Leo the Great
Leo the Great became pope in the year 440 and twice proved his bravery in saving the citizens of Rome from the invading barbarians. He was an eloquent and wise preacher, using simple gospel texts to proclaim the Christian faith. His administrative skills were unrivalled and he used the resources of the Church for the good of the people. Rather than further confuse Christians by entering into the controversy over the person of Christ, Leo spoke simply of the humility of Christ who was divine and human in his compassion, uniting biblical images in prayer rather than dividing in debate. Leo died on this day in the year 461. EH
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/ttyjpbkv
Proclaim a joyful sound and let it be heard;
proclaim to the ends of the earth:
The Lord has freed his people, alleluia. Isaiah 48
God of mercy,
you know us better than we know ourselves,
and still you love us.
Wash us from all our sins,
create in us clean hearts,
and strengthen us by your Holy Spirit
that we may proclaim your praise;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. BCW2018
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5
O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia!
HYMN: Prudentius; trans. John Mason Neale
Tune: Divinum Mysterium https://tinyurl.com/mvmb3p4c
1 Of the Father’s love begotten,
ere the worlds began to be,
he is Alpha and Omega,
he the source, the ending he,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore!
2 O that birth for ever blessed,
when the Virgin, full of grace,
by the Holy Ghost conceiving,
bore the Savior of our race;
and the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
first revealed his sacred face,
evermore and evermore!
3 Let the heights of heaven adore him;
angel hosts, his praises sing;
powers, dominions, bow before him,
and extol our God and King;
let no tongue on earth be silent,
every voice in concert ring,
evermore and evermore!
4 Christ, to thee with God the Father,
and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving,
and unwearied praises be;
honor, glory and dominion,
and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore!
PSALMS
Psalm 50 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yaptmvbw)
1 The Lord, even the most mighty God, hath spoken *
and called the world, from the rising up of the sun,
unto the going down thereof.
2 Out of Sion hath God appeared *
in perfect beauty.
3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence *
there shall go before him a consuming fire,
and a mighty tempest shall be stirred up round about him.
4 He shall call the heaven from above *
and the earth, that he may judge his people.
5 Gather my saints together unto me *
those that have made a covenant with me with sacrifice.
6 And the heaven shall declare his righteousness *
for God is Judge himself.
7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak *
I myself will testify against thee, O Israel; for I am God, even thy God.
8 I will not reprove thee because of thy sacrifices,
or for thy burnt-offerings *
because they were not alway before me.
9 I will take no bullock out of thine house *
nor he-goat out of thy folds.
10 For all the beasts of the forest are mine *
and so are the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls upon the mountains *
and the wild beasts of the field are in my sight.
12 If I be hungry, I will not tell thee *
for the whole world is mine, and all that is therein.
13 Thinkest thou that I will eat bulls’ flesh *
and drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer unto God thanksgiving *
and pay thy vows unto the most Highest.
15 And call upon me in the time of trouble *
so will I hear thee, and thou shalt praise me.
16 But unto the ungodly said God *
Why dost thou preach my laws, and takest my covenant in thy mouth;
17 Whereas thou hatest to be reformed *
and hast cast my words behind thee?
18 When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst unto him *
and hast been partaker with the adulterers.
19 Thou hast let thy mouth speak wickedness *
and with thy tongue thou hast set forth deceit.
20 Thou satest, and spakest against thy brother *
yea, and hast slandered thine own mother’s son.
21 These things hast thou done, and I held my tongue,
and thou thoughtest wickedly, that I am even such a one as thyself *
but I will reprove thee, and set before thee
the things that thou hast done.
22 O consider this, ye that forget God *
lest I pluck you away, and there be none to deliver you.
23 Whoso offereth me thanks and praise, he honoureth me *
and to him that ordereth his conversation right
will I shew the salvation of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 51 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yb6rfjqo)
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness *
according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences.
2 Wash me throughly from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my faults *
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight *
that thou mightest be justified in thy saying,
and clear when thou art judged.
5 Behold, I was shapen in wickedness *
and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
6 But lo, thou requirest truth in the inward parts *
and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.
7 Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean *
thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness *
that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Turn thy face from my sins *
and put out all my misdeeds.
10 Make me a clean heart, O God *
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence *
and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
12 O give me the comfort of thy help again *
and stablish me with thy free Spirit.
13 Then shall I teach thy ways unto the wicked *
and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God,
thou that art the God of my health *
and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness.
15 Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord *
and my mouth shall shew thy praise.
16 For thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it thee *
but thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.
17 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit *
a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt thou not despise.
18 O be favourable and gracious unto Sion *
build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness,
with the burnt-offerings and oblations *
then shall they offer young bullocks upon thine altar.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 52 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ycgabjj9)
1 Why boastest thou thyself, thou tyrant *
that thou canst do mischief;
2 Whereas the goodness of God *
endureth yet daily?
3 Thy tongue imagineth wickedness *
and with lies thou cuttest like a sharp razor.
4 Thou hast loved unrighteousness more than goodness *
and to talk of lies more than righteousness.
5 Thou hast loved to speak all words that may do hurt *
O thou false tongue.
6 Therefore shall God destroy thee for ever *
he shall take thee, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling,
and root thee out of the land of the living.
7 The righteous also shall see this, and fear *
and shall laugh him to scorn;
8 Lo, this is the man that took not God for his strength *
but trusted unto the multitude of his riches,
and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
9 As for me, I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God *
my trust is in the tender mercy of God for ever and ever.
10 I will always give thanks unto thee for that thou hast done *
and I will hope in thy Name, for thy saints like it well.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
(Psalm 50: LSB Tone I http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-50-LSB.mp3)
1 The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth*
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,*
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;*
before him is a devouring fire,
around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above*
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,*
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,*
for God himself is judge!
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.*
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;*
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house*
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,*
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,*
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,*
for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls*
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,*
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;*
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
16 But to the wicked God says:*
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,*
and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,*
and you keep company with adulterers.
19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,*
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;*
you slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.*
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,*
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;*
to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”
Glory be to the Father and to the Son*
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,*
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Psalm 51 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-51.mp3)
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.
5 And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment.
6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother’s womb.
7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly
8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
12 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
and sinners shall return to you.
15 Deliver me from death, O God, *
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O God of my salvation.
16 Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
17 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice, *
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
18 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
19 Be favorable and gracious to Zion, *
and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
20 Then you will be pleased with the appointed sacrifices,
with burnt-offerings and oblations; *
then shall they offer young bullocks upon your altar.
Psalm 52 (Gregorian Tone I.1)
1 Why do you boast, you tyrant, *
that you can do evil;
2 Whereas the goodness of God *
endures all the day long?
3 Your tongue devises wickedness, *
and with lies you cut like a sharp razor.
4 You have loved unrighteousness more than goodness *
and to utter lies more than truth.
5 You have loved to speak all words that hurt, *
O you deceitful tongue.
6 Therefore, God shall destroy you for ever; *
he shall catch you, and pluck you out of your dwelling,
and root you out of the land of the living.
7 The righteous also shall see this and fear, *
and shall laugh him to scorn:
8 “Behold, this is the one who did not take God for his strength, *
but trusted in the multitude of his riches and relied
on his wickedness.”
9 As for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; *
my trust is in the tender mercy of God for ever and ever.
10 I will always give thanks unto you for what you have done, *
and I will declare your Name among the faithful, for it is good.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
PRAYER
Almighty God,
your servant Jesus became obedient to death,
a sacrifice greater than all the sacrifices of old.
Receive the praise we offer,
not as we ought but as we are able,
and help us to dedicate our whole lives to you
as our spiritual worship;
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. BCW2018
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Jeremiah 30:18-22
Thus says the Lord:
I am going to restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city shall be rebuilt upon its mound
and the citadel set on its rightful site.
Out of them shall come thanksgiving
and the sound of merrymakers.
I will make them many, and they shall not be few;
I will make them honored, and they shall not be disdained.
Their children shall be as of old;
their congregation shall be established before me,
and I will punish all who oppress them.
