Leo the Great 			November 10
Bishop of Rome, Teacher of the Faith
Leo was one of the most significant popes of the early church. He did much to consolidate the papal office, but also won the admiration of those around him for his great pastoral and administrative skills in very difficult circumstances.
We know little of Leo’s early life, but he grew up at a time when the western Roman Empire was disintegrating. The Germanic tribes had spilled over the borders into the empire, and the organisation of the empire was completely unable to cope. Leo’s great abilities as an administrator in these trying circumstances did much to enhance the status of the papacy as both the religious and administrative heart of the west.
Leo served as one of the senior deacons of Rome from about 430, with responsibility for finances, social relief work and administration of church properties. It was a task that he did brilliantly. As a result, when Pope Sixtus III died in 440, Leo was elected as his successor. He brought to the papal office a concern for proper organisation that led to centralisation of control. Where earlier popes had merely responded with opinions when consulted by other bishops, Leo emphasised his role as successor of Peter and as an authoritative voice in the church. The clarity and precision of his statements enhanced the papal office and its widespread acceptance.
Leo took up the same approach to the church in the east, which at the time was racked by theological debates about the person of Christ and acceptance of his full divinity and full humanity in a single person. Leo wrote a long letter (the Tome of Leo), which clearly stated the need to accept the reality of the two natures in one person. In Leo’s eyes he had spoken and the matter was settled. When the document was read at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the majority in the east were grateful for the statement and approved of it, but on the grounds that it was theologically acceptable, not merely because of its papal origins.
Leo was also a consummate diplomat. When Attila and his Huns were about to sack Rome in 452 after rampaging through Milan, Leo persuaded them to withdraw and accept an annual tribute payment instead. Three years later, when Genseric led his Vandals on a pillaging expedition in Rome, Leo again interceded and persuaded them to desist from the slaughter of the citizens. Leo then gave his energies to restoring the city and its churches and the morale of the people. It is understandable that soon after his death in 461 Leo was being honoured by the people as a saint.
For Liturgical Use
Leo the Great was elected bishop of Rome in 440 and brought great skills of care and administration to the papal office. At a time when the western Roman Empire was disintegrating, he provided a central focus for decisions of the church in the west. He administered the resources of the church well and negotiated with the invading Huns and Vandals to ensure peace and stability in Rome. His letter to the eastern church on the person of Christ was accepted at Chalcedon as a helpful and orthodox statement. He died in 461.
Sentence
“My grace is sufficient for you,” says the Lord, “for power is made perfect in weakness.”	2 Corinthians 12:9 (adapted)
Collects
Gracious and eternal God,
you called your servant Leo 
to strengthen your church
and to proclaim with power 
that Jesus Christ is truly divine and truly human,
one with us in our humanity
and one with you in your divine being;
help us to be strong in this faith
and to hold fast the mystery of our redemption;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus, light to Leo,
as he protected the church
from heresies, Huns and Vandals,
help us now, in our dangers and confusions,
to see our way.
Psalms	2	47
Readings
Ecclesiasticus 1:1-13	The Lord gives wisdom
2 Timothy 1:5-14		Christ judged me faithful
Luke 12:35-44		A trustworthy steward
Post Communion Sentence
Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”		John 14:19,20