Saint Hilaire d'Arles / Sant'Ilario di Arles. Manuscrit illuminé, 1340
Caplletra
d'un manuscrit del s. XIV amb Sant Hilari d'Arle escrivint, circa 1340
Saint Hilaire d'Arles
Évêque d'Arles (+ 449)
Né en Gaule (Belgique)
d'une famille d'origine grecque, il suivit saint
Honorat, son parent, à Lérins, puis lui succéda sur le siège épiscopal
d'Arles à l'âge de vingt-neuf ans. Il présida en tant que métropolite de
Provence, les conciles de Riez (439), d'Orange (441) et de Vaison (442). Il
connut des débuts difficiles car son caractère lui faisait interpeller du haut
de la chaire les fidèles pour les apostropher par leur nom. "Vous
l'épicière, vous faussez vos balances... vous le juge, votre jugement dépend
des poulardes qu'on vous donne." Il changea sa façon de parler quand il
s'aperçut que son auditoire se clairsemait et qu'ainsi la Parole de Dieu
n'était plus entendue.
À Arles, en 449, saint
Hilaire, évêque. Retiré de l’île de Lérins et élu malgré lui à l’épiscopat, il
ouvrit à tous son amour de la pauvreté, travaillant de ses mains, vêtu hiver
comme été d’une seule tunique, marchant toujours à pied. Assidu à la prière,
aux jeûnes et aux veilles, appliqué continuellement au ministère de la parole,
il montra aux pécheurs la miséricorde de Dieu, accueillit des orphelins et
destina d’un coup tout ce qu’il y avait d’argent dans la basilique de la ville
pour racheter des captifs.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1100/Saint-Hilaire-d-Arles.html
Figure originale, Hilaire
d'Arles est de ces « moines-évêques ", qui, à la suite de
saint Martin, contribuent activement à l'enracinement du
christianisme en Gaule. Hilaire nait en 401. Issu d'une riche famille d'origine grecque de Bourgogne, de
Lorraine ou de Belgique (probablement la même origine géographique que son
prédécesseur et parent Saint Honorat), il étudie l’éloquence et les belles
lettres. Après ses études, il occupe un poste important dans l'administration
impériale. Attaché au monde et à ses appâts illusoires, il reste alors rétif
aux exhortations d'Honorat pour essayer de l'en détacher.
Toutefois, il change
d’avis peu après et rejoint Honorat au monastère de Lérins. Il rejette alors tout ce qui avait eu pour lui
jusque-là un attrait, distribue tous ses biens et, attiré de manière
irrésistible par l'amour de Dieu, œuvre de toutes ses forces pour rattraper le
temps perdu en futilités et pour progresser vers la perfection monastique sous
la direction d’Honorat. En 428, il accompagne Honorat lorsque celui-ci devient évêque d'Arles; Hilaire l’assiste quelque temps dans ses tâches
pastorales; mais l'amour de la solitude l'emportant, il retourne rapidement dans
l'île monastique. Après le décès de l’évêque le 16 janvier 430, Hilaire en fait l'éloge funèbre, dépeignant ce qu'est la vie
monastique et il est ramené de force en ville, où le clergé et le peuple
procèdent dans un grand élan d'enthousiasme à son élection. On rapporte que
comme le Saint protestait, en disant qu'il ne se soumettrait que si Dieu lui
montrait de manière évidente que telle était Sa volonté, une colombe blanche
comme neige vint se poser sur sa tête, et elle ne s'envola qu'après qu'il eut
donné son assentiment. Il est ainsi élu évêque malgré lui à 29 ans. Arles
est alors une métropole dont la juridiction englobe plus de vingt-cinq évêchés de
Provence.
Il connaît des débuts
difficiles car son caractère lui fait interpeller du haut de la chaire les
fidèles pour les apostropher par leur nom : Vous l'épicière, vous
faussez vos balances... vous le juge, votre jugement dépend des poulardes qu'on
vous donne.
Il change alors sa façon
de parler et s’adapte à son auditoire quand il s'aperçoit que ses fidèles se
font plus rares et qu'ainsi la Parole de Dieu n'est plus entendue. Hilaire est
connu par son talent oratoire : il sait s'adresser aussi bien aux grands
de ce monde qu'aux gens du peuple, et il prêche la vérité évangélique sans
déguisement et sans craindre les puissants, n'hésitant pas à les reprendre
directement en public. Mais il se montre néanmoins d'une grande tendresse à
l'égard des pécheurs. Son grand principe est de tout rapporter à Dieu et
d'examiner en tout temps l'état de son âme, comme si elle était prête à être
examinée par le souverain Juge.
Pendant toute la durée de
son ministère épiscopal, Hilaire lutte contre les hérésies, surtout contre
le pélagianisme, en collaboration avec son ami Germain d'Auxerre. Il préside plusieurs conciles,
rétablit la discipline ecclésiastique, fonde des Églises et des Monastères qui
suivent la tradition de Lérins. A Arles, Hilaire est l’initiateur probable de
la nouvelle cathédrale d'Arles appelée Saint-Étienne.
Consumé par son zèle et
ses austérités, Hilaire tombe malade à l'âge de quarante-huit ans et, après
avoir désigné son successeur, il remet son âme à Dieu, le 5 mai 449. On rapporte que, pendant ses funérailles, on n'entendit
chanter les Psaumes seulement en hébreu par les Juifs d'Arles, qui voulaient
eux aussi honorer le Saint, car la voix des Chrétiens était étouffée par la
douleur. Le corps d'Hilaire est enterré dans l’église de Saint-Genès celle où
fut inhumé Honorat et son sarcophage est conservé.
SOURCE : http://stjeancassien.over-blog.com/page-905904.html
Aujourd'hui, 5 mai, nous
célébrons Saint Hilaire d'Arles
By CNA Deustche
Afrique de l'Ouest, 05
May, 2022 / 10:16 am (ACI Africa).
Le 5 mai, les catholiques
célèbrent saint Hilaire d'Arles, un évêque du cinquième siècle qui a renoncé à
la richesse et aux privilèges au profit de l'austérité et du sacrifice pour le
bien de l'Église.
Hilaire est né en l'an
401, probablement dans l'actuelle région française de Loraine. Issu d'un milieu
aisé, il a reçu une éducation aristocratique traditionnelle en philosophie et
en rhétorique, qu'il comptait mettre à profit dans une carrière séculière.
L'un des parents
d'Hilaire, Honoratus, avait fondé un monastère à Lérins et donné sa vie au
service de l'Église. Honoratus était profondément préoccupé par le salut
d'Hilaire et l'exhortait, en pleurant, à abandonner ses activités mondaines
pour suivre le Christ.
"D'un côté, se
rappela plus tard Hilaire, je voyais le Seigneur m'appeler ; de l'autre, le
monde m'offrait ses charmes et ses plaisirs séduisants. Combien de fois ai-je
embrassé et rejeté, voulu et non voulu la même chose !".
"Mais à la fin,
Jésus Christ a triomphé en moi. Et trois jours après qu'Honoratus m'ait quitté,
la miséricorde de Dieu, sollicitée par ses prières, a subjugué mon âme
rebelle."
