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Office Of Readings | Week 23, Monday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Sermon Of Pope Saint Leo The Great On The Beatitudes | Great Peace Have Those Who Love Your Law
‘Those who love your law shall have abundant peace.’
In his discussion of the beatitudes, Leo Saint Leo the Great moves from the promise made to the pure of heart (‘they shall see God’) to the blessing of the peacemakers (‘they shall be called sons of God’ Matthew 5:9). He links the two by noting that only a purified heart can receive the vision of God without pain, for the divine light that consoles the pure would be torment for those who cling to sin. The cleansing of the soul, therefore, prepares for both vision and peace.
Leo explains that the peace Christ blesses is not simply outward harmony or human agreement. He contrasts it with covenants of vice or alliances rooted in worldly ambition, which may appear as peace but are opposed to God’s will. True peace comes from obedience to the divine law and from harmony with God’s eternal will. He draws on Scripture to make this point: the Apostle Paul’s command to ‘be at peace before the Lord’ and the psalmist’s affirmation that ‘those who love your law shall enjoy abundant peace’ (Psalm 119[118]:165).
Peace, for Leo, is inseparable from both love of God and love of neighbour. The peacemakers are those who keep God in their hearts, live according to his law, and seek the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Ephesians 4:3). By praying sincerely, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,’ they align themselves with the heavenly order, where God’s will is perfectly accomplished.
The reward promised to the peacemakers is adoption as ‘sons of God’ and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). This adoption reflects both their present participation in God’s family through faith and their future rest in eternal peace, when trials and temptations are overcome. The eschatological dimension is emphasised: the peacemakers’ present labour in preserving unity and resisting discord will be answered by undisturbed rest in the peace of God.
Leo sets peace within the broader framework of salvation. It is not merely the absence of conflict, but the fruit of purification, obedience, unity, and divine adoption. The Beatitude reveals peace as both a task in this life and a final gift in the life to come.
A Reading From The Sermon Of Pope Saint Leo The Great On The Beatitudes | Great Peace Have Those Who Love Your Law
The blessedness of seeing God is justly promised to the pure of heart. For the eye that is unclean would not be able to see the brightness of the true light, and what would be happiness to clear minds would be a torment to those that are defiled. Therefore, let the mists of worldly vanities be dispelled, and the inner eye be cleansed of all the filth of wickedness, so that the soul’s gaze may feast serenely upon the great vision of God.
It is to the attainment of this goal that the next words refer: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. This blessedness, dearly beloved, does not derive from any casual agreement or from any and every kind of harmony, but it pertains to what the Apostle says: Be at peace before the Lord, and to the words of the prophet: Those who love your law shall enjoy abundant peace; for them it is no stumbling block. Even the most intimate bonds of friendship and the closest affinity of minds cannot truly lay claim to this peace if they are not in agreement with the will of God. Alliances based on evil desires, covenants of crime and pacts of vice – all lie outside the scope of this peace. Love of the world cannot be reconciled with love of God, and the man who does not separate himself from the children of this generation cannot join the company of the sons of God. But those who keep God ever in their hearts, and are anxious to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, never dissent from the eternal law as they speak the prayer of faith. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
These then are the peacemakers; they are bound together in holy harmony and are rightly given the heavenly title of sons of God, co-heirs with Christ. And this is the reward they will receive for their love of God and neighbour: when their struggle with all temptation is finally over, there will be no further adversities to suffer or scandal to fear; but they will rest in the peace of God undisturbed, through our Lord who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
Christian Prayer With Jesus
Lord God,
you promise your peace to those who love your law.
Cleanse our hearts from all that obscures your light,
and make us steadfast in seeking your will.
Grant that we may be true peacemakers,
preserving the unity of your Spirit
and living as your sons and daughters,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Pure of heart – Those whose inner life is cleansed of sin and focused entirely on God, making them capable of beholding his presence.
Peacemakers – Not simply those who avoid conflict, but those who live in obedience to God’s will, preserve spiritual unity, and reflect divine peace.
Law of God – The eternal will of God revealed in Scripture and fulfilled in Christ, which provides the foundation for true peace.
Unity of the Spirit – A phrase from Ephesians 4:3, referring to the harmony created by the Holy Spirit within the community of believers.
Sons of God – A biblical expression for adoption into God’s family, fulfilled in Christ and shared with believers who live according to his will.
Eschatological peace – The final, undisturbed rest in God that follows the struggles of earthly life, promised to the faithful at the end of time.
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