Pope St Leo I was the 45th pope of the Catholic Church and the first to use the name Leo, which was also his birth name. He has earned the titles of Doctor and Father of the Church.
Pope Leo I was known for convincing Attila the Hun to not invade Italy. Historians know much about his life and papacy, which lasted for more than two decades.
St Leo the Great or Pope Leo I was born in 400 AD in Tuscany, Italy. He served as Bishop of Rome from 440 to 461, when he died on November 19, 461. His feast day is celebrated on November 10. He is the patron saint of Church Unity, Popes, Confessors and Theologians.
The following quotes reflect the spirituality of St. Leo the Great.
1. 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.
St. Leo the Great
2. Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife.
St. Leo the Great
3. Peter has spoken by the Mouth of Leo!
St. Leo the Great
4. Let no one be ashamed of the cross by which Christ has redeemed the world. None of us must be afraid to suffer for the sake of justice or doubt the fulfillment of the promises, for it is through toil that we come to rest and through death that we pass to life.
St. Leo the Great
5. Let the Saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the Gentile take courage in that he is called to life.
St. Leo the Great
6. Beyond our grasp, He chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, He began to exist at a moment in time.
St. Leo the Great
7. Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace is the mother of unity. Peace is the rest of the blessed souls. Peace is the dwelling place of eternity.
St. Leo the Great
8. Those who are not good to others are bad to themselves.
St. Leo the Great
9. The religion established by the sacrament of the Cross of Christ cannot be destroyed by any kind of cruelty.
St. Leo the Great
10. Our sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ has no other purpose than to transform us into that which we receive.
St. Leo the Great
11. The Cross of Christ is the True Ground and Chief Cause of Christian Hope.
St. Leo the Great
12. The faith of those who live their faith is a serene faith. What you long for will be given to you, what you love will be yours forever.
St. Leo the Great
13. Invisible in His own nature (God) became visible in ours. Beyond our Grasp. He chose to come within our grasp.
St. Leo the Great
14. The birthday of the Lord is the birthday of Peace.
St. Leo the Great
15. Without God there is no virtue, nor does a man obtain what is proper to divinity unless he be enlivened by the Spirit of his Author. Since the Lord said to His disciples, “Without Me you are able to do nothing”, there is no doubt that when a man does good works he has from God both the carrying out of the work and the beginning of his will to do so.
St. Leo the Great
16. Out of the world one man, Peter, is chosen.
St. Leo the Great
17. The faith by which we live shall never vary in any age…for one is the faith which sanctifies the Just of all ages.
St. Leo the Great
18. The devil is always discovering something novel against the truth.
St. Leo the Great
19. Let the Saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the
Gentile take courage in that he is called to life.
St. Leo the Great
20. Grant to us, O Lord, not to mind earthly thins but rather to love heavenly things that while, all things around us pass away, we my even now, hold fast to those things which last forever. Amen
St. Leo the Great
21. Teach nothing new but instill into all men’s breasts those things which the Fathers of revered memory have with harmony of statement taught. Preach nothing else than what we received from our forefathers…Accordingly, both in the rule of faith and in the observance of discipline, let the standard of antiquity be maintained throughout.
St. Leo the Great
22. I have neither permitted, nor shall I permit, the things which have been settled by the holy fathers to be violated by any innovation.
St. Leo the Great
23. The works of mercy are innumerable. Their very variety, brings this advantage to those who are true Christians, that in the matter of almsgiving not only the rich and affluent but also those of average means and the poor, are able to play their part. Those who are unequal in their capacity to give can be equal, in the love within their hearts.
St. Leo the Great
24. Lowliness was taken in majesty, weakness by strength, mortality be eternity.
St. Leo the Great
25. The life of believers contains in itself the mystery of Easter.
St. Leo the Great
