feast day November 10th
Saint Leo the Great was the first pope to be given the title “the Great.” It is believed his ancestors come from Tuscany.
St. Leo the Great became a very well-known deacon of the Church by 431, serving the church with Pope Celestine I. He was widely respected for his love for the Lord, intelligence and persuasive nature. He was also gifted in bringing reconciliation between disputing groups of Christians. That is why he was often sent out to settle disputes, both secular and theological.
Pope Sixtus III passed away while Leo was visiting Gaul at the request of Emperor Valentinian III. His task was to bring peace between one of Gaul’s chief military commanders and the chief magistrate. Leo was then unanimously elected as the next pope to succeed Pope Sixtus III in 440. His swift election reflected the respect he had garnered among the people from his service to the Lord and the affection the faithful had this pastoral and wise servant of the Lord.
Pope Leo was deeply dedicated to his service as pope. He saw himself as privileged to sit in the Chair of St Peter, as the servant of the servants of God. He worked diligently as “Peter’s successor.” Over time, he became known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. But, he was so much more. During his reign, he tirelessly fought to preserve the unity of the Church and its faith; and to ensure the safety of his people against invasions from armies which sought to destroy the Church and the Christian influence on culture which she brought to bear.
Pope Leo I focused his pontificate on four main areas. He continuously worked to oppose the heresies which were threatening the Western Church. Among them were Pelagianism, which involved denying Original Sin and failing to understand the necessity of God’s grace for salvation. At the foundation of the Pelagian error was the mistaken notion that we can perfect ourselves without God’s grace and assistance.
The other major heresy threatening the Church was Manichaeism, which denied the goodness of the human body, creation, and even matter itself. It failed to understand the full implications of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. In fact, it denigrated the human body. In short, it viewed everything material as evil. That denies the very teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. It also rejects the very heart of the Gospel message.
Pope Leo I was a great defender of the orthodox teaching of the Catholic Christian Church and protected the full deposit of faith. The whole Church is still indebted to him for this.
During this same period, some Eastern Christians began questioning the teaching of the Church concerning the relationship between Jesus’ humanity and his divinity, and how to express this mystery of the Christian faith. In response, Leo resolved the doctrinal controversy with a letter setting down the Church’s traditional teaching on Jesus Christ as One Person with a human and a divine nature which could not be separated. This profound and theologically astute letter reconciled the disputing parties. It preserved the core teaching concerning Jesus Christ. Finally, it affirmed the fullness of what occurred in the Incarnation, as well as its implications for all men and women who are baptized into Jesus Christ.
To this day, Leo’s letter is heralded and praised, not only for bringing peace, but for preserving the fullness of Christian truth and doctrine. It helped the whole Church enter more fully into the heart of the Gospel message of who Jesus is – and who we can become in Him, as we cooperate with grace.
St. Leo the Great 5 Beech Avenue, Glasgow G41 5BY 0141 427 0293 The Archdiocese of Glasgow. A Designated religious charity, No SCO18140 http://stleothegreat.org.uk Priest: Fr Gerry Fitzpatrick gfglasgow@gmail.com Weekday Mass 10.00 preceded by Morning Prayer. Sunday Masses: Vigil Saturday at 6.00, Sunday at 10.30
Tea etc in hall after Mass Sunday
Wednesday is the Feast of St Leo the Great Mass at 10.00
There will be a special Feast of St Leo Vespers on radioalba.org on Wednesday evening at 8.00, 9.00 and 10.00
We will have a special St Leo Cake next Sunday after Mass
November lists: We normally pray for our own deceased family members, friends and parishioners and put their names before the altar during November.
If you wish to do so, please take a leaflet from the porch, and fill it in.
If you wish to give an alms with it, then the alms will be passed on to SCIAF for poor people throughout the world.
MASS
Entry: Come to me, learn from me, you that labour with burdens too great.
Come to me, learn from me, gentle and humble of heart.
Glory to the Father, glory to the Son,
glory to the Holy Spirit now and for ever. Amen.
Act of Penance
Gloria, Gloria in excelsis Deo. Gloria, Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy
on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
| First reading |
| 1 Kings 17:10-16 © |
‘Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied’
Elijah the Prophet went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for me to drink.’ She was setting off to bring it when he called after her. ‘Please’ he said ‘bring me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:
“Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day when the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.”’ The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
Psalm 145
Come and save us, Lord.
God is ever faithful, God is ever true.
Yahweh feeds the hungry, sets the prisoners free.
Come and save us, Lord.
God brings light to darkness, raises up the low;
God protects the stranger, gives the weak his care.
Come and save us, Lord.
Yahweh loves the just ones, thwarts the way of sin;
God will reign for ever, rule from age to age.
Come and save us, Lord.
| Second reading | Hebrews 9:24-28 © |
Christ, our high priest, has done away with sin by sacrificing himself
It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Alleluia, alleluia!
| Gospel | Mark 12:38-44 © |
This poor widow has put in more than all
In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’
He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’
Intercessions
That we may not be afraid to take an interest in and some responsibility for the world that is given us – particularly in matters of the common good such as care for the earth and care for the poor.
That the COP26 conference may bear adequate fruit.
Lord, hear us
That we may be like the poor widow of the Gospel in our generosity to those in need.
Lord, hear us
Let’s pray for those who are ill just now including Marie Rogers, Netta Ewing, John Gibson, Yvonne Watt, Mary Clunie, Kathleen Mallon, and Christine Lyons.
Lord, hear us
Let’s pray for the recently dead including John Docherty, Brian McEwan, Peter Smith, Nora Lappin, and Kathleen Gibson,
for parishioners who have died in the past year including Anne Judge, Heather Francke, Maureen Corrigan, John Steele, Bessie Malaney,
Ishbel McMillan, John McGowan Brian Gallen, Junei Constantauris
Lord, hear us.
During the Preparation of the Gifts:
O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer,
when I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer,
come and listen to me.
The Eucharistic Prayer
St Andrew Sanctus: Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts . . . . .
St Andrew Memorial: We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come again, until you come.
St Andrew Agnus Dei
Communion:
Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry.
Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.
Hymn
This is my will, my one command, that love should dwell among you all.
This is my will that you should love as I have shown that I love you.
No greater love a man can have than that he die to save his friends.
You are my friends if you obey all I command that you should do.
I call you now no longer slaves; no slave knows all his master does.
I call you friends, for all I hear my Father say you hear from me.
You chose not me, but I chose you, that you should go and bear much fruit.
I called you out that you in me should bear much fruit that will abide.
All that you ask my Father dear for my name’s sake you shall receive.
This is my will. my one command, that love should dwell in each, in all.
After Mass: May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all; harm,
and may he lead us to eternal life.
