II Nocturn

Sermon of St. Leo, Pope

About to preach to you, dearly beloved, the holiest and greatest of fasts, what beginning could I more fittingly use than the words of the Apostle, through whom Christ Himself has spoken, saying: "Behold, now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation." For though there is no season which is not, full of divine gifts and though free access to God's mercy is ever provided for us by His grace, yet now the minds of all should be moved with greater zeal to spiritual progress and be animated with fuller confidence—now when the return of that day on which we have all been redeemed invites us to every work of piety, so that, cleansed both in body and in mind, we may celebrate that mystery which surpasses all others—the Lord's Passion.

 

Such great mysteries justly lay claim to such a lasting devotion and abiding reverence that we should remain such in the sight of God as we ought to be found on the Paschal feast itself. But because such fervor is had but by few, and since the more severe discipline is relaxed because of the frailty of the flesh and our attention is divided among the many actions of this life, even the- hearts of religious men must necessarily become soiled by the dust of worldly things. Hence it has been provided in the great wisdom of the divine plan that, in order to restore purity of. mind, we should be chastened by the training of these forty days,' during which pious works should redeem and chaste fasting melt away the faults of other times.

 

Therefore, dearly beloved, since we are about to enter upon these mystic days, instituted in a most sacred manner for the purifying of both soul and body, let us take care to obey the Apostolic precepts, cleansing ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, go that, chastened by the struggles that go on between flesh and spirit, the soul, which under God's direction should be the established ruler of the body, may obtain the grace of self-control, that, giving no offense to any man, we may not be exposed to the reproaches of those who revile us.