Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Sermon of St. Leo the Great: SS. Peter and Paul: The pillars of the Church



The feast of this day must be reverenced with a special and peculiar joy in our city, Rome, over and above that veneration which it deserves from the whole world ; so that, where the departure of the most famous of the Apostles gloriously took place, there, on the anniversary of their martyrdom, let there be the greatest gladness. For these are the men through whom the gospel of Christ has shone upon thee, O Rome; and thou, who wert the teacher of error, hast become the learner of truth. These are thy fathers and thy true shepherds, who, to place thee in the kingdom of heaven, founded thee far more happily, and in a much better way, than did those by whose effort the first foundations of thy ramparts were laid; of whom he, who gave thee thy name, defiled thee by the slaughter of his brother.

These are they who raised thee to this glory, that thou hast become a holy race, a chosen people, a priestly and royal city, made the ruler of the world through the sacred Chair of blessed Peter, that thou shouldst rule a wider realm by a divine religion than by any earthly lordship. For although, enlarged by many victories, thou didst extend thy imperial sway over land and sea, yet warlike toil has subdued less to thee than the Christian peace has subjected.

The Word of God took flesh and so united his divine to his human nature, that he might obtain for us the most glorious uplifting by his extreme abasement. And to extend the effects of this grace to the whole world, divine providence had prepared the Roman empire which had so far extended its limits as to make contact with all the nations of the earth. For it was most agreeable with the divine plan that many kingdoms should be united under one rule, so that the world-wide preaching should have a speedy way through nations who were ruled from one city.

But this city knew not him who was the author of her power, and while she ruled almost all nations, she was enslaved to all nations' errors; and because she rejected no false worship, she seemed in her own eyes to be most religious. Hence, the more firmly she was held in bondage by the devil, the greater miracle was her liberation through Christ.

When the twelve Apostles, after receiving the gift of all tongues from the Holy Spirit, divided the regions of the earth among themselves for the preaching of the gospel to the world, blessed Peter, prince of the Apostolic order, received as his share the citadel of the Roman empire, that the light of truth, revealed for the salvation of all nations, might penetrate more easily to the whole body by streaming forth from the head. For what race of men is there which you would not find represented in this city? Or what nations were ignorant of what Rome had learnt? Here were to be refuted the theories of philosophers, here dissolved the vanities of earthly wisdom, here overthrown the worship of devils, here destroyed the impiety of every sacrifice; here, where superstitious zeal had collected all the error and vanity of the world.

O most blessed Peter, you do not fear to come, and while your companion in glory, the Apostle Paul, is still occupied with the government of other churches, you enter this forest of savage beasts, this deep and turbulent ocean, with more boldness than when you walked upon the water. In the house of Caiphas you that trembled before a servant-girl, are fearless now before Rome, the mistress of the world. Love triumphs over fear; you do not see why you should fear those whom you have been called to love.

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