Leo the Great: Sermon on the Nativity (Full Text)

Introduction

Delivered in Rome around A.D. 440, Leo the Great’s Sermon on the Nativity proclaims the mystery of the Incarnation with clarity and joy. Drawing from Scripture and the creed, Leo teaches that Christ’s birth unites divinity and humanity, restoring peace between heaven and earth. The following text follows Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12 (1895), lightly standardized for readability.

The Sermon

Dearly beloved, unto us is born this day a Savior: let us rejoice. It is not fitting that sadness should dwell where there is the birth of Life. No one is shut out from this gladness. For the cause of joy is common to all—the Lord, the destroyer of sin and death, finds none excluded from His mercy.

Let the saint exult, for he draws nearer to his crown. Let the sinner be glad, for he is invited to forgiveness. Let the Gentile take courage, for he is called to life. For the Son of God, in the fullness of time appointed by the unsearchable depth of divine wisdom, took the nature of man to reconcile it with its Maker.

That the devil, the inventor of death, might be conquered through that very nature which he had deceived, our Lord entered into this conflict, displaying equal mercy and power. He fought against our cruel enemy not by might but by humility, opposing to his pride the meekness of God. The eternal Word became flesh, that the new birth of the Word made flesh might blot out the old birth of sin.

Christian, recognize your dignity. Once made a partaker of the divine nature, do not return to your former baseness by a degenerate way of life. Remember whose body you have become a member of, and who is your Head. Recall that you were rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light and kingdom of God.

Through the sacrament of Baptism, you are made the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not make such a guest depart by returning to the works of the devil. For your purchase price is the blood of Christ. He who saved you is mighty, and what He promised He will perform.

In the mystery of the Incarnation, the devil’s snares are broken and human nature is set free. The way to heaven is reopened, and man, once cast out, is now restored to the paradise of delight. For by the Son of God’s taking on our nature, not only is the dignity of man raised above the heavens, but even in the throne of God something new is added. For where Christ is, there man is also.

Let us then, dearly beloved, give thanks to God the Father, through His Son in the Holy Spirit, who for His great mercy wherewith He loved us has had pity on us. While we were dead in sins, He quickened us together with Christ. Let us, therefore, celebrate this day’s festival, not after the manner of the flesh but of the Spirit.

And let us not set our thoughts on earthly things, but raise our hearts to the heavenly. For through Christ’s Incarnation we are made new creatures. Old things are passed away, all things are made new. To those who are regenerated, the Lord gives the power to be the sons of God, that being conformed to the image of His Son, they may be sharers of His glory.

Let us, then, love what He loved, and do what He taught. For the humility of Christ is the path of our exaltation. The measure of our advancement is to follow the pattern of His condescension. For He who was God became man; and He who was man was exalted to the glory of God.

Therefore, dearly beloved, let us rejoice in the Lord. The mystery of the Nativity of Christ is the mystery of our redemption. The one who found no place in the inn has prepared for us a dwelling in heaven. He who came to us in weakness will come again in power, and that which is now full of mystery will then be made manifest in glory.

Amen.

Closing Note

This sermon follows the public-domain English translation in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12: Leo the Great, Sermons (trans. Charles Lett Feltoe, 1895), lightly standardized for punctuation and readability.