By CAROLE BRESLIN
Brothers and sisters in Christ have also been blood brothers and sisters in Christ such as Peter and Andrew; James and John; Martha and Mary; and St. Benedict and St. Scholastica.
In Seville, the family of Severianus and his wife had at least four children who are saints. Three of his sons became bishops: St. Isidore was bishop of Seville and is a doctor of the Church, St. Fulgentius was bishop of Carthage, and St. Leander also served as bishop in Seville. A sister, St. Florentina, was a nun who led forty convents with about one thousand nuns.
Leander was born in 534 to this family of illustrious roots. His father came from a prestigious Hispano-Roman family from Cartagena in Spain. Some claim his father was the governor of Cartagena while others maintain that he was just a citizen.
When Leander was 20 years old, the family moved to Seville where he and his siblings all grew in great holiness. As a member of the Catholic culture, the monastic life attracted Leander and he entered a Benedictine monastery.
The Catholics in the area were not all orthodox because the Goths, who had invaded Spain in 470, had infected many Catholics with the Arian heresy. For one hundred years the error festered in Spain. The main proponents of Arianism were the nobles and kings of the land, leading many of the people to follow their lead in adopting the heresy.
Thus, when Leander was appointed bishop of Seville in 579, he had many difficulties to overcome in addition to performing the pastoral responsibilities of his office. Nevertheless, he founded a school which became known as a beacon of Catholic education.
A great accomplishment of Leander — that led to great persecution for him — was leading people to the truth and having them reject Arianism. Leander had access to Ingunthis, the Catholic Merovingian princess. She was the wife of Hermenegild, son of King Liuvigild and the king’s heir to the throne.
Bishop Leander worked closely with Ingunthis in converting her husband, which had far-reaching political repercussions. The king resented his son’s turn away from Arianism and the conflict between the two intensified to the point where Hermenegild was in open rebellion.
Bishop Leander supported the cause of Hermenegild and defended him against the cruel reprisals of his father. Hence King Liuvigild forced Leander into exile from 579 to 582. After leaving Spain, he went to Byzantium and unsuccessfully sought support from Emperor Tiberius Constantine to fight King Liuvigild and thus put down the influence of the Arians.
Despite this failure, Bishop Leander spent his time defending true Catholic teaching against the false Arian teachings. In addition, while in Byzantium, he met a Roman senator’s son, Gregory, who later became Pope St. Gregory the Great. Gregory was the legate of Pope Pelagius II at the Byzantine Court (Gregory was Pope from 590 to 604).
In 585 the king’s son, Hermenegild, refused to receive Holy Communion from the hands of an Arian bishop. Because of this King Liuvigild had him put to death. It was not long before King Liuvigild deeply regretted what he did and soon became deathly ill.
Even though he had forced Leander into exile for his opposition to Arianism, he called the bishop to his bedside. Without resentment, Leander came to him and listened to the surprising instructions of the king.
King Liuvigild confidently and confidentially — fearing the people’s reaction if they knew he had converted to the true faith — entrusted the spiritual care of his heir, his son Reccared, to Bishop Leander. He asked the bishop to instruct Reccared in the truth and to bring him into the Church.
Leander assured the king that he would gladly teach Reccared. This he did so well that Reccared became a staunch opponent of Arianism, leading to the downfall of that heresy.
In 589, King Liuvigild died and Reccared was crowned king. Not by force or violence, but by reason of his wisdom, King Reccared confronted the Arians. Bishop Leander had instructed him well, enabling the as the king to address the Visigoths with such wisdom that he demolished their arguments.
By his rational arguments, more than by his legitimate authority, he won over the Visigoths and converted them.
Reccared then turned to another group of people that King Liuvigild had misguided — the Suevi — and he brought them into the Catholic Church as well.
When Pope Gregory learned of the success with the Visigoths, he wrote a letter to Leander expressing his great joy in witnessing such a gift bestowed by Almighty God.
In addition, Bishop Leander spent much of his time and effort in reforming the morals of the people, restoring the faith, and planting the seeds of great love for Christ. As a result, many of his people became saints and martyrs.
The bishop was influential in the Third Council of Toledo, attended by 72 bishops. This council drew up 23 canons aimed at repairing the damage done by the Arian heresy.
Furthermore, he spearheaded a return to great piety and devotions, especially in monasteries. The letter he wrote to his sister Florentina became known as the Rule of a Monastic Life for its wisdom and clarity.
Bishop Leander also reformed the liturgy so that it would reflect the sacredness of the most holy Sacrifice of the Mass. At the Third Council of Toledo he succeeded in having it decree that the Nicene Creed be read at every Mass to dispel the influence of the Arians — today the same Creed is recited during Sunday Masses and solemnities.
At the close of the council, Leander gave the closing sermon, “Homily on the Triumph of the Church from the Goths’ Conversion.”
Like many saints, St. Leander accomplished all this even though he suffered many ailments. He even shared the afflictions of gout with Pope St. Gregory the Great. The Pope once wrote to Leander saying that gout was a “favor and mercy of Heaven.”
St. Leander died on February 27, sometime between 596 and 601. The See of Seville is still in existence and boasts one of the most magnificent cathedrals in Spain, noted for its structure and beauty.
Upon his death, his brother, St. Isidore of Seville, succeeded him as bishop of Seville. Isidore continued the great works of his brother and eventually became a doctor of the Church as well. Nevertheless, Leander is considered the savior of Spain because of his role in defeating the Arian heresy.
St. Isidore wrote of his brother, “This man of suave eloquence and eminent talent shone as brightly by his virtues as by his doctrine. By his faith and zeal the Gothic people converted from Arianism to the Catholic faith.”
The feast of St. Leander is celebrated on February 27.
Dear St. Leander, great was your zeal, your perseverance, your firmness in faith, and your confidence in God. Intercede for the Catholic Church that heresy and confusion will desist, that the liturgy will be sacred, and that holiness will be the hallmark of all Catholics during times of travail. Amen.
+ + +
(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress