St. Hilarion – October 21st
Hilarion was a pagan lad when he left his home in Palestine to go to school in Egypt. There he learned about the Christian Faith, and soon he was baptized. Hilarion was only about fifteen at this time, but before long, he was off on a visit to the famous St. Anthony in the desert. He wanted to be alone to serve Jesus, whom he had just come to love. Hilarion stayed two months with St. Anthony, but it was not quiet enough there for him. Too many people came to St. Anthony for help, in his opinion. So he left and after giving everything he had to the poor, he went into the wilderness to live as a hermit.
Hilarion had to battle many temptations. At times it seemed to him as if none of his prayers were heard at all. Yet he did not let these temptations stop him from praying even harder.
After twenty years in the desert, the holy man worked his first miracle and soon many people began coming to his hut to beg his help. Many men asked him to let them stay with him to learn how to pray and do penance. In his great love of God and souls, the Saint did not refuse. But finally, when he was sixty-five, he began going from one country to another trying to find peace and quiet. The fame of his miracles of mercy always brought crowds of visitors, however. It was not until a few years before he died at eighty that this great lover of God could be alone with Him.
When I say my prayers I will avoid every willful distraction.
