Leo the Great on why we fall into the same sins, and how to fix it

Pope St. Leo the Great was Holy Father from 440-461 AD, a time of massive upheaval. All those heresies you learned about in high school theology class? Most of them were around during Leo’s reign, during which the Church was embroiled in a number of heated debates over theological controversies.

The Nestorians, the Manichees, and the Monophysites all threatened to subvert Catholicism or break away entirely from the Church. Under St. Leo’s guidance, one of the great Councils of the Church was convened at Chalcedon to settle the disputes. The very future of the Church was at stake.

If this isn’t enough for one pope to deal with, the Roman Empire was collapsing under the weight of barbarian invasions. We’ll call it the Attila problem.

Attila the Hun, in the year 452 -- only a year after Chalcedon began, to give an idea of how fast these events were piling up -- invaded Italy. The “Scourge of God” had already run roughshod over the Germanic and Gaulic tribes north of Italy, essentially dissolving the last vestiges of the Empire’s influence in those areas, before he finally lost a battle to an imperial army. Attila wasn’t defeated, though, only redirected. Leaving France, he reformed his horde and marched into Italy, pillaging and destroying everything he could. The Emperor retreated to the safety of the walled city of Ravenna, abandoning the people of Rome and leaving them vulnerable. The Romans panicked and begged St. Leo, who bravely had not abandoned Rome, to intervene. Thus followed the famous meeting near the River Po during which, somehow, the Pope convinced the barbarian to spare the city, turn around, and go home.

Pope St. Leo guided the Church, and in some ways all of Western culture, during a particularly difficult time in history. If things had been different, the course of subsequent events as we know them could have been vastly changed and we would inhabit an alternate timeline. For his courageous and consistent leadership, St. Leo has been bestowed a rare honorific and is now referred to as “Leo Magnus / Leo the Great.” True to his name, he was a lion for the Church.

What I find so fascinating about him is that in the midst of navigating huge, world-changing events, he maintained the heart of a pastor. He cared for every single soul in the Church and never lost sight of the fact that, if salvation arrives to us through the communion of saints, it must also be personal. Each and every one of us must make an individual choice to have faith.

A number of his sermons have come down to us. They find him preaching about everyday, personal matters. He discusses spiritual discipline, faith, prayer, and the importance of Jesus as a divine person. He promotes a simple, no-nonsense spirituality and is determined to protect his flock from grandiose, misleading heresies. His theology is rooted directly in the person of Jesus Christ, particularly the Incarnation.

For St. Leo, the fact that God united humanity to himself changes everything. It means that religion is personal, that God loves each of us as individuals. Religion is the virtue by which we give God what he deserves, and through our adoration we make a connection. We form a relationship.

In one homily for Christmas, he emphasizes that Christ really and truly assumed human nature, that he was born to a real mother in a specific time and place. Because of this, Jesus intimately understands the persistence of our temptations.

Recurring temptation, the bad habits we can’t seem to shake, lead us to commit the same old sins over and over again. This is perhaps the most discouraging experience in anyone’s spiritual life. I know it is in mine. I promise myself over and over again that I won’t give in to a certain temptation again, that today will be the day I finally stop being arrogant and judgmental, finally defeat my ego, listen better and don’t interrupt others when they’re talking, manage to pray without rushing, and stop bragging so much. Over and over again, I fall back into old habits. The same temptations show up and I capitulate without so much as the blink of an eye.

Why is it that, when we try so hard to improve ourselves, we often seem to get nowhere?

If the arrival of Christ has changed everything, why do I feel like the same old person?

St. Leo has the answer. In his Christmas homily he notes that not only does God know us personally, but so does the devil. The devil knows exactly what temptations to offer each person.

Temptations work by twisting our desires. We fall into bad habits not because we’re evil but because we convince ourselves, in the moment, that our bad actions are actually good. Satan knows this, and if he senses weakness he presses at the weak spot.

We don’t have to throw our hands up in despair, though. Self-improvement is possible.

St. Leo offers a rousing encouragement; “Awake, O man, and recognize the dignity of your nature.”

The first step to breaking bad habits is to remember that we are made in the image of God. Because Christ took on our nature, we can take on his.

The second step is to develop a well-ordered relationship with the material world, not indulging disordered desires or, conversely, renouncing all that is good in this world out of a puritanical impulse.

Finally, St. Leo advises us to unite our temptations to the grace of Christ. It is he who, by binding himself to us, releases us from addiction to sin. Even if Satan has a tailor-made plan to tempt each and every one of us, Christ knows us better. In the face of temptation, we don’t have to struggle on our own. We can raise our minds to higher things and receive divine assistance.

Of all the turmoil and upheaval in the world, perhaps the greatest battle is being fought in each individual heart, but Pope St. Leo the Great is confident it’s a battle we can win.