For the Feast of St. Leo I

 St. Leo I is honored by Holy Mother Church with a feast day on April 11. St. Leo is one of  four Popes given the title of the Great.  The other three popes are St. Basil, St. Gregory, and St. Nicholas.  A great defender of the Church, St. Leo, whose name means lion, protected the Faith from two heresies against the Incarnation-- the Nestorian Heresy and the Eutychian Heresy.  This holy Pontiff governed the Church during the time of Attila the Hun's rule.  Known as the Scourge of God, Attila, marching toward Rome, was met by Pope Leo I.  Speaking with calm eloquence, Pope Leo awed Attila, who agreed to spare Rome.  Attila not only admired the Pontiff, but he also feared him, recognizing a heavenly power on the side of the virtuous Pope. The following hymn was written to honor Pope Leo I on his feast day. 

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Hymn Honoring Pope Leo I

O happy Pontiff! glorious Leo! thou hast been made companion of the faithful Priests and martyrs; for thou wast most invincible in battle, and immovable as a tower and fortress of religion.  Thou proclaimedst with most perfect orthodoxy and wisdom, the unspeakable generation of Christ.

O ruler of Orthodoxy, teacher of religion and holiness, light of the whole earth, divinely inspired glory of true believers, wise Leo!  thou enlightenest all men by thy teachings, O harp of the Holy Ghost!

Heir of the See of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, thou presidedst over the Church: thou hadst his spirit and was inflamed with zeal for the Faith.

Beaming with most bright light, thou, O holy Leo, didst admirable preach the ineffable and divine incarnation, teaching the two Natures, and the two Wills of the Incarnate God.

Resplendent with the knowledge of divine truths, thou scatteredst on all sides the brightness of orthodoxy, and dispelledst the darkness of heresy.  Departing this life, thou, O blessed one! now dwellest in the Light that knows no setting.

O inspired Minister of God's mysteries, thou admirably preachedst that Christ is the Only son and Lord, begotten of the Father before all ages, born for us of the Virgin, and dwelling on earth like unto us.

Seated with glory upon the throne of the Pontificate, thou didst stop the mouths of lions, and madest to shine upon thy flock the light of the knowledge of God, by proclaiming the divine dogma of the adorable Trinity.  Therefore hast thou been glorified as a holy Pontiff initiated in the grace of God.

Thou as a dazzling sun, didst rise in the west: thou wisely dispelledst the error of Eutyches, who mingled and confused the two Natures, and that of Nestorius, who divided them as though they were two Persons.  Thou taughtest us to adore one Christ in two Natures, inseparably, unchangeably, unconfusedly united.  

Inspired of God, thou appearedst to the people of God as another Moses, showing them the commandments of religion written, as it were on tables.  Thou exclaimedst in the assembly of the venerable Masters:  "Praise, O ye Priests! and bless, and extol Christ forever."

Now, O Priest of Christ! thou art brightly decked with a crown of beauty.  As a faithful Priest, thou hast put on justice. Pray unceasingly for thy flock, now that thou hast entered into the admirable joy of the Paradise of delights.

Thou, O most blessed Leo! hast worthily entered the abode where are the seats and thrones and ranks of the Patriarchs; thou hast entered as a  true Patriarch, all resplendent with faith and grace.  Therefore do we all celebrate thy name forever.

God bless!

+JMJ+

For the Great Feast of the Ascension of our Lord

                                       

From a sermon by Pope Leo the Great, we read, “Christ's Ascension has given us greater privileges and joys than the devil had taken from us. Accordingly, dearly-beloved, throughout this time which elapsed between the Lord's Resurrection and Ascension, God's Providence had this in view, to teach and impress upon both the eyes and hearts of His own people that the Lord Jesus Christ might be acknowledged to have as truly risen, as He was truly born, suffered, and died. And hence the most blessed Apostles and all the disciples, … were so strengthened by the clearness of the truth that when the Lord entered the heights of heaven, not only were they affected with no sadness, but were even filled with great joy. And truly great and unspeakable was their cause for joy, when in the sight of the holy multitude, above the dignity of all heavenly creatures, the Nature of mankind went up, to pass above the angels' ranks and to rise beyond the archangels' heights, and to have Its uplifting limited by no elevation until, received to sit with the Eternal Father, It should be associated on the throne with His glory, to Whose Nature It was united in the Son. Since then Christ's Ascension is our uplifting, and the hope of the Body is raised, whither the glory of the Head has gone before, let us exult, dearly-beloved, with worthy joy and delight in the loyal paying of thanks. For today not only are we confirmed as possessors of paradise, but have also in Christ penetrated the heights of heaven, and have gained still greater things through Christ's unspeakable grace than we had lost through the devil's malice. For us, whom our virulent enemy had driven out from the bliss of our first abode, the Son of God has made members of Himself and placed at the right hand of the Father, with Whom He lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.”

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The following prayer is one of adoration and thanksgiving to God. The prayer recognizes God's work in our whole life, and adores Him, thanks Him, and humbly seeks His mercy. Our lives are filled with God's love in every aspect of our day and night, and it is important to recognize His presence and love in each moment, even the most ordinary. Sometimes this requires slowing down and giving our heart to Almighty God. May we always remember to thank Him for His great gifts to us. However, as the great feast of the Ascension of our Lord draws near, let us especially thank our Lord for His Ascension into heaven, praising Him with immense joy as Pope Leo suggested in his sermon. 

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An Act of Adoration and Thanksgiving

O Eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost; the beginning and end of all things, in Whom we live and move and have our being; prostrate before Thee in body and soul, I adore Thee with the most profound humility. I bless Thee and give Thee thanks for all the benefits Thou has conferred upon me, especially that Thou hast created me out of nothing, made me after Thine own image and likeness, redeemed me with the Precious Blood of Thy Son, and sanctified me with Thy Holy Ghost. I thank Thee that Thou hast called me into Thy Church, helped me by Thy grace, admitted me to Thy Sacraments, watched over me by Thy special Providence, blessed me, notwithstanding my sins and unworthiness, with Thy continuing and gracious protection, and for all the innumerable blessings which I owe to Thy undeserved bounty. I thank Thee especially for having preserved me during the past night and for bringing me in safety to the beginning of another day. What return can I make to Thee, O my God, for all that Thou hast done for me? I will bless Thy Holy Name and serve Thee all the days of my life. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me praise His Holy Name. Amen. 

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The following hymn is from the 7th or 8th century and is for Vespers of the feast of the Ascension of our Lord.

Hail, Thou who man’s Redeemer Art 

Hail, Thou who man’s Redeemer art, 

Jesu, the joy of every heart; 

Great Maker of the world’s wide frame,

 And purest love’s delight and flame: 

What nameless mercy Thee o’ercame, 

To bear our load of sin and shame? 

For guiltless, Thou Thy life didst give, 

That sinful erring man might live. 

The realms of woe are forced by Thee, 

Its captives from their chains set free; 

And Thou, amid Thy ransomed train, 

At God’s right hand dost victor reign. 

Let mercy sweet with Thee prevail, 

To cure the wounds we now bewail; 

Oh, bless us with Thy holy sight, 

And fill us with eternal light. 

Our guide, our way to heavenly rest, 

Be Thou the aim of every breast; 

Be Thou the soother of our tears, 

Our sweet reward above the spheres.

God bless!

+JMJ+