Their prince shall be one of their own;
their ruler shall come from their midst;
I will bring him near, and he shall approach me,
for who would otherwise dare to approach me?
says the Lord.
And you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
HYMN: Fanny Crosby
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/bdh3yb77
1 I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
and it told Thy love to me;
but I long to rise in the arms of faith,
and be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to the cross where Thou hast died;
draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to Thy precious, bleeding side.
2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
by the pow’r of grace divine;
let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
and my will be lost in Thine. [Refrain]
3 O, the pure delight of a single hour
that before Thy throne I spend,
when I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend! [Refrain]
4 There are depths of love that I cannot know
till I cross the narrow sea;
there are heights of joy that I may not reach
till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]
READING: Revelation 1:9-16
I, John, your brother who share with you the persecution and the kingdom and the endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire; his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.
HYMN: Rusty Edwards ©
Tune: Nettleton https://tinyurl.com/32b3tcbm
1 Praise the one who breaks the darkness
with a liberating light;
praise the one who frees the pris’ners,
turning blindness into sight.
Praise the one who preached the gospel,
healing ev’ry dread disease,
calming storms and feeding thousands
with the Father’s word of peace.
2 Praise the one who blessed the children
with a strong yet gentle word;
praise the one who drove out demons
with a piercing, two-edged sword.
Praise the one who brings cool water
to the desert’s burning sand;
from this well comes living water,
quenching thirst in ev’ry land.
3 Let us praise the Word incarnate,
Christ, who suffered in our place;
Jesus died and rose victorious
that we may know God by grace.
Let us sing for joy and gladness,
seeing what our God has done;
let us praise the true Redeemer,
praise the one who makes us one.
READING: Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’s feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? So where are the other nine? Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
CANTICLE Ephesians 1:3-10
(John Michael Talbot: https://tinyurl.com/mrymmyvk)
Ant. God chose us in his Son to be his beloved children.
Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, *
who bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.
God chose us in him before the world began, *
to be holy and blameless in his sight.
He predestined us to be
his adopted children through Jesus Christ, *
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.
In him and through his blood,
we have been redeemed, *
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous is God’s favor to us.
God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery, *
the plan he was pleased to decree in Christ.
A plan to be carried out in Christ,
in the fullness of time, *
to bring all things into one in him,
in the heavens and on the earth
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
THE PRAYERS COS, alt.
Let us call to mind
our concerns and commitments,
and let us join our prayers
for peace and well-being
to the prayers of the whole Church
as they are offered this day for the whole world.
Let us remember those people we know
who are in trouble,
and pray for healing and happiness for all.
Let us seek divine encouragement
for honest trade and decent commerce,
for useful and courteous service in daily life,
for medicine and education,
and for those gifts and aptitudes in every person
which make for happier
and fairer community living.
Let us pray
for peace on earth,
for the generous sharing of the earth’s resources
and the responsible sharing
of the earth’s problems;
for tolerance across divisions
and willingness to regard
the diversity of human culture
as more stimulating than threatening;
for the turning of swords into ploughshares
and spears into pruning hooks.
Let us pray for the Church,
by all its names and in all its places;
for its continuing usefulness
as a channel of grace and hope;
for its rescue
from pretentiousness and pomposity
and from taking some things
more seriously than is healthy.
Let us commend to the Lord
our families and friends;
and let us ask him to help us
in the days that come. Amen.
(Plainsong Mode 2: https://tinyurl.com/yctqq8cf)DL
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Gracious and eternal God,
you called your servant Leo
to strengthen your church
and to proclaim with power
that Jesus Christ is truly divine and truly human,
one with us in our humanity
and one with you in your divine being;
help us to be strong in this faith
and to hold fast the mystery of our redemption;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. FATS
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
COS Common Order, © 1994 Church of Scotland
The main scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The traditional-language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern versions of Psalm 50 is the version in Lutheran Service Book and from the Next to the Word of God YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkVRYL-MRebncw584Ql2xfg. Psalm 51 is from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 52 is from Book of Common Prayer (2019) and is from the St Bernard Breviary https://www.bernardbreviary.com/chant-helps.
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2026 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
