To access Br. Raymond's complete post, please visit:
Dominicana: Not Called Great for Nothing (10 NOV 20)
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