Hilaire retourna auprès
de son parent, s'humiliant comme disciple d'Honoratus et embrassant sa vie de
prière, d'ascétisme et d'étude des Écritures. Il vendit ses biens, en donna le
produit aux pauvres et embrassa de tout cœur la vie monastique de la communauté
de Lérins.
En 426, Honorat devient
l'archevêque d'Arles. Hilaire le suivit d'abord, mais revint bientôt au
monastère de Lérins. Honorat, cependant, insiste pour avoir l'assistance de son
parent et disciple, et se rend lui-même à Lérins pour le récupérer.
A la mort d'Honoratus en
429, Hilaire tenta à nouveau de quitter Arles et de retourner à son monastère.
Mais les fidèles de la ville envoyèrent une équipe de recherche et le
ramenèrent, afin qu'il puisse être consacré comme successeur d'Honoratus.
Bien qu'il n'ait pas
encore 30 ans, le nouvel archevêque était bien préparé par ses années de vie
religieuse et le temps passé à assister son prédécesseur. En tant
qu'archevêque, il a conservé la simplicité d'un moine. Il possédait peu de
biens, faisait passer les pauvres avant lui et continuait à faire du travail
manuel.
Connu pour sa gentillesse
et sa charité, l'archevêque est aussi connu pour avoir réprimandé publiquement
un fonctionnaire du gouvernement qui faisait honte à l'Église. Il a également
averti les croyants tièdes qu'ils "ne sortiraient pas si facilement de
l'enfer, si vous êtes une fois malencontreusement tombés dans ses
oubliettes".
Hilaire a contribué à la
création de monastères dans son diocèse et a renforcé la discipline et
l'orthodoxie de l'Église locale par une série de conseils. Il a vendu des biens
de l'Église afin de payer les rançons des personnes enlevées et on dit qu'il a
fait des miracles de son vivant.
Saint Hilaire d'Arles est
mort le 5 mai 449. Bien que sa vie ait été marquée par quelques conflits
canoniques avec le pape saint Léon Ier, le pape lui-même a fait l'éloge du
défunt archevêque d'Arles dans une lettre adressée à son successeur, l'honorant
comme "Hilaire de sainte mémoire".
SOURCE : https://www.aciafrique.org/news/3042/aujourdhui-5-mai-nous-celebrons-saint-hilaire-darles
Saint Hilaire d’Arles
401-449
Fêté le 5 mai
Né en 401 d’une famille
d’origine grecque, il étudia l’éloquence et les belles lettres et occupa un
poste important dans l’administration impériale.
Attiré par le monde,
Hilaire reste réticent aux exhortations d’Honorat d’Arles, son parent, pour
l’en détourner, mais bientôt il changea d’avis et le rejoignit au monastère de
Lérins, qu’il avait fondé vers 400-410.
Lorsque Honorat devint
évêque d’Arles en 428, Hilaire vint l’assister, mais bientôt l’amour de la
solitude lui fit reprendre la route vers l’île monastique de Lérins.
En 430, il revint auprès
d’Honorat arrivé à la fin de sa vie. Lors de son décès, le 16 janvier 430, il
prononça l’éloge funèbre où il eut cette parole restée célèbre : Si l’on
voulait représenter la charité sous une figure humaine, il faudrait faire le
portrait d’Honorat. Hilaire ne s’attarda pas à Arles de peur d’être élu pour
succéder sur le siège vacant. Malheur lui en prit, il fut arrêté par le
gouverneur Castus sur le chemin du retour à Lérins et ramené en ville. Le
clergé et la foule, d’un cœur unanime, procédèrent à son élection. Il protesta
et demanda un signe évident qui lui montrerait que c’était bien là la volonté
de Dieu. Une colombe blanche vint se poser sur sa tête (cfr.le baptême du
Christ dans le Jourdain) et ne s’envola qu’après qu’il eut donné son
assentiment. Alors âgé de 29 ans, il reçut 25 évêchés sous sa juridiction. En
tant que Métropolite de Provence, il convoqua et présida plusieurs conciles. Il
se révéla un pasteur d’une activité exceptionnelle. Il fonda une communauté
religieuse au milieu de la ville. Tout en étant évêque, il demeura un
travailleur manuel inépuisable. Dans son désir de sauver les captifs, il
n’hésita pas à vendre les vases sacrés, n’utilisant que des patènes et des calices
en verre pour célébrer.
Il ne fut pas un évêque
commode. Apostrophant les gens du haut de sa chaire, l’église fut désertée, il
fut forcé d’adapter son langage pour faire entendre la parole de Dieu. Maître
en art oratoire, il ne mâcha pas ses mots pour les puissants et les riches de
ce monde, tout en manifestant sa tendresse pour les pécheurs.
Durant toute sa charge,
il lutta contre le pélagianisme (hérésie du moine Pélage. L’homme pouvait seul,
sans l’aide de la grâce, atteindre la perfection, la sainteté. Il fut condamné
au Concile d’Ephèse en 431).
Son activisme le rendit
suspect auprès de certains collègues, compromis avec le siècle, et auprès du
Saint Siège, soucieux d’affirmer son autorité. Certains excès de quelques
moines de Lérins avaient rendu le pape Léon très réservé à l’égard d’Hilaire.
Ainsi, il remplaça un évêque malade pas encore décédé, ce qui créa des
problèmes, lorsque celui-ci recouvrit la santé. Son ardeur missionnaire ne plut
guère au Saint Siège. L’évêque d’Arles était le primat des Gaules et Hilaire
s’est servi, sans doute un peu trop, de ce pouvoir, en nommant les évêques
qu’il avait formés, à des sièges à peine vacants ou qu’il rendait vacants. De
plus, il déposa, l’évêque de Besançon, Chélidoine, qui n’était pas sous sa
juridiction, pour le simple motif qu’il aurait épousé une veuve avant son
entrée dans l’Eglise et qu’il aurait décrété des exécutions (ce
qu’interdisaient le Saint Siège et les statuts canoniques). Chélidoine se
rendit à Rome pour protester contre sa déposition et obtint gain de cause
auprès du pape Léon le Grand. Hilaire l’y suivit à son tour, (Il ne prêta pas
attention à la rigueur de l’hiver, ni aux bruits stridents et fracassants des
Alpes ; il ne s’effraya pas des dards transparents de la croûte de glace qu’il
fallait dégager au fur et à mesure, ni des aiguilles qui pendaient d’en haut,
pareilles à des glaces pointées, redoutablement durcies en glaces mortelles
{par la violence du froid} comme semblables à une dextre brandie…il ne craignit
pas d’entreprendre et d’achever le voyage à pied - , voilà qu’impavide, sans
cheval ni bête de somme {ni manteau} toute difficulté surmontée, il se hâte de
rentrer dans la ville de Rome. (Vita, 21). Hélas, il fut déjugé par un pape
méfiant à l’égard de ce moine ascète et trop ambitieux selon lui. Léon lui
retira la primauté de son siège épiscopal des Gaules et obtint un rescrit de
l’empereur Valentin III contre Hilaire le jugeant devenu trop indépendant dans les
élections épiscopales.
