Christ lives in his church

On Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Revelation (2:12-29) entitled "To the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope. Saint Leo became pope in the year 440. Saint Leo was a Roman aristocrat, and was the first pope to have been called "the Great". Saint Leo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His work branched into many areas of the church, indicative of his notion of the pope's total responsibility for the flock of Christ. In the 96 sermons which have come down to us, we find Leo stressing the virtues of almsgiving, fasting, and prayer, and expounding Catholic doctrine with clarity and conciseness, particularly the dogma of the Incarnation. Leo is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 and having persuaded him to turn back from his invasion of Italy.   Saint Leo the Great's primary contribution to the teachings of the Catholic Church was his clear articulation of the two natures of Christ—fully divine and fully human—united in one person. In his famous Tome of Leo, he explained that Jesus Christ possesses both natures without confusion or division, a teaching that was affirmed by the bishops at the Council of Chalcedon and became a cornerstone of Catholic Christology. Leo also strengthened the understanding of the authority of the Bishop of Rome as successor of Saint Peter the Apostle, helping shape the doctrine of the papacy while safeguarding the Church's teaching about who Christ truly is. The Book of Revelation, also called the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament and is written in a highly symbolic, visionary style. Traditionally attributed to St. John while in exile on the island of Patmos, it presents a series of dramatic visions involving heavenly worship, letters to seven churches, cosmic conflict, persecution, judgment, and ultimate renewal. Its imagery—beasts, seals, trumpets, bowls, angels, and a radiant heavenly city—draws deeply on Old Testament prophetic language, especially from Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Exodus. Rather than being a coded timetable of future events, Revelation is best understood as an apocalyptic work meant to encourage suffering believers, assuring them that history is not chaotic but guided by God's providence and sovereignty. In chapter 2:12–29 from the Book of Revelation, Christ addresses the churches in Pergamum and Thyatira, warning about the danger of compromising with sin while living in a corrupt culture. Pergamum is praised for remaining faithful in a hostile environment but criticized for tolerating false teachings that lead to moral compromise, while Thyatira is commended for love and service yet strongly rebuked for allowing sinful practices and false prophecy to spread within the community. The message for Catholics is that faithfulness requires both holding firmly to true belief and rejecting moral compromise, because genuine love for Christ must be expressed through holy living; those who remain faithful are promised a share in Christ's victory and eternal life.