COLLECT: “O GOD, WHO NEVER ALLOW THE GATES OF HELL TO PREVAIL AGAINST YOUR CHURCH, FIRMLY FOUNDED ON THE APOSTOLIC ROCK, GRANT HER, WE PRAY, THAT THROUGH THE INTERCESSION OF POPE SAINT LEO, SHE MAY STAND FIRM IN YOUR TRUTH AND KNOW THE PROTECTION OF LASTING PEACE. THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
Wis 1:1-7; Ps 121:1-5; Lk 17:1-6.
Pope St. Leo the Great, whose feast we celebrate today, was raised by God to the throne of St. Peter in 440. This was a critical time in the Church’s history, when the Western Empire was disintegrating and the Eastern Church was profoundly disturbed by dogmatic controversies and speculations.
Pope Leo the Great was a farsighted and wise Pontiff. He became one of the three Popes whom we honour with the title of “The Great”: Pope St. Gregory I and Pope St. Nicholas I. Pope Leo the Great took sharp measures against the subtle infiltration of heresies into Italy and Spain. He condemned, in his dogmatic letter (Tomos), Monophysitism and Eutychianism (heresies) in the East, clearly setting forth the Church’s doctrine that Christ is one person but possesses two distinct natures, the divine and the human.
This condemnation was received by a spontaneous acclamation by some 600 Eastern Bishops as: “Peter has spoken by Leo”. Leo the Great reformed the Church’s discipline and maintained the primacy of Rome. His reign witnessed the calamitous barbarian incursions of Attila, “The Scourge of God”, from the north in 452, and of Genseric from Africa in 445. Pope St. Leo the Great had it that, “Thy Cross, O Lord, is the source of all blessings, the cause of all graces; by it the faithful find strength in weaknesses, glory in shame, life in death” (St. Leo).
In the portion of the Book of Wisdom we reflect today states: “The Lord manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve”. Faith is also a topic of today’s Gospel. Jesus tells the apostles that with only a little faith they will be able to do great things. Together with the apostles, let us pray that the Lord may indeed increase our faith not to cause scandals.
Going forward, in today’s Gospel, Jesus condemns scandals, that is, “any action or omission which constitutes for another occasion of/for sin” (Cf. St. Pius X, Catechism, 417). Jesus teaches two things in this condemnation of scandals. (1) That scandals will in fact, happen. (2) That it is a grave or mortal sin as shown by the punishment it earns, that is, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin” (Cf. Lk 17:2).
A Scandal is so serious a sin because it tends to and eventually destroys God’s greatest work in the world and on humanity, that is, God’s Redemption for souls that are lost. Scandals can kill your neighbour’s soul by taking away the life of grace, which is more precious than the life of the body. That is probably why God threatens with the most severe punishment those who cause others to stumble (Cf. Mt 18:6-8,10).
We are warned and cautioned at the same time not to cause or be the cause of any scandal to others nor should we be influenced by the bad example others give us. Leaders and especially those who are in authority, especially parents, teachers, politicians, lawyers, writers, bishops, priests, religious, etc. are more warned and cautioned in this regard because they can more easily be a cause of scandal. We always need to be on the alert and “Take heed to yourselves”.
One of the ways believers or Christians can easily cause scandal is when it comes to forgiveness. A lot of us are not able to forgive. Even though there are times, we are persuaded and people pleaded with us to forgive an erring brother or sister, and we were and still are not ready to do that.
This is scandalous. We also scandalise the world and fellow human beings when we are not able to correct others (family member, community member, co-worker, society member, political party member, etc.) fraternally but only judge, criticise and backbite. Our fraternal correction can help the erring brother or sister to change his or her wrong behaviour.
It is our Christian duty to give fraternal correction in a very refined way, full of charity; otherwise, we would end up humiliating the person who has committed the wrong or the fault. Christian charity demands that we help the person to do better. May the Lord increase our faith in this regard. May Saint Leo the Great intercede for us. Stay blessed and happy feast to all who bear the name Leo.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, MONDAY, ON THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES: ‘THE ANNUNCIATION, THE VISITATION, THE BIRTH OF JESUS, THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE AND THE FINDING OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE’. (LET US PRAY FOR HUMILITY, LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR, POVERTY IN SPIRIT, OBEDIENCE AND JOY IN FINDING JESUS) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.
PRAYER: “BE PLEASED, O LORD, WE PRAY, TO GOVERN THE CHURCH YOU HAVE NOURISHED BY THIS HOLY MEAL, SO THAT, FIRMLY DIRECTED, SHE MAY ENJOY EVER GREATER FREEDOM AND PERSEVERE IN INTEGRITY OF RELIGION. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN”.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com.
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