St. Hilarion was born near Gaza to pagan parents but later converted to Christianity in Alexandria. He spent two months in the desert under the guidance of St. Anthony the Great, then divided his fortune among the poor after his parents died. He retired to a small hut in the desert of Majuma near Gaza, living in abject poverty as an anchorite. He wove baskets, grew his own vegetables, and had only one frugal meal each evening. Most of his waking hours were spent on religious exercises, making him the first known hermit of Palestine. During the next 22 years, he led a simple and nomadic lifestyle, fasting, doing penance, and praying despite encountering many demonic temptations. St. Hilarion was bestowed with the remarkable gift of performing miracles, which quickly made him famous. People from all walks of life came to seek his guidance and wisdom, and he was able to bring many of them to the faith. However, despite his busy schedule, he always tried to make time for his personal devotions, but it was never enough. In the end, he decided to go on an indefinite fast so that he could focus entirely on his spiritual journey. At the age of 69, Hilarion first returned to Egypt to revisit the places associated with the memory of St. Anthony, who had died there five years before. During the Julian persecution, he managed to escape his pursuers by retiring into the Libyan desert. When this danger had passed, he crossed over to Sicily and lived there as a hermit until he was discovered by one of his former disciples. Then, in a renewed search for solitude and to avoid the adulation of would-be followers, he journeyed to Dalmatia (Yugoslavia) and then to the island of Cyprus, where he died in a lonely cave at the age of 80. His body was returned to Majuma. St. Hilarion, whose biography was written by St. Jerome, was the first non-martyr to be officially honored in the Eastern Church as "Confessor."
Prayer:
St. Hilarion, help us keep our minds fixed on God and stay steadfast in our faith, even during times of difficulty.
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