Alright, let’s talk about this Pope Leo the Thirteenth guy. Folks keep askin’, why ain’t he a saint? He was Pope a long, long time ago, from 1878 to 1903. That’s a heap of years, even longer than my old mule lived.
Now, some folks say he was a real smart fella. A writer, a poet, and knew all about God. They say he wrote real good, even better than the preacher back home. But bein’ smart and writin’ pretty don’t make you a saint, I reckon.
So, what’s the hold up? Why ain’t he a saint like them other Popes? Well, from what I hear, it ain’t that easy. It ain’t like bakin’ a pie, where you just mix stuff and stick it in the oven. Becoming a saint is serious business.
- First off, you gotta be real, real good. Like, never done nothin’ wrong. Now, I ain’t sayin’ the Pope was bad, but nobody’s perfect, ‘cept maybe the good Lord himself.
- And then, there’s the miracles. Yeah, you heard right, miracles. Like makin’ the blind see or the lame walk. Now, I ain’t seen no miracles myself, but that’s what they say you need.
Some say this Pope Leo, he lived a long time, 93 years! Longer than anyone I ever knew. But livin’ long don’t make you a saint neither. My grandma lived to be 90, and she sure wasn’t no saint, bless her heart. She’d pinch your cheeks till they were red and tell you your dress was ugly all in one breath.
They say this Pope Leo, he wrote about how to make the world a better place. Talked about workin’ folks and how they should be treated fair. That’s good and all, but it ain’t enough to make you a saint. My grandpa always said, “Treat folks right,” and he wasn’t no saint, just a good man.
And get this, there’s talk about old rules for makin’ Popes into saints. See, you either had to be killed for your faith or do some miracles before you died. Like those other Popes, Saint Pius the Fifth and Saint Pius the Tenth. They had miracles, real ones, people saw ‘em. But this Pope Leo, he didn’t have none of that, seems like. Poor fella, no miracles to speak of.
Now, I heard tell of some other Popes who became saints, even though they made some mistakes. Like this Pope Pius the Ninth, they say he caused some trouble, but he’s still a saint. Makes you wonder, don’t it? This whole saint thing is kinda confusing if you ask me.
This Pope Leo, he wrote about faith and reason, and about owning things. He wrote a lot, it sounds like. But writin’ ain’t the same as doin’, and it sure ain’t the same as miracles. You can write all day long about kindness but that don’t make you kind, you gotta go out and do it.
I also heard that folks these days, they might not make Popes from way back when into saints. Especially Popes like Leo, who had ideas that some folks now don’t agree with. Seems like times change, and so do the rules, even for saints. It’s like tryin’ to teach an old dog new tricks.
Anyways, from what I gather, this Pope Leo was a good man, maybe even a great man. But bein’ good and bein’ a saint are two different things. He didn’t have the miracles, and maybe he didn’t fit the rules. So, that’s probably why he ain’t a saint. It’s a long process, and it ain’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. Just like churnin’ butter, it takes time and effort.
In the end, it’s up to the Church folks to decide who’s a saint and who ain’t. And they got their reasons, I reckon. Maybe someday they’ll change their minds about Pope Leo, maybe they won’t. But either way, he was still the Pope, and that’s somethin’, ain’t it?
Tags: [Pope Leo XIII, Catholic History, Sainthood, Canonization, Miracles, Church History, Pope Pius IX, Pope Pius V, Pope Pius X, Catholic Church]
