On May 5, Catholics celebrate St. 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.
St. Hilary of Arles died on May 5, 449. Although his short 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."
-- Benjamin Mann, Catholic News Agency
Multitude of titles expresses love for the Mother of God
CHARLOTTE — A hallmark of Catholicism is love for Jesus’ mother, Mary.
Catholics love her, honor her and venerate her image in thanksgiving for her “yes” to God, for her role as the Theotokos (“God-bearer”) and as a powerful intercessor for all of God’s children.
It is important to note that Catholics do not worship Mary, but revere her pivotal role in salvation history.
Mary is known by dozens of titles around the world – dogmatic titles, devotional titles and titles adopted by religious orders.
There are also some titles that popes over the centuries have addressed in encyclicals and invocations, and titles expressing their filial affection for her during their papacies.
The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the Litany of Loreto, invokes more than 50 titles of Our Lady.
This supplication sprang from prayers for protection during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when Mary’s help was enlisted through the recitation of the rosary to defeat the fleet of the Ottoman Empire in the Gulf of Patras. The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, or Our Lady of Victory, is still celebrated every Oct. 7.
Early titles in Church history besides “Our Lady” (“Notre Dame” in French and “Nuestra Señora” in Spanish) include: “The New Eve,” a title first mentioned by St. Justin Martyr in the early half of the first century and later expanded upon by St. Iraneaus; “Mary Help of Christians,” first used by St. John Chrysostom in 345 and also reverently used by St. John Bosco in the 1800s; and “Stella Maris” (Our Lady Star of the Sea), an ancient title that emphasized her role as a sign of hope and a guiding star for Christians. It is attributed to St. Jerome, who lived in the mid-second and early third centuries.
Four dogmatic titles for the Blessed Mother were declared by the Church:
- “Mother of God” was decreed at the Council of Ephesus in 431, which acknowledged her as “Theotokos” because her son, Jesus Christ, is both God and man. This name was translated in the West as “Mater Dei” or Mother of God. From this derives the title “Blessed Mother.”
- “Virgin Mary” rises from the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary, taught by the early Church Fathers and declared a dogma by the Lateran Council of 649.
- “Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception” comes from the teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin, as defined in 1854 by Pope Pius IX’s apostolic constitution “Ineffabilis Deus.” This also gave rise to the title “Queen Conceived Without Original Sin.”
- “Our Lady of the Assumption” comes from the belief that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven when her earthly life ended. The Assumption was declared a dogma in 1950 by Pope Pius XII in the apostolic constitution “Munificentissimus Deus.” The title “Queen Assumed Into Heaven” also derived from this.
Some of her titles are associated with Church-approved apparitions: Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531), Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (1830), Our Lady of Lourdes (1858), Our Lady of Knock (1879) and Our Lady of Fatima (1917).
Religious orders under her patronage include: Carmelites, who look to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel; the Marians of the Immaculate Conception; Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist; and the Daughters of the Virgin Mother (Diocese of Charlotte).
Many devotional titles speak to the love of the faithful for Mary and confidence in her intercession: Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Mercy, Mother of Perpetual Help, Queen of the Apostles, Ark of the Covenant, Refuge of Sinners and Mary, Undoer of Knots.
Some lesser known but equally beautiful titles for Mary are: Tower of Ivory; Our Lady of Solitude; Our Lady, Gate of the Dawn; Mirror of Justice; and Spiritual Vessel.
St. Louis de Montfort said, “We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor His mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor Him all the more perfectly.”
So why not take some time during May, the month devoted to Mary, to cultivate a personal devotion to the Blessed Mother under a title that is meaningful to you in your faith journey?
—SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter; www.wikipedia.org contributed.
Churches under Mary’s patronage
The Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey who came to North Carolina in 1876 built the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Belmont in 1892. In the Diocese of Charlotte there are now 23 more churches and missions that bear a name related to a title of Mary or her Immaculate Heart.