Pope Leo Insists: Christ Comes First, Not Human Strategies, by Dr. Jeff Mirus

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture, Aug 22, 2025

 Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

In a Church that has been preoccupied for several years now with listening to everyone’s opinions and toying with mechanisms to engage an ever-larger group of often nominal Catholics in a chaotic exercise of self-direction, it is enormously refreshing to listen to Pope Leo’s repeated efforts to put the emphasis back where it really belongs—that is, on Jesus Christ and on doing not our will but His. Pope Leo seems to understand that we cannot proclaim the Gospel (or even raise our own children properly) without insisting that Jesus Christ alone is our Lord and Savior.

This is a far more positive and productive approach than constantly warning Catholics—bishops, priests, religious and lay people—to stop being “rigid”. For Pope Leo, the whole key to Christian renewal is a courageous and counter-cultural embrace of Jesus Christ. In last Tuesday’s Insights message, I highlighted several news stories which showcased Pope Leo’s characteristic insistence that we put Our Lord first in our own lives and in our relationships with and service to others. Perhaps most noteworthy was last Sunday’s (August 17, 2025) Angelus message, which is so striking and fresh in today’s world that I will break all the rules here and simply present the complete English text: …

Continue reading >>>>>>>>>>>>