Saint Leo the Great on Christ's Mysterious Presence in the Poor | Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P.

The Thomistic Institute

Christianity, Society & Culture, Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Catholic, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Thomism, Catholicism

4.8 • 729 Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2024

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Fr. Andrew Hofer discusses St. Leo the Great who was pope from 440 to 461 AD. St. Leo preached extensively on the importance of almsgiving and caring for the poor, emphasizing Christ's presence in them. His teachings united doctrine and pastoral practice, encouraging both rich and poor to practice charity while recognizing the dignity and humanity of those in need. His sermons countered allegations of dehumanizing the poor, instead promoting a view of deification that perfects humanity through God's mercy and the incarnation.

This lecture was given on April 13th, 2024, at The Dominican House of Studies.

For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events

About the Speaker:

Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P., (Ph.D. Notre Dame) is professor of patristics and ancient languages at the Pontifical Faculty of the Dominican House of Studies where he serves as the director of the doctoral program. He authored Christ in the Life and Teaching of Gregory of Nazianzus (Oxford University Press, 2013) and The Power of Patristic Preaching: The Word in Our Flesh (Catholic University of America, 2023). He co-authored A Living Sacrifice: Guidance for Men Discerning Religious Life (Vianney Vocations, 2019). Editor-in-chief of the academic journal The Thomist, Hofer is editor or co-editor of several volumes including The Oxford Handbook of Deification, The Cambridge Companion to Augustine's Sermons, and Thomas Aquinas and the Greek Fathers. He enjoys speaking with students about their theological and spiritual questions.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to the Tomistic Institute podcast.
0:06.8	Our mission is to promote the Catholic intellectual tradition in the university, the church, and the wider public square.
0:13.1	The lectures on this podcast are organized by university students at Temistic Institute chapters around the world.
0:19.1	To learn more and to attend these events, visit us at to mystic institute.org.
0:26.1	Understanding the needy and poor one, St. Leo the Great, on Christ's mysterious presence in the poor.
0:33.1	And we'll begin with the beginning of Psalm 41.
0:40.9	Happy the man who considers the poor and the weak.
0:46.6	The Lord will save him in the day of evil. We'll guard him, give him life, make him happy in the land, and will not give him up to the will of his foes. The Lord will help him on his bed of pain.
0:52.2	He will bring him back from sickness to health.
0:54.7	Let us pray.
0:57.0	Almighty God, we thank you that you call us to blessedness, to happiness,
1:01.8	when we consider the poor and the weak one, the one who is needy,
1:08.5	your son, Jesus, present in the poor.
1:13.5	We ask you now to fill us with His Holy Spirit, that we may be like St. Leo the Great and love Christ in the poor. We make
1:21.3	this prayer in name of Jesus Christ, for He lives and reigns with you in unity of the Holy Spirit, God,
1:26.2	forever and ever. Our Lady Queen of Heaven. In the name of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
1:29.0	Our Lady, Queen of Heaven.
1:32.1	In the name of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit.
1:40.4	Almsgiving is a work of love, and we know that love covers a multitude of sins,
1:42.2	preaches St. Leo the Great.
1:46.0	Now, in its emphasis on love of neighbor, early Christian life gave special prominence to assisting those in need. That is, after all, what the merciful
1:50.4	God does. God helps the poor. God hears the cry of the poor. Of Leo the Great's 97 extant
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Thomistic Institute, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Thomistic Institute and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.