Hilaire obéit et se
retira dans la solitude pour prier et s’adonner entièrement à la prédication,
continuant à jouir de la même estime auprès de ses fidèles. Tombé malade,
consumé par son zèle et ses austérités, il mourut le 5 mai 449. (En s’abstenant
de nourriture, en s’acharnant au travail, en effectuant ses voyages à pied, il
s’affaiblit, se fatigua, s’épuisa à tel point qu’il accomplit tout juste le
cycle de sa quarante-huitième année. (Vita 24). Même après sa mort, le pape Léon
le Grand n’eut aucune indulgence à l’égard d’Hilaire : deux personnalités
fortes s’étaient affrontées.
La « Vita » écrite par
Honorat de Marseille présente Hilaire comme évêque et saint. Evêque, il le fut
en accomplissant sa mission de prédicateur de la foi et de bâtisseur d’églises.
Chef spirituel de la cité, il exerça une grande influence sur le pouvoir
politique de l’époque.
Hilaire devint saint dans
son imitation du Christ, il donna tous ses biens aux pauvres, vivant dans la
pauvreté et la vertu. En de nombreuses circonstances, il agit comme le Christ,
il guérit des malades, il pratiqua l’exorcisme en demandant de ne pas publier
son nom. (Jésus t’ordonne, dit-il à un homme entravé par un esprit malin qu’il
guérit, de ne faire aucune mention de ce nom-là (celui d’Hilaire). (Vita 16).
Lors de ses funérailles,
une foule de fidèles, mais également de juifs furent présents, pleurant un père
si bon pour tous.
Valère De Pryck
Sources : Honorat de
Marseille, La Vie d’Hilaire d’Arles, Sources Chrétiennes n° 404, Editions du
Cerf, 1995.
Wikipedia, Saint Hilaire
d’Arles, Internet.
SOURCE : http://orthodoxie.centerblog.net/1561190-Saint-Hilaire-d-Arles
Reliquiari amb restes de Sant Hilari d'Arle, a la catedral de Sant Tròfim d'Arle
Also
known as
Hilarius
Ilario
Profile
Born and raised a pagan;
relative of Saint Honoratus
of Arles. Highly placed civil authority. Honoratus invited
Hilary to the recently completed abbey
of Lerins, and brought him to the faith;
Hilary was baptised at Lerins,
and joined the community as a monk.
When Honoratus became bishop of Arles (in
modern France)
Hilary served as his secretary. Bishop of Arles.
Hilary was an exuberant bishop,
working so hard to spread the faith that
he caused problems with the people and the civil authorities, and twice had to
be reproved by the Vatican – his zealousness was causing more trouble
than converts.
But though some questioned his methods, none questions his sanctity or his true
belief.
Born
449 of
natural causes
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MLA
Citation
“Saint Hilary of
Arles“. CatholicSaints.Info. 9 June 2020. Web. 5 May 2023.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-hilary-of-arles/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-hilary-of-arles/
St. Hilary of Arles
Archbishop,
b. about 401; d. 5 May, 449. The exact place of his birth is not known. All
that may be said is that he belonged to a notable family of
Northern Gaul, of which in all probability also came St.
Honoratus, his predecessor in the See of Arles. Learned and rich, Hilary
had everything calculated to ensure success in the world, but he abandoned
honours and riches at the urgent solicitations of Honoratus, accompanied him to
the hermitage of Lérins, which the latter had founded, and gave himself up under
the saint's direction
to the practice of austerities and the study of Holy
Scripture. When Honoratus, who had meanwhile become Archbishop of
Arles, was at the point of death, Hilary went to his side and assisted at his
latest moments. But as he was about to set out on his return to Lérins he was
retained by force and proclaimed archbishop in
the place of Honoratus. Obliged to yield to this constraint, he resolutely
undertook the duties of
his heavy charge, and assisted at the various councils held at Riez,
Orange, Vaison,
and Arles.
Subsequently began
between him and Pope
St. Leo the famous quarrel which constitutes one of the most curious
phases of the history of the Gallican Church. A reunion of bishops,
over which he presided in 444 and at which were present St.
Eucherius of Lyons and
St. Germain of Auxerre, deposed for incapacity provided against by the canons a
certain Cheldonius. The latter hastened to Rome,
was successful in pleading his cause before the pope,
and consequently was reinstated in his see.
Hilary then sought St.
Leo in order to justify his course of action in the matter, but he was
not well received by the sovereign
pontiff and was obliged to
return precipitately to Gaul. Several priests afterwards
sent by him to Rome to
explain his conduct met with no better success. Moreover, several persons who
were hostile towards him profited by this juncture to bring various accusations
against him at the Court of Rome,
whereupon the pope excommunicated Hilary,
transferred the prerogatives of his see to
that of Fréjus,
and caused the proclamation by the Emperor
Valentinian III of that famous decree which
freed the Church of
Vienne from all dependence on that of Arles. Nevertheless there is every reason
to believe that, the storm once passed, peace was rapidly restored between
Hilary and Leo. We are too far removed from the epoch in which this memorable
quarrel occurred, and the documents which might throw any light on it are too
few to allow us to form a definitive judgment on its causes and consequences.
It evidently arose from the fact that the respective rights of
the Court of Rome and
of the metropolitan were
not sufficiently clearly established at that time, and that the right of appeal
to the pope,
among others, was not explicitly enough recognized. There exist a number of
writings which are ascribed to St. Hilary, but they are far from being all
authentic. Père Quesnel collected
them all in an appendix to the work in which he has published the writings
of St.
Leo.
Sources
Albanez and
Chevalier, Gallia Christ. noviss. (Arles, 1900), 29-36; Sevestre, Dict.
patr. (Paris, 1854), II, 192-201; Ceillier, Hist. des auteurs eccl. (Paris,
1747), XIII, 523-538; Baronius, Ann. (1595), 445, 9-18.
Clugnet, Léon. "St.
