THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT: Homily of St. Leo the Great: 1 Sermon 1 for Lent, 52 and 3-4

 

THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT: Homily of St. Leo the Great: 1 Sermon 1 for Lent, 52 and 3-4.

 

We have many interior battles; the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. If, in this conflict the lusts of the flesh prevail, the spirit will be shamefully dishonored and this will be a great misfortune, for in this case the ruler will become the slave. If, on the contrary, the spirit submits to its Master, rejoices in what he gives from on high, despises the of earthly pleasures, and prevents sin from reigning in his mortal body, reason will keep the scepter which is its just right and no illusion of evil spirits will be able to break down the ramparts: for man has no true peace and liberty except when the flesh is ruled by the spirit, its judge, and the spirit is governed by God, its master. It is good to prepare at all times by a constant watchfulness in order to check our wakeful enemies. But we must do so with still more care and zeal and organize more zealously, in this season of the year when our crafty enemies redouble their cunning maneuvers endlessly. They know well that these are the holy days of Lent, and that Lent is kept by punishing ourselves for all our meanness and in effacing all our past negligence, and they use all the power of their malice in order to make those who wish to celebrate Easter fall into some impurity, and to change what should be a source of pardon into an occasion of sin.

 

So, my dear brethren, let us enter upon Lent with a greater fidelity to the service of Christ. It is as if we were beginning a fight for sanctity. Then, let us prepare our souls for fight with temptations; and let us recognize that the more zealous we are for our salvation, the more violently shall we be attacked by our enemies. But he who dwells in us is stronger than he who is against us. Our strength comes from his power in whom we place our confidence. For if our Lord allowed himself to be tempted, it was in order that we might have, with the strength of his aid, the teaching of his example. You have just heard now he vanquished his enemy with the words of the law, not by the might of his power; the honor which would come to his humanity would be greater, and greater also the punishment of his adversary, if he triumphed over the enemy of the human race, not as God, but as man. He fought then, that we might fight following close upon him; he conquered, that we might conquer as he did. For the acts Of virtue, my dear brethren, are not produced without the experience of temptations, faith does not grow without trials, combat without an enemy, victory without a battle. Life is passed in the midst of snares and combats. If we would not be surprised, we must watch; if we wish to conquer, we must fight. This is why Solomon who was wise said: My Son, if thy mind is to enter the Lord's service, prepare thyself, to be put to the test. He was full of the wisdom of God, he knew that there could be no fervor without laborious conflict; and foreseeing the danger of these fights, he anticipated them in order that, warned against the attacks of the tempter, we should be ready to parry his blows.