November 10 2017 - Friday of the 31st week in Ordinary Time - St Leo the Great - Romans 15:14-21

     Leo the Great was Pope in the 5th century during the era in which the Barbarians were preparing to invade Rome.  He convinced Attila the Hun to not invade the city, but rather to accept an annual tribute of money instead.  He had less luck with the Vandals, as they still invaded the city, but Pope Leo convinced them not to burn it down.  In addition to battling the invading enemies, he also battled the many heresies that were attacking the Church while he was Pope.  One of these heresies was termed Nestorianism, which proposed that Christ had two natures, both human and divine, but that because of these two natures, Christ was two separate persons. Another heresy was termed Monophysitism, which asserted that Jesus only had one nature, his divine nature, which had replaced his human nature.  He wrote eloquent defenses against these heresies. For his theology and writing and contributions to our faith, Leo was named Doctor of the Church in 1754.  Although a lot of heresies were put to rest in the Early Church, we have new heresies today, or the old ones creep up on us again in different disguises. One such heresy is Pelagianism, the belief that original sin did not taint human nature and that mortal will is still capable of choosing good or evil without the help of God’s divine grace working in our lives.  This heresy was named after Pelagius, an English born monk who died in the early 5th century.  Pelagianism was condemned as a heresy at the Council of Ephesus in 431.  Pope Francis and many Protestant leaders have condemned what they see as a modern-day version of Pelagianism, of so many who think that by their own efforts they make everything right in their lives, as we look for the one self-help course that will magically solve everything, as we try to achieve salvation on our own, in our own way.  Pope Francis called this a “spiritual worldliness.”  Leo the Great saw our salvation and our journey through life intrinsically tied to the salvation we have in Christ, as he wrote: “No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross.  No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ.”  Pope Leo the Great, we pray for your intercession and we unite our prayers to yours.
        In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells them of the goodness he sees in them, how he sees them being full of knowledge and being able to instruct one another in the faith.  Paul expresses his zeal and enthusiasm in bringing the Gospel to others, to the Gentiles who have not yet been exposed to God’s holy word.  Pope Leo the Great and many of our other Popes and Church leaders continued with the same zeal and enthusiasm in leading the people of God.   May we give thanks for these wonderful leaders and ask them for their prayers and intercessions.