Nov 10 2020 Reflection

Tuesday 10 November 2020

First Reading: TI 2:1-8, 11-14
Responsorial Psalm:
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
PS 37:3-4, 18 and 23, 27 and 29
Gospel Reading: LK 17:7-10

Today’s Note: Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

Gospel Reading:

Jesus said to the Apostles:
“Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

Reflection:

Showing yourself as a model of good deeds. (Titus 2:7)

Paul certainly had lots of advice for the young bishop Titus on how to lead God’s people. But the key to all of it seems to be grace. God’s grace has appeared, it has saved us, and it teaches us how to live our lives for him (Titus 2:11-12). 

Today is the memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, who served the Church from AD 440 to 461. So let’s take today’s first reading as an occasion to look at how St. Leo responded to the grace of God and how he can show us what it means to serve the Lord with our lives. 

First, Leo was a peacemaker. He is well-known for having stood up to Attila the Hun in 452 and for convincing him not to attack Rome. But did you know he was a peacemaker long before that? He was not immediately available to accept his election as pope. Messengers were sent out, and they finally found him in present-day France, where he had gone to resolve a conflict between a Roman general and a local magistrate. Throughout his time as pope, Leo sought to keep the Church together in what St. Paul called “the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). 

And that leads to Leo’s other great virtue: his gift as a unifier. One of the most important ways Leo kept people united was by his gift for teaching and preaching. Careful to “say what is consistent with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), Leo tried to bring believers together by clearly explaining the Church’s understanding of who Jesus is, what it means that he became a man for us, and the role of Peter and his successors in leading and serving. He taught about the sacraments and refuted heresies that threatened believers’ faith—most notably, the Manicheans and the Pelagians. He was determined to not let divisions tear the Church apart.

You don’t have to be a pope or a learned theologian to follow Leo’s example. You can dedicate yourself to bringing peace and reconciliation to the people in your life. You can work to bring unity to your fellow parishioners by speaking the truths of your faith with love. By relying on God’s grace, you can become a model of good deeds for the people around you.

“St. Leo, pray for us.”