De sancto Leone papa
The Miraculous Restoration
After Pope Leo cuts off his own hand to overcome a temptation, the Virgin Mary miraculously restores it.
According to the miracles of the blessed Virgin, Pope Leo was celebrating Mass at the church of Saint Mary Major, and while the faithful were in line... ...and a certain noblewoman had kissed his hand, a violent temptation of the flesh arose in him; but the man of God, acting as a most severe avenger against himself, on that very day secretly cut off the hand that had caused him to stumble and cast it away. Meanwhile, a murmur arose among the people wondering why the Supreme Pontiff wasn't celebrating the divine mysteries in the usual way. Then Leo turned to the blessed Virgin and committed himself entirely to her providence; she immediately stood by him, restored his hand with her own most holy hands, and confirmed it, commanding him to proceed and offer the sacrifice for his son. Leo then preached to all the people about what had happened to him and clearly showed everyone his restored hand.
Defender of the Church
Pope Leo leads the Council of Chalcedon and confronts Attila the Hun through the power of prayer.
He celebrated the Council of Chalcedon and decreed that only virgins should be veiled there; it was also established that the Virgin Mary should be called the Mother of God. At that same time, Attila was devastating Italy. Saint Leo spent three days and three nights in prayer in the church of the Apostles, and afterward, he said to his followers, "Whoever wants to follow me, let him follow." When he had therefore approached Attila, the latter, as soon as he saw the blessed Leo, dismounted from his horse and, falling at his feet, begged him to ask for whatever he wanted.
Divine Guidance and Forgiveness
Leo experiences divine protection against Attila, receives corrections from Saint Peter, and seeks forgiveness for his sins before his death.
He asked to leave Italy and release the captives. When his own people criticized him because the conqueror of the world had been defeated by a priest, he replied, "I have provided for myself and for you, for I saw a most powerful soldier standing at his right hand with a drawn sword, saying to me: 'Unless you obey this man, you will perish with all your people.'" When blessed Leo wrote a letter to Fabian, the Bishop of Constantinople, against Eutyches and Nestorius, he placed it upon the tomb of blessed Peter. Persisting in fasting and prayer, he said, "Whatever I have erred in this letter as a man, you, to whom the Church has been entrusted, correct and amend." After forty days, Peter appeared to him as he prayed, saying, "I have read and I have amended it." Leo took the letter and found it corrected and amended by the hands of the Apostle. At another time, Leo stood at the tomb of blessed Peter for forty days, fasting and praying, and beseeching him to obtain the forgiveness of his sins. To whom blessed Peter appeared and said: "I have prayed to the Lord for you, and He has forgiven all your sins." You will be questioned only about the laying on of hands—that is, whether you have laid hands on someone well or otherwise, you will be held to account. He died around the year of our Lord 460.
Read the original Latin
Leo papa, ut in miraculis beatae virginis legitur, dum in ecclesia sanctae Mariae ) majoris missam celebraret, et dum fideles per ordinem . communicaret et quaedam matrona manum ejus osculata fuisset, ex hoc in eum vehemens carnis tentatio insurrexit, at vir Dei in semet ipsum saevissimus ultor insurgit et eadem die manum se scandalizantemocculte penitus amputavit et a se rejecit. Interea murmur oriebatur in populo, cur summus pontifex divina more solito non celebraret. Tunc Leo ad beatam virginem se convertit et ejus providentiae totaliter se commisit, Tunc illa continuo sibi adstitit et manum illi suis sanctissimis manibus restituit et confirmavit jubens, ut procederet et filio suo sacrificium immolaret. Leo igitur omni populo, quid sibi contigerit, praedicavit et manum restilutam omnibus evidenter ostendit. Hic Chalcedonense concilium celebravit, solas virgines ibidem )velari instituit, ibi etiam statutum fuit, ut virgo Maria mater Dei appellaretur. Eo quoque tempore Attila Italiam devastabat, igitur sanctus Leo in ecclesia apostolorum tribus diebus et tribus noctibus orationi vacans post hoc dixit ad suos: qui vult me sequi, sequatur. Cum igitur ad Attilam appropinquasset, ille nt beatum Leonem vidit, de equo descendit ejusque pedibus provo utus rogavit, ut peteret, quidquid vellet.
Qui petiit, ut ab Italia discederet et captivos relaxaret, et dum argueretur a suis, quod triumphator orbis a sacerdote victus esset, respondit: providi mihi et vobis, vidi enim a dextris ejus fortissimum milgem evaginato gladio stantem mihique dicentem: nisi huic paruegis, cum omnibus tuis interibis. Cum -beatus Leo epistolam ad Fabianum episcopum Constantinopolitanum adversus Eutychium et Nestorium scripsisset, super sepulchrum beati Petri ipsam posuit et jejuniis et orationibus insistens dixit: quidquid in hac epistola ut homo erravi, tu, cui ecclesia commissa est, corrige et emenda. Et post dies XL oranti illi Petrus apparuit dicens : legi et emendavi, accipiensqne Leo epistolam invenit eam manibus apostoli correctam et emendatam. Alias etiam sepulchro beati Petri XL diebus jejüniis et orationibus Leo adstitit obsecrans, ut suorum sibi peccatorum veniam impetraret. Cui beatus Petrus apparens dixit: deprecatus sum pro te dominum et omnia peccata tua dimisit. Solummodo de manuum impositione debes inquiri, id est, si bene sive aliter alicui manus imposueris, exigeris. Obiit cirea annos domini CCCCLX.
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