Hilary of Arles." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert
Appleton Company, 1910. 4 May 2015
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07349a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Robert B. Olson. Offered to
Almighty God for all those separated from Our Blessed Lord and His Church.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07349a.htm
St. Hilary, Bishop and
Confessor
THIS saint was nobly
born, about the year 401, and was related to St. Honorates of Arles, and of the
same country in Gaul, which was probably Lorrain, or some other part of
Austrasia. He was brought up in a manner suitable to his birth, in the study of
the liberal arts, and of every branch of polite learning, especially of
eloquence and philosophy. But how little value we ought to set on all things
that appear great in the eyes of the world he himself has taught us. “We are
all equal,” says he, “in Jesus Christ; and the highest degree of our nobility
is to be of the number of the true servants of God. Neither science nor birth,
according to this world, can exalt us, but in proportion to our contempt of
them.” Before God had put these sentiments into his heart, he seems to have
been not altogether insensible to the advantages of this world, in which he was
raised to the highest dignities. His kinsman, St. Honoratus, who had forsaken
his country to seek Christ, in the solitude of the isle of Lerins, where he had
founded a great monastery, was the instrument made use of by the Almighty to
open his eyes. This holy man had always loved Hilary, and thought he could not
give him more solid proof of his friendship than by endeavouring to gain him
entirely to God. He therefore left his retirement for a few days to seek him
out, and endeavour to move him by the same powerful weighty reflections, which
had made the deepest impression on his own mind, and induced him to break the chains
of the world. “What floods of tears,” says St. Hilary, “did this true friend
shed to soften the hardness of my heart! How often did he embrace me with the
most tender and compassionate affection, to obtain of me, that I would take
into serious consideration the salvation of my soul! Yet, by an unhappy
victory, I still remained conqueror.” Honoratus, finding his endeavours to wean
him from the charms of a deceitful world ineffectual, had recourse to prayer,
his ordinary refuge. “Well,” said he to Hilary, “I will obtain of God, what you
will not now grant me.” Upon which they took leave of each other. Hilary,
reflecting on what Honoratus had said to him, was not long before he began to
feel a violent conflict within himself. “On one side,” says he, “methought I
saw the Lord calling me; on the other the world offering me its seducing charms
and pleasures. How often did I embrace and reject, will and not will the same
thing! But in the end Jesus Christ triumphed in me. And three days after
Honoratus had left me, the mercy of God, solicited by his prayers, subdued my
rebellious soul.” He then went in person to seek St. Honoratus, and appeared
before him as humble and tractable as the saint had left him haughty and
indocile.
From this moment there
appeared in Hilary that wonderful change which the Holy Ghost produces in a
soul which he truly converts. His words, looks, and whole comportment breathed
nothing but humility, patience, sweetness, mortification, and charity. Every
one saw in him a man who began to labour in earnest to save his soul, and who
had put his hand to the plough to look no more behind him, or to send a single
thought after what he had left for Christ’s sake. Aspiring to perfection, he
sold all his several estates to his brother, and distributed all the money
accruing from the sale among the poor, and the most indigent monasteries. Thus
disengaged from the world, and naked, no less in the inward disposition of soul
than in his exterior, he, like Abraham, took leave of his own country, and made
the best of his way to Lerins; where, from his first entrance, he made it
appear that he was worthy to live in the company of saints. He set out in the
pursuit of monastic perfection with such zeal and fervour, as to become in a
short time the pattern of those on whose instructions and example he came to
form his own conduct. His application to prayer and mortification, and his
watchfulness and care to avoid the smallest faults and imperfections, prepared
him to receive the gift of tears. It is thought that his baptism was posterior
to his retirement. St. Honoratus having been chosen archbishop of Arles, in
426, Hilary followed him to that city; but it was not long before his love of
solitude occasioned his return to Lerins. All the holy inhabitants of that isle
testified as great joy to receive him again, as he felt to see himself among
them. But God, who had other designs upon him, did not permit him to enjoy long
his beloved retirement. St. Honoratus begged his assistance, and the comfort of
his company, and as he did not yield to entreaties, went himself to fetch him
from Lerins. Soon after God called St. Honoratus to himself, his death
happening in 428 or 429. Hilary, though sensibly afflicted for the loss of such
a friend, rejoiced however, to see himself at liberty, and set out directly for
Lerins. But no sooner were the citizens apprized of his departure, than
messengers posted after him with such expedition that he was overtaken, brought
back, and consecrated archbishop, though only twenty-nine years of age.
In this high station the
virtues which he had acquired in solitude shone with lustre to mankind. The
higher he was exalted by his dignity, the more did he humble himself beneath
all others in his heart. He reduced himself in everything to the strictest
bounds of necessity: and he had only one coat for winter and summer. He applied
himself diligently to meditation on the holy scriptures, and preaching the word
of God, was assiduous in prayer, watching and fasting. He had his hours also
for manual labour, with a view of gaining something for the poor; choosing such
work as he could join with reading or prayer. He travelled always on foot, and
had attained to so perfect an evenness of temper, that his mind seemed never
ruffled with the least emotion of anger. He had an admirable talent in
preaching. When he spoke before the learned of the world his elocution, his
accent, his discourse, his action, were such as the greatest orators justly
admired but despaired ever to come up to. Yet when he instructed the
illiterate, he changed his manner of address, and proportioned his instructions
to the capacities of the most simple and ignorant, though always supporting the
dignity of the divine word by a manner and expression suitable to its majesty.
He preached the truth in its purity, without flattering the great. He had often
in private admonished a certain judge in the province of a criminal partiality
in the administration of justice, but without effect. One day the magistrate
came into the church, attended by his officers, while the saint was preaching.
The holy bishop broke off his sermon on the spot, and gave his surprised
audience for reason, that he who had so often neglected the advice he had given
him for his salvation, was not worthy to partake of the nourishment of the
divine word. The judge no sooner heard his reflection, but withdrew in
confusion, and the saint resumed his discourse. Observing one day that many
went out of the church immediately after the reading of the gospel, just as he
was going to preach, he prevailed with them to return, by saying; “You will not
so easily get out of hell, if you are once unhappily fallen into its dungeons.”
He had such a love for the poor, that to have the more to bestow on them, he
lived himself in the greatest poverty: he never kept a horse, and laboured hard
in digging and manuring the ground, though educated according to the dignity of
his family. To redeem captives he caused the church plate to be sold, not
excepting the sacred vessels; making use of patens and chalices of glass in the
celebration of the divine mysteries. If his compassion for the corporal
miseries of the faithful was so tender, we may judge how much more he was moved
to pity at their spiritual necessities. He bore the weak with tenderness, but never
indulged the passions or sloth of any. When he put any one in a course of
penance he was himself bathed in tears; whereby he both excited the penitent to
the like, and with ardent sighs and prayer obtained for him of God the grace of
compunction and pardon. He visited the bishops of his province, and endeavoured
to make them walk in the perfect spirit of Christ, the prince of pastors. He
established many monasteries, and took particular care to enforce a strict
observance of monastic discipline among them. He had a close friendship with
St. Germanus, whom he called his father, and respected as an apostle. He
presided in the council of Ries in 439, in the first council of Orange in 441,
in the council of Vaison in 442, and probably in 443, in the second council of
Arles, in all which several canons of discipline were framed.
His zeal exasperated
several tepid persons; and some of these, by misconstruing his actions, gave
the holy pope St. Leo a disadvantageous character of him. His zeal, indeed, had
been on some occasions too hasty and precipitate: but this was owing in him to
mistake, not to passion; for the circumstances of his actions, and of his
eminent piety, oblige us to interpret his intention by the same spirit by which
he governed himself in his whole conduct. This disagreement between St. Leo and
St. Hilary, proved a trial for the exercise of zeal in the former, and of
patience in the latter, for his greater sanctification by humility, submission,
and silence. Chelidonius, bishop of Besançon, had been deposed by St. Hilary
upon an allegation, that, before he was consecrated bishop, he had married a
widow, and had condemned persons to death as magistrate; both which were looked
upon as irregularities or disqualifications for holy orders. Chelidonius
hereupon set out for Rome to justify himself to the pope, St. Leo, who received
his appeal from his metropolitan, and acquitted him of the irregularity with
which he stood charged. St. Hilary, upon hearing that his suffragan was gone to
Rome, followed him thither on foot, and in the midst of winter. The pope having
assembled a council to judge this affair, St. Hilary took his seat among the
other bishops that composed it: but from his not attempting to prove the
irregularity which had been alleged against Chelidonius, the saint seemed to
own that he had been imposed on as to the matter of fact. But he pretended,
that the cause ought not to be judged otherwise than by commissaries deputed by
the pope to take cognizance of it in the country that gave it birth, a point
for which some Africans had contended. This plea was overruled, the contrary
having been frequently practised, when both parties could appear at Rome:
though the manner of judging appeals is only a point of discipline, which may
vary in different places. Another affair brought St. Hilary into a greater
difficulty. Projectus, a bishop of his province, being sick, St. Hilary, upon
information, hastened to his see, and ordained a new bishop: after which,
Projectus recovering, there were two bishops contending for the same see, and
Hilary supported the last ordained; perhaps, because the first might remain
disabled for his functions. The author of St. Hilary’s life does not clear up
his conduct in this particular: but we cannot doubt of the sincerity of his
intention. Moreover, the discipline of the church in such matters was not at
that time so clearly settled by the canons as it has been since. St. Hilary
therefore imagined a metropolitan might have a discretionary power in such
matters. However, St. Leo rightly judged such an ordination irregular, liable
to great inconveniences, and productive of schisms. Wherefore he forbade St.
Hilary to ordain any bishops for the future. Our holy prelate cancelled his
mistakes by his patience; and St. Leo, writing immediately after the saint’s
death to his successor Ravennus, calls him, Hilary of holy memory. 1 Exhausted
by austerities and labours, St. Hilary passed to a better life on the 5th of
May, 449, being only forty-eight years old. St. Honoratus, the eloquent bishop
of Marseilles, 2 who
has given us an abstract of his life, relates several miraculous cures wrought
by the saint whilst he was living. His body lies in a subterraneous chapel,
under the high altar, in the church of St. Honoratus at Arles, with an elegant
ancient epitaph. The name of St. Hilary stands in the Roman Martyrology.
That this saint never
gave into the Semi-Pelagian doctrine, though it had not been then condemned by
any decree of the pastors of the church, is clearly shown by Tillemont 3 and
Dom. Rivet. 4 This
is proved from several passages in his life by St. Honoratus; and in the
Martyrologies of Rabanus and Notker it is mentioned that he rigorously exerted
his zeal in bringing to light and in correcting the Pelagian heresy, which is
taught in the conferences of Cassian. 5 His
exposition of the creed, commended by the ancients is now lost: his homilies on
all the feasts of the year were much esteemed, but are not known at present.
The best edition of his works is given by John Salinas, regular canon of St.
John Lateran, in Italy, in 1731.
Note 1. Ep. 37, ad
Ravenn. p. 256. [back]
Note 2. This St.
Honoratus of Marseilles, who was many years a disciple of St. Hilary of Arles,
and was bishop of Marseilles from 483 to 494, is commended for his eloquence
and piety by Gennadius, a priest of his church, in his catalogue of illustrious
men, which he wrote in 494, for a continuation to that of St. Jerom. See the
life of St. Honoratus of Marseilles in Doni. Rivet, Hist. Littér, t. 2, p.
644. [back]
Note 3. T. 12, p.
480, t. 15, p. 63. [back]
Note 4. Hist.
littér, t. 2, p. 274. See also Henschenius, 5, Maij. p. 34. [back]
Note 5. The
authority of Cassian drew many in the territory of Marseilles into the error of
the Semipelagians, who denied the necessity of grace to the beginning of faith,
or to the desire of a good work. Some have thought St. Hilary of Arles to have
been of this number, because St. Prosper says, that some of these adversaries
of St. Austin had been lately raised to the episcopal dignity. But this may be
understood of some others. Or St. Hilary perhaps did not relish St. Austin’s
manner of expressing himself on the doctrine of gratuitous predestination to
glory. But as to the Semipelagian error, though it was not yet condemned by the
church, St. Hilary always adhered to the doctrine of the church. And St.
Honoratus tells us, that when he lay on his death-bed, in his last exhortation
to his clergy to resist the enemy of their souls, he made use of these words:
“We cannot fail meeting with conflicts in our road to bliss; but we may attain
it by the succour of preventing grace, and its consequent labours.” See
L’Histoire du Pelagianisme, à Avignon, 1763, t. 2, c. 7, p. 53. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume V: May. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/5/052.html
Hilary of Arles B (RM)
Born in Lorraine, France,
c. 400; died 449.
While still a pagan,
Hilary attained a high office in the local administration because of his
excellent education and native abilities. His friend and close relative Saint
Honoratus recognized that Hilary was being called to the special service of
God. For a short time Honoratus left his recently founded monastery of Lérins
to seek out Hilary and invite him to join him on the island, but his friend
resisted. Hilary later wrote: "On the one side I felt that the Lord was
calling me, while on the other hand the seductions of the world held me back.
My will swayed backwards and forwards, now consenting, now refusing. But at
last Christ triumphed in me."
When Hilary made up his
mind, he never looked back. He gave away all that he possessed to the poor,
then he was baptized, made his profession, and joined the community at Lérins
as a monk. Honoratus treated Hilary as his favorite son. When Honoratus became
bishop of Arles in 426, he made Hilary his secretary, and groomed him to
succeed as bishop. Hilary did not want to leave Arles but Honoratus himself
came to get him. When Honoratus died, the grieving Hilary looked forward to
returning to Lérins. En route to the island he was stopped by messengers, sent
by the citizens of Arles, asking him to be their archbishop. Thus, he was
consecrated.
Hilary was an energetic,
devoted, and impetuous bishop, zealous in charity and zealous in asserting the
rights of his episcopate. In the latter he twice went too far and was censured
by the pope. But each time Hilary, even though he had defended himself,
submitted to the superior authority.
The limits of his
province as metropolitan of southern Gaul had never been settled. On a
visitation in a disputed area, he deposed a bishop called Chelidonius because
he had married a widow before ordination and, as a magistrate, had passed a
death sentence. Either of these charges, if substantiated, would have
disqualified him for the episcopate. When Hilary realized that the man was
appealing to Rome, he followed. Chelidonius cleared himself of the charges
before Pope Saint Leo the Great. A council was called, during which Hilary contended
that the case ought to have been tried by the papal commissaries in Gaul.
Hilary left Rome before a decision was rendered against him.
Soon after there was
another complaint. A Gaulish bishop named Projectus was on the point of death,
when Hilary appointed another bishop to the see. The sick man recovered,
leaving two men claiming the same diocese. Hilary supported his own nominee,
perhaps because the first was too sick to carry out his duties. Saint Leo,
however, judged that Hilary's actions were wrong and could lead to schism.
Therefore, the pope censured him, forbade Hilary to appoint any more bishops,
and transferred the dignity of metropolitan to the bishop of Fréjus.
Nevertheless, after Hilary's death in 449, Pope Leo the Great wrote of 'Hilary of
sacred memory.'
Perhaps Hilary's
impetuous zeal arose because he was still a young man, barely thirty when he
became bishop of Arles. Even as bishop, the saint lived as though he were still
in the monastery, observing the regular monastic hours of prayer. He presided
over several church councils. He is chiefly remembered for the discourse he
delivered on the life of Saint Honoratus, the text of which has survived (tr.
by F. R. Hoare in The Western Fathers, 1954); however, the sanctity of his life
is what won for him popular veneration in life and after death (Attwater,
Benedictines, Bentley, Walsh).
In art, Saint Hilary is
portrayed as secretary to the bishop with the chain of office, biretta, book
and a dove at his ear. He may also be shown (1) as bishop consecrating a virgin
with a dove at his ear; (2) at a council of bishops, the earth rises to
enthrone him and an empty tomb is seen nearby; or (3) driving serpents or
dragons from the island of Lérins (Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0505.shtml
Encyclopedia Britannica – Saint
Hilarius
Article
Saint Hilarius (Hilary),
(c.403–449), bishop of Arles, was born about 403. In early youth he entered the
abbey of Lérins, then presided over by his kinsman Honoratus (Saint Honoré),
and succeeded Honoratus in the bishopric of Arles in 429. Following the example
of Saint Augustine, he is said to have organized his cathedral clergy into a
“congregation,” devoting a great part of their time to social exercises of
ascetic religion. He held the rank of metropolitan of Vienne and Narbonne, and
attempted to realize the sort of primacy over the church of south Gaul which
seemed implied in the vicariate granted to his predecessor Patroclus (417).
Hilarius deposed the bishop of Besançon (Chelidonus), for ignoring this
primacy, and for claiming a metropolitan dignity for Besançon. An appeal was
made to Rome, and Leo I used it to extinguish the Gallican vicariate (A.D.
444). Hilarius was deprived of his rights as metropolitan to consecrate
bishops, call synods, or exercise ecclesiastical oversight in the province, and
the pope secured the edict of Valentinian III, so important in the history of
the Gallican church, “ut episcopis Gallicanis omnibusque pro lege esset
quidquid apostolicae sedis auctoritas sanxisset.” The papal claims were made
imperial law, and violation of them subject to legal penalties. Hilarius died
in 449, and his name was afterwards introduced into the Roman martyrology for
commemoration on the 5th of May. He enjoyed during his lifetime a high
reputation for learning and eloquence as well as for piety; his extant works
compare favourably with any similar literary productions of that period.
MLA
Citation
“Saint Hilarius”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911. CatholicSaints.Info.
18 January 2020. Web. 5 May 2023.
<https://catholicsaints.info/encyclopedia-britannica-saint-hilarius/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/encyclopedia-britannica-saint-hilarius/
St Hilary of Arles
(401-449)
06 May, 2012
Summary: St Hilary was
a bishop at Arles in France, near the mouth of the River Rhone. The
monastery on the island of Lerins, where he received his education, is said to
have influenced the early Irish church, and there is a tradition that St
Patrick received some of his formation there. Hilary got into trouble with Pope
St Leo the Great for acting beyond his powers ultra vires.
Patrick Duffy tells
what is known about him.
Early life
As a youth Hilary, though still a pagan, entered the island abbey of Lérins
(opposite present-day Cannes) which had been founded by his relative Honoratus.
Here
he had an education in rhetoric and when he became a Christian, he joined the
ranks of the monks. When Honoratus became bishop of Arles in 426 Hilary
accompanied him to that city.
Bishop of Arles
Honoratus died after three years, and Hilary went back to Lerins. But messengers followed him to tell him he had been chosen as bishop of that city. Somewhat like St Augustine, Hilary organised his cathedral clergy into a monastic community, himself taking part in manual work and helping the poor.
Hilary was a Sardinian who had joined the Roman
clergy, and had been sent by St. Leo as one of the papal legates to the council
at Ephesus in 449.
Was He a Metropolitan?
Believing that the authority of a metropolitan had been given to the
predecessor of Honoratus, Proclus, Hilary deposed Bishop Chelidonius of
Besançon for ignoring his primacy. Chelidonius appealed to Pope Leo in Rome,
and was reinstated. Leo withdrew Hilary’s jurisdiction as a metropolitan,
asserting – with the approval of the emperor Valentinian III (425-455) – the
primacy of the see of Rome over the Gallican church: ut episcopis
Gallicanis omnibusque pro lege esset quidquid apostolicae sedis auctoritas
sanxisset (“that the authority of the apostolic see must sanction whatever
is to be the law for the Gallican bishops”).
Death and Writings
Hilary died in 449. He wrote a Life of Honoratus, which survives,
along with some letters and some poetry. A poem, De providentia, attributed
to him, is sometimes included among the writings of Prosper of Aquitaine.
The Island of Lerins
Lerins was an important influence on the Irish church, with a tradition that St
Patrick received at least a part of his formation there. After World War II, the Cistercians re-opened a
monastery on the island, which remains to this day.
SOURCE : https://www.catholicireland.net/saintoftheday/st-hilary-of-arles-401-449/
St. Hilary of Arles
Feast day: May 05
On May 5, Catholics celebrate Saint Hilary of Arles, a
fifth-century bishop who gave up wealth and privilege in favor of austerity and
sacrifice for the sake of the Church.
Hilary was born during
the year 401, most likely in the present-day French region of Loraine. He came
from a wealthy background and received a traditional aristocratic education in
philosophy and rhetoric, which he expected to put to use in a secular career.
One of Hilary’s
relatives, Honoratus, had founded a monastery in Lerins and given his life to
the service of the Church. Honoratus was deeply concerned for Hilary’s
salvation, and urged him with tears to abandon worldly pursuits for the sake of
following Christ.
“On one side,” Hilary
later recalled, “I saw the Lord calling me; on the other the world offering me
its seducing charms and pleasures. How often did I embrace and reject, will and
not will the same thing!”
“But in the end Jesus
Christ triumphed in me. And three days after Honoratus had left me, the mercy
of God, solicited by his prayers, subdued my rebellious soul.”
Hilary returned to his
relative, humbling himself as Honoratus’ disciple and embracing his life of
prayer, asceticism, and Scripture study. He sold his property, gave the
proceeds to the poor, and wholeheartedly embraced the monastic life of the
community in Lerins.
In 426, Honoratus became
the Archbishop of Arles. Hilary initially followed him, but soon returned to
the monastery at Lerins. Honoratus, however, insisted on having the assistance
of his relative and disciple, and traveled to Lerins himself to retrieve him.
When Honoratus died in
429, Hilary again attempted to leave Arles and return to his monastery. But the
faithful of the city sent out a search party and had him brought back, so that
he could be consecrated as Honoratus’ successor.
Though he was not yet 30
years old, the new archbishop was well-prepared by his years in religious life
and the time spent assisting his predecessor. As archbishop, he maintained the
simplicity of a monk. He owned few possessions, put the poor ahead of himself,
and continued to do manual labor.
Known for his kindness
and charity, the archbishop was also remembered for publicly rebuking a
government official who brought shame on the Church. He also warned lukewarm
believers that they would “not so easily get out of hell, if you are once
unhappily fallen into its dungeons.”
Hilary helped to establish monasteries in his diocese, and strengthened the discipline and orthodoxy of the local Church through a series of councils. He sold Church property in order to pay the ransoms of those who had been kidnapped, and is said to have worked miracles during his lifetime.
SOURCE : https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-hilary-of-arles-701
St. Hilary of Arles
Feastday: May 5
Birth: 400
Death: 449
St. Hilary of Arles died
on May 5, 449. Although his life was marked by some canonical disputes with
Pope St. Leo I, the Pope himself praised the late Archbishop of Arles in a
letter to his successor, honoring him as “Hilary of holy memory.”
SOURCE : https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-hilary-of-arles-701
Bishop of Arles, France,
and friend and relative of St. Honoratus. He was born to a noble family in Lorraine and
was successful, although he gave up his secular career to join St. Honoratus at
Lerins Abbey. When Honoratus died after being named the bishop of
Arles, Hilary was chosen as his successor in 429. He was known for his
austerities, his aid to the poor, and for ransoming captives. On two occasions
Hilary became embroiled in controversies with Pope St. Leo I
the Great, but they were reconciled, and Hilary's sanctity brought
him great veneration.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3769
Sant' Ilario di
Arles Vescovo
400 – 5 maggio 449
Martirologio
Romano: Ad Arles in Provenza, sant’Ilario, vescovo, che, promosso suo
malgrado dall’eremo di Lérins all’episcopato, lavorando con le sue mani,
vestendosi di una sola tunica sia in estate sia in inverno e andando sempre a
piedi, rese visibile a tutti il suo amore per la povertà; dedito alla
preghiera, ai digiuni e alle veglie, si adoperò instancabilmente nel ministero
della parola, rivelò ai peccatori la misericordia di Dio, accolse gli orfani e
destinò prontamente tutto il denaro raccolto dalle basiliche della città al
riscatto dei prigionieri.
Il Sant’Ilario festeggiato in data odierna, vescovo di Arles, non è assolutamente da confondere con l’omonimo e più celebre santo di Poitiers. Ilario di Arles discendeva da un’aristocratica famiglia imparentata con Sant’Onorato di Arles. Assai probabilmente fu educato in una scuola di retorica e la sua conversione venne descritta da Onorato in uno stile che ricalca le “Confessioni” di Sant’Agostino. Ricco di doni naturali, decise di farsi monaco sull’isola di Lérins nel celebre complesso monastico fondato appunto dall’amico Onorato con l’aiuto di San Caprasio. Qui però non rimase a lungo, perché l’amico lo volle con sé quando venne eletto vescovo di Arles. Tentò in seguito di fare ritorno a Lérins, ma alcuni messaggeri della città di Arles lo inseguirono per comunicargli la sua elezione a vescovo in seguito alla prematura scomparsa di Onorato nel 430. Ilario aveva allora solo ventinove anni.
Nella vita episcopale cercò di coniugare la vita monastica a quella impostagli dall’esercizio del nuovo ministero, per esempio riservando un determinato tempo al lavoro manuale devolvendo il ricavato in elemosina. In svariate occasioni devolvette il ricavato della vendita di vasi sacri per il riscatto dei prigionieri. Promosse la costruzione di nuovi monasteri nella sua diocesi ed intraprese la visita di quelli già esistenti. Si dimostrò anche pieno di zelo nei rapporti con gli altri vescovi vicini, nei confronti dei quali rivendicò una giurisdizione metropolitana, come già alcuni suoi predecessori.
Ilario giunse al punto di deporre il vescovo Calcedonio, che immediatamente si appellò al papa San Leone Magno, ed a nominare il successore di un vescovo assai malato che però non morì. Ilario stesso si recò a Roma, ove il papa, giudicandolo poco trattabile, lo lasciò nella sua sede proibendogli però di consacrare nuovi vescovi ed assegnando il titolo di metropolita al vescovo di Fréjus.
Non si sa molto degli ultimi anni della sua vita. Morì nel 449 all’età di soli quarantanove anni, dopo aver instancabilmente lavorato per la sua diocesi e pare riconciliato con San Leone, che infatti si riferì a lui con l’espressione “di beata memoria”. Ilario costituisce forse un esempio di persona dotata di notevole talento, che però ricevette incarichi troppo importanti in giovane età da un influente parente. E’ stata tramandata solamente una sua opera completa: “Sermo de Vita S.Onorati”.
Il Martyrologium Romanum commemora Sant’Ilario di Arles al 5 maggio nell’anniversario della sua nascita al cielo.
Autore: Fabio Arduino
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92775
ILARIO vescovo di Arles
di Mario Niccoli - Enciclopedia Italiana (1933)
Monaco nel monastero di
Lérins, la sua santità di vita e la sua vasta cultura gli meritarono l'elezione
alla sede episcopale di Arles, alla morte di Onorato (428-429) che l'aveva
retta per soli due anni. I. (seppure in misura minore di Cassiano) si segnalò
per la sua opposizione al predestinazionismo agostiniano, meritandosi gli
strali di Prospero d'Aquitania. Ma più che per il suo semipelagianesimo, I. è
noto per la sua vertenza con la Chiesa di Roma a proposito della giurisdizione
della sede di Arles che, con il vescovo Patroclo, era stata da papa Zosimo
dichiarata (417) metropolitana della Viennese, Narbonese I e II nonché vicaria
della Santa Sede nelle Gallie. Per quanto il privilegio fosse stato concesso a
titolo personale e temporaneo, I. credette di poter fare atto di giurisdizione
persino oltre i confini della vecchia Narbonese deponendo il vescovo di
Besançon. Ma posta la questione di fronte a papa Leone I, questi, nonostante il
viaggio di I. a Roma, spogliò I. di ogni diritto persino come metropolitano
della sola Viennese, lasciandogli il puro e semplice vescovato di Arles. Al
quale I., dopo la condanna papale (consacrata da un rescritto di Valentiniano III
al patrizio di Arles, Aezio), seguitò ad attendere con immutato zelo non senza
tentare a più riprese, ma invano, di superare il suo dissidio con Leone Magno.
Morì il 5 maggio 449.
Prendendo a modello gli
scritti agiografici di Sulpicio Severo, I. aveva composto un Sermo de vita
Sancti Honorati (in Patrol. Lat., L, col. 1249 segg.). Qualche
altro scritto è di dubbia attribuzione.
Bibl.: La Vita di I.
scritta da Reverenzio (v. P. B. Kolon, Die Vita S. Hilarii) Arelantesis.
Eine eidographische Studie, Paderbon 1925) ha scarso valore storico. V.
inoltre: L. Duchesne, Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule, I, Parigi
1894; id., Storia della chiesa antica, III, Roma 1911, pp. 324-327; M.
Schanz e G. Krüger, Gesch. der röm Lit., IV, ii, Monaco 1920, p. 528
segg.
SOURCE : https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ilario-vescovo-di-arles_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/
Den hellige Hilarius av
Arles (~400-449)
Minnedag: 5.
mai
Den hellige Hilarius (fr:
Hilaire) ble født rundt 400, men vi vet ikke hvor. Han kom fra en aristokratisk
hedensk familie av gresk opprinnelse i det nordlige Gallia (belgisk Gallia?) og
var en nær slektning av den hellige Honoratus,
grunnlegger og første abbed av klosteret Lérins på den lille øya som etter ham
heter Saint-Honorat utenfor Cannes. Hilarius hadde uvanlige evner og fikk en
utmerket utdannelse, trolig ved en retorikkskole, og som rik og lærd kunne han
se frem til en suksessrik verdslig karriere. Men Honoratus, som alltid hadde
vært glad i Hilarius og betraktet ham som en favorittsønn, var overbevist om at
hans unge slektning var kalt til en spesiell tjeneste for Gud. Den hellige
abbeden forlot faktisk sin øy for en kort periode for å oppsøke Hilarius for å
overtale ham til å ta opp et religiøst liv. Men Hilarius virket døv for hans
bønnfallelser og engstelser.
I virkeligheten kjempet
han en voldsom indre kamp. Han fortalte senere, i en beretning om sin
omvendelse som er basert på den hellige Augustins
«Bekjennelser»: «På den ene side følte jeg at Gud kalte på meg, men på den
andre side holdt verdens fristelser meg tilbake. Min vilje svingte frem og
tilbake, fra samtykke til avvisning. Men til slutt seiret Kristus i meg».
Straks han endelig hadde bestemt seg, så han seg aldri tilbake: Han solgte sin
arvedel til sin bror og fordelte pengene blant de fattige, deretter dro han til
Lérins, hvor han ble døpt av Honoratus og sluttet seg til ham som munk.
Men i 426 ble Honoratus
valgt til erkebiskop av Arles, og siden han var en gammel mann, insisterte han
på at Hilarius skulle bli med ham som hans personlige assistent. Hilarius var
først uvillig til å forlate Lérins, men Honoratus dro personlig for å hente
ham, og deretter var de sammen så lenge Honoratus levde. I Arles levde Hilarius
som om han fortsatt var i klosteret, fulgte dets bønnetider, utførte manuelt
arbeid og ga almisser.
I 429 døde Honoratus, og
selv om Hilarius sørget over tapet av sin åndelige far, gledet den unge munken
seg over muligheten til å vende tilbake til sitt kloster. Han hadde allerede
begynt på reisen dit da han ble tatt igjen av budbringere, som kunne fortelle
at folket i Arles ville at han skulle bli deres nye erkebiskop. Dette hadde
også vært Honoratus' ønske. Hilarius lot seg overtale til å motta valget, og
han ble behørig konsekrert, bare 29 år gammel.
Som biskop fortsatte han
med sitt strenge klosterliv og var en energisk og hengiven prelat. Ved en
anledning solgte han hellige kar for å kjøpe fri fanger. Han bygde også klostre
og visiterte dem. Han presiderte over flere konsiler som ble holdt i Riez
(439), Orange (441), Vaison (442) og Arles, men hans nidkjærhet og noe
eneveldige natur gjorde at han flere ganger handlet på en slik måte at det fikk
alvorlige konsekvenser for ham selv. Det var kanskje hans ungdom som gjorde at
hans nidkjærhet overvant hans diskresjon. Prosper av Aquitania anklaget ham for
å være en semi-pelagianer fordi han ikke delte Augustins syn på nåden. To
ganger måtte den hellige pave Leo I den Store (440-61)
refse ham for å ha gått ut over sin biskoppelige myndighet.
Grensene for Hilarius'
kirkeprovins i det sørlige Gallia var aldri tilfredsstillende trukket opp, og
en gang i 444 da han var på visitas i et omstridt område, ledet han et
bispemøte hvor de hellige Eucherius av Lyon og Germanus av Auxerre var
til stede. På møtet avsatte han en biskop ved navn Celidonius (Chelidonius),
fordi han var anklaget for at før han ble presteviet, skulle han ha giftet seg
med en enke, og som magistrat skulle han ha avsagt en dødsdom. Begge disse
anklagene kunne, hvis de var sanne, hver for seg ha diskvalifisert ham for
bispeembetet.
Celidonius dro straks til
Roma, hvor han renvasket seg tilfredsstillende for pave Leo I den Store og ble
gjeninnsatt på sitt bispesete. Straks Hilarius fikk vite at den biskopen han
hadde avsatt hadde dratt til Roma, fulgte han etter. For å avgjøre saken ble
det innkalt et konsil, som Hilarius deltok på – ikke for å forsvare sin
handling, men for å kjempe for at saken skulle ha vært prøvd av de pavelige
kommissærer i Gallia. Men han ventet ikke på dommen. Da han forsto at han ble
holdt under oppsyn og ikke minst fryktet at han ville bli tvunget til å
kommunisere med Celidonius, forlot han Roma i hemmelighet og vendte tilbake til
Arles. I Roma ble det avsagt dom mot Hilarius.
Ikke lenge etter kom det
enda en klage mot ham til Den hellige Stol. Mens en gallisk biskop ved navn
Projectus fortsatt var i live, men tilsynelatende på gravens rand, hadde
Hilarius utnevnt en ny biskop til setet. Men den syke mannen kom seg, og dermed
var det to biskoper som gjorde krav på det samme setet. Hilarius støttet den
biskopen han selv hadde utnevnt, kanskje fordi den andre pretendenten var for
svak til å utføre sine plikter.
Men da saken ble lagt
frem for pave Leo, tok han den riktige avgjørelsen at Hilarius' handling hadde
vært ulovlig og ville sannsynligvis føre til skisma. Han fordømte Hilarius,
forbød ham å utnevne flere biskoper og overførte metropolittverdigheten til
biskopen av Fréjus. Han fikk også keiser Valentinian III (425-55) til å utstede
det berømte ediktet som befridde Kirken i Vienne fra all avhengighet av Arles.
Selv om Hilarius forsvarte seg overfor Leo, underkastet han seg begge ganger
pavens autoritet. Etter hans død skrev den samme paven om ham som «Hilarius,
hellig ihukommet».
Hilarius huskes
hovedsakelig for et foredrag han ga om Honoratus' liv; teksten til den er
bevart. Vi vet lite om hans siste år, bortsett fra at han fortsatte å arbeide i
sitt eget bispedømme med samme iver som før, og at han døde i 449, i sitt 49.
år. Pave Leo gjenskapte Arles som et metropolittsete året etter. Hilarius'
minnedag er 5. mai og hans navn står i Martyrologium Romanum.
Kilder:
Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Bentley, Butler, Butler (V), Benedictines,
Bunson, KIR, CE, CSO, Patron Saints SQPN, Infocatho, Bautz,
santiebeati.it - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Opprettet: 1998-03-11 14:42 - Sist oppdatert: 2006-08-18 16:41
SOURCE : http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/hilarles
Voir aussi : http://orthodoxievco.net/ecrits/vies/synaxair/mai/hilaire.pdf
