From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
May 5th - St. Hilary, Bishop of Arles
d. 449
THE birthplace of St. Hilary of Arles is not known, but he came of a
noble family and was nearly related to St. Honoratus, the founder and
first abbot of the monastery of L=C3=A9rins. Having received an excellent education and being endowed with exceptional abilities, he had the
prospect of a successful career in the world. But St. Honoratus, who
had always loved him, was convinced that he was called to the special
service of God. The holy abbot actually abandoned for a short time his
island retreat to seek out his young kinsman with the object of
inducing him to embrace the religious life. Hilary, however, seemed
proof against all his entreaties and fears. =E2=80=9CI will obtain from God what you will not concede!=E2=80=9D the monk exclaimed as they bade each ot= her
farewell. His prayers were quickly answered. Two or three days later
Hilary found himself a prey to a violent interior contest. =E2=80=9COn the = one
side I felt that the Lord was calling me, whilst on the other hand the seductions of the world held me back=E2=80=9D, he afterwards wrote. =E2=80= =9CMy will
swayed backwards and forwards, now consenting, now refusing. But at
last Christ triumphed in me.=E2=80=9D
Once he had definitely made up his mind, he had never looked back: he distributed to the poor the proceeds of his patrimony, which he sold
to his brother, and then went to join St. Honoratus at L=C3=A9rins. He has
left us a description of the holy, happy life led there by the monks,
amongst whom, as it turned out, he was not destined to remain very
long. In 426 St. Honoratus was elected bishop of Arles and being an
old man, greatly desired the assistance and companionship of his
favourite relation. Hilary was loath to leave L=C3=A9rins, but Honoratus
went in person to fetch him and they remained together until the
bishop's death. Grieved though he was at the loss of his spiritual
father, the young monk rejoiced at the prospect of returning to his
abbey. He had started on his journey when he was overtaken by
messengers, sent by the citizens of Arles, who desired to have him for
their archbishop. He was obliged to consent and was duly consecrated,
although only 29 years of age.
In his new station Hilary observed the austerities of the cloister,
while carrying out with immense energy all the duties of his office.
He allowed himself only the bare necessaries of life, wore the same
cloak summer and winter, traveled everywhere on foot. Besides
observing the canonical hours for prayer, he set aside stated times
for manual work, the proceeds of which he gave to the poor. So great
was his anxiety to ransom captives that he sold even the church plate
to obtain money, contenting himself with a chalice and paten of glass.
A great orator, he yet knew how to adapt his language, when necessary,
so as to be understood by the most ignorant. Besides building
monasteries, he was indefatigable in his visitation of them, being
determined everywhere to keep up a high standard of discipline and
morals amongst his suffragans and clergy. He presided over several
church councils; but his very zeal, and, perhaps, a somewhat
autocratic temper, caused him on more than one occasion to act in a
way which had serious consequences for himself.
The limits of his province as metropolitan of Southern Gaul had never
been satisfactorily settled, and once, when he was on a visitation in
debatable territory, he deposed a certain bishop called Chelidonius on
the plea that before he had received holy orders he had married a
widow and, as a magistrate, had passed a death sentence. Either of
these charges, if substantiated, would have disqualified him for the episcopate. Chelidonius forthwith set out for Rome, where he cleared
himself of the imputations to the satisfaction of Pope St. Leo the
Great. As soon as St. Hilary realized that the prelate he had deposed
had gone to the Holy City, he followed him thither. To settle the
matter a council was called, which Hilary attended--not, however, to
defend his action, but to contend that the case ought to have been
tried by the papal commissaries in Gaul. He did not even await the
verdict. Realizing that he was being kept under supervision, and
fearing lest he might be forced to communicate with Chelidonius, he
left Rome secretly and returned to Arles. Judgement was given against
him, and soon afterwards another complaint against him reached the
Holy See. Whilst a Gaulish bishop called Projectus was still
living--though apparently at the point of death--Hilary had appointed
another bishop to the see. The sick man recovered, and there were two
prelates claiming the same diocese. Hilary supported his own nominee,
perhaps because the other claimant was too infirm to carry out his
duties, but St. Leo, to whom the matter was referred, rightly judged
that Hilary's proceedings had been irregular and were likely to lea=
d
to schism. He therefore censured him, forbade him to appoint any more
bishops and transferred the dignity of metropolitan to the bishop of Fr=C3=A9jus.
We know little about St. Hilary's last years, except that he contin=
ued
to labour in his own diocese with the same zeal as before, and that he
died in his forty-ninth year. It is clear that a reconciliation must
have taken place with the pope, for St. Leo, writing to his successor
at Arles, refers to the late bishop as =E2=80=9CHilary of sacred memory=E2= =80=9D.
Attempts have sometimes been made, though on very insufficient
grounds, to brand St. Hilary as a semi-Pelagian. It is true that he
took exception to the terms in which St. Augustine stated the doctrine
of predestination, but his views were strictly orthodox.
The life of St. Hilary which is printed in the Acta Sanctorum, May,
vol. ii, and is there attributed to one Honoratus, supposed to have
been bishop of Marseilles, is probably the composition of a certain
Reverentius at the beginning of the 6th century. It is a work written
for edification, purporting to be the memoirs of a contemporary, but
unreliable as a record of historical facts. See on all this B. Kolon,
Die Vita S. Hilarii Ardatensis (1925) and also cf. Hefele-Leclercq,
Histoire des Conciles, vol. ii, pp. 477-478, with Bardenhewer,
Altkirchlichen Literatur, vol. iv, p. 571.
Saint Quote:
Only believe, and you have already found what you seek. In truth, what
does Faith not find? It reached the unapproachable, it discovers the
unknown, it comprehends the unsearchable, it has the secret of
arriving at the ends of things, and it has but to dilate its bosom to
hold even eternity in its embrace.
-- St. Bernard
Bible Quote:
Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and
receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your
souls. James 1:21 (RSVCE)
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Prayer for Help against Oppressors
16 The LORD is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. (Psalm 10: 16-= 18)
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