Sant'Ilario, Saint of the day for 21 October

Saint of the day for October 21th
(about 291 - 371)

The story of Sant'Ilario

Despite his best efforts to live in prayer and solitude, today's saint found it difficult to fulfill his deepest desire. People were naturally drawn to Hilarion as a source of spiritual wisdom and peace. He had achieved such fame at the time of his death that his body had to be secretly removed so that a shrine would not be built in his honor. Instead, he was buried in his native village.

Saint Hilary the Great, as he is sometimes called, was born in Palestine. After his conversion to Christianity, he spent some time with Saint Anthony of Egypt, another holy man attracted by loneliness. Hilarion lived a life of hardship and simplicity in the wilderness, where she also experienced spiritual dryness which included temptations to despair. At the same time, miracles were attributed to him.

As his fame grew, a small group of disciples wanted to follow Hilarion. He began a series of journeys to find a place to live away from the world. He eventually settled in Cyprus, where he died in 371 at the age of around 80.

Hilarion is celebrated as the founder of monasticism in Palestine. Much of his fame derives from the biography of him written by San Girolamo.

Reflection

We can learn the value of solitude from St. Hilary. Unlike loneliness, loneliness is a positive condition where we are alone with God. In today's busy and noisy world, we could all use a little bit of loneliness.