The Mystery of the Lord’s Nativity in the Sermons of Leo the Great

Pope Leo the Great left a rich patrimony of letters and sermons, which were created as a result of his constant pastoral care for the community of Rome and for all the churches. The preserved collection contains about a hundred of sermons and about one hundred and fifty letters, all written in Latin. Among his sermons the ones that interest us the most are: on the Feast of the Nativity (11 sermons) and on the Feast of the Epiphany (8 sermons). On the basis of these source texts an attempt to elaborate on the main thoughts concerning the mystery of the Nativity is made. First the spiritual fruits of the Mystery of Incarnation are discussed, then the Divine Mercy and lastly – the approach of the faithful to the mystery of the Lord’s Nativity. Pope Leo summarises his teachings in the following way: “If we have recourse to that unutterable condescension of the Divine Mercy, whereby the Creator of men deigned to become man, by it we shall be raised to the nature of Him whom we adore in ours” (Sermon VIII on the Nativity).

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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