My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
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ON OCTOBER 21st OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE FEAST OF OUR HOLY FATHER HILARION THE GREAT
Saint Hilarion our holy Father, a native of the village of Thawatha, some five miles south of Gaza in Palestine, was born around 293 A.D. This great miracle of the wilderness is to be compared to a rose amid thorns, because he was the offshoot of pagan Greek parents. His parents were desirous that their son should one day become a wise philosopher, so they sent him to study in a grammar school in Alexandria. This was, indeed, God's providence, so that the youth might learn of the True Faith of the Master Christ and thereby deny the idols.
Thus, this all came about since Hilarion was a disciplined lad of sensible and prudent conduct. Although he was young in years, he never occupied himself with the pastimes of young men his age. Moreover, he believed in the Lord and was never absent from the church services of the Christians, but instead would stand there with such reverence, orderliness, and attention, he believed in Christ, renounced impiety, and was baptized.
Hilarion had heard of the good fame of the Great Anthony of Egypt, and he conceived the desire to behold and speak with him and nourished a love for him in his heart. Therefore, he departed for the desert and found Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, by virtue of his gift of clairvoyance, beheld the nobility of the youth's soul, that he would prove to be a struggler in virtue. Therefore, after two days, he tonsured him a monk and took him into his synodia. Daily, Hilarion grew more zealous in his spiritual struggles emulating Saint Anthony in everything. He then, Saint Anthony, gave him a hair-shirt and leather overcoat and sent him with some of the other brethren back to their country. Thereupon, St. Anthony repaired in the inner desert.
Hilarion, now fifteen years of age, returned to Palestine only to find that his parents had reposed, leaving him as sole inheritor. He kept nothing for himself, fearing the example of Ananias and Sapphira and remembering particularly the Lord's declaration, "Everyone of you who does not renounce all that he himself possesses is not able to be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). Therefore, he distributed his goods among the poor and, as we said, did not retain even the last piece of silver for himself, but only desired the wealth of heavenly riches. This, he left completely free of any earthly care, and, stripped of bodily and worldly concerns, he vested himself with the Master Christ, Whom he desired with all his heart.
He had now spent nearly twenty years in the desert. He was known to one, except by report, though his fame had spread throughout Palestine. A certain woman, who had been married for fifteen years, was reproached by her husband because she was barren. Therefore, she departed her city of Eleftheropolis, near Hebron and went to see the Saint in the desert. She fell before his feet and besought him with tears to take pity upon her that she might bear a child. When Saint Hilarion heard her story, he was sorrowed and said to her, "Return to your home, and the Lord will grant what is in your heart." The Saint, meanwhile, made an entreaty to the Lord on her behalf. Within a short time, she conceived. A year later, she brought the child to Saint Hilarion that he might see it, and she profusely thanked him. Saint Hilarion, in turn, made a prayer concerning the child that God might overshadow and enlighten him to become a virtuous man. At that time, Saint Hilarion was thirty-three when he performed his first miracle. Thereafter he performed great number of various miracles that brought comfort, restored and healed the eyes of a blind woman, freed another woman who was possessed by a demon, a possessed cadet and even a fierce possessed camel.
After the death of Emperor Julian, a great earthquake of such magnitude occurred that the resulting waves nearly washed away the city. Ships were driven upon mountainsides and left stranded there. Many frightened inhabitants fled and, weeping, came before our Saint. Saint Hilarion was greatly moved, and he the constructed three crosses and set them up in three locations on the shoreline. Then stretching forth his arms, in the form of a Cross, toward the sea, straightway--O the wonder!--the water stood still and appeared as a high wall for long time. Then, afterward, the waters drew back, being driven by Divine power. All were amazed at this sight of the former deluge turned to calm waters.
After the Saint blessed all that had come, he directed that they bury him in his garden. He adjured them not to keep his body even one hour after his death and, also, not to dare to change his attire when they laid him to rest, for he wished to remain in the old rason with which he struggled and perspired in is work. When the final hour arrived, he said to himself, "Go forth, my soul; why does thou fear? Why dost thou hesitate? Seventy years has thou labored for the Lord, and dost thou now cower before death? It is He that called thee. Therefore, go unto Him rejoicing." Saint Hilarion then made the sign of the honorable Cross and surrendered his holy soul into the hands of the Master Christ on the 21st of October, 373 A.D. His holy relics were immediately interred in the garden, as he had wished. Thereafter, the Cypriots meticulously maintained and watched the grave for fear that some Palestinians would come and steal their most precious treasure.
In the meantime, his disciple Hesychios heard of his spiritual father's death. He flew like an eagle to Cyprus, only to behold the great care of the Cypriots in guarding the sacred relics. Hesychios desired secretly to take up the holy relics and return them to their homeland. After tarrying ten months there, he was finally able to take up his elder's holy relics one night.
He then returned to Maiouma of Palestine. When the Maioumans learned of the entry of the holy relics within their borders, they hastened to behold the incorrupt Holy Relics, which emitted a sweet fragrance. The Saint's clothes were intact, and his face was bright as light. They all chanted hymns to God and lit candles and incense; and with great reverence, his holy relics were transferred to his monastery at Maiouma.
Today, both Palestine and Cyprus are nourished by his grace: Paphos has the Saint's garden, and the Monastery of Maiouma has his holy relics, to the glory of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the everlasting ages. Amen. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostom
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George