Lenten Study 2023: Recluses, Hermits & Anchorites (5)

As mentioned early in this series of blog posts, the stories of these solitaries are meant to inspire readers, and reveal the great things God can do through these Saints. Since they are a select few given this charism, their virtuous acts and many spiritual feats are meant to make readers aware of God's love for their time as well as for our modern times. The solitaries exemplify the great value of open spaces and more time for prayer in solitude.

St. Simeon Stylites (ca. 390-459 A.D.)

(highlighted story): Very few hagiographers (those who write on the lives of the saints) mention St. Simeon Stylites in their writings. Usually, this saint is mentioned in bigger and more detailed writings on the lives of the saints, like A. Butler's series of books on the saints. St. Simeon Stylites is often not seen in small summaries or dictionaries on the lives of the saints.

Let us see what the story of St. Simeon Stylites is all about.

Simeon was the son of a Cilician shepherd, born on the Syrian border of Cilicia. He became a shepherd like his father. At the age of 13 years old, he had a vision in the future of himself as a hermit on top of a pillar.

Simeon spent two years in a nearby monastery and then became a monk at a stricter monastery at Heliodorus. Because of his severe mortifications, he was dismissed from this monastery. He then became a hermit at the foot of Mt. Teleanissae, near Antioch, and then years after, moved to the top of the mountain itself. Word of St. Simeon's holiness began to attract huge crowds. To be free from these distractions, in 423 A.D., he built a ten-foot-high pillar and lived on top of it. He spent the rest of his life living on even higher pillars (stylites is from the Greek word stylos, meaning pillar).

St. Simeon Stylites became greatly venerated as a holy man and had extraordinary influence. He gave counsel to Emperors, prelates, and commoners. He died on September 2, the first of the "pillar ascetics".

St. Martinian the Hermit (4th century)

Martinian was born at Caesarea, Palestine, and became a hermit when he was eighteen years old. He lived for a quarter of a century on a mountain called the Place of the Ark near Caesarea. He experienced two great temptations during his life, which led to the conversions of two women. First, he resisted the flattery given him by a wealthy woman named Zoe, by throwing his feet in fire. St. Martinian converted Zoe and she became a nun at St. Paulinus' convent in Bethlehem. The second temptation came after he rescued a girl drowning from a shipwreck. So that he would not be tempted by her, he left his provisions with her on the island and then swam away from her to the mainland. That girl became a hermitess on St. Martinian's island, and St. Martinian then moved on to Athens where he died on February 13.

St. Hilarion (ca. 291-371 A.D.)

Born at Tabatha, south of Gaza, Palestine, of pagan parents, Hilarion was educated in Alexandria, where he became a Christian in his mid-teens. For a time, he stayed with St. Anthony in the Egyptian desert, and then returned to Gaza. Upon learning that his parents' had died, he divided his inheritance among his brothers and the poor and retired to Majuma, Palestine, where he lived a life of extreme austerity in imitation of St. Anthony of Egypt. Although he suffered from spiritual aridity and various temptations, he persevered in prayer. He then became known for his miracles and people began flocking to see him in order to obtain spiritual guidance. A group of disciples also gathered around him against his will, and so he had to establish the first monastery in Majuma. Eventually though, he decided to leave in search of a place where he could enjoy complete solitude.

Hilarion went back to St. Anthony in the desert but found that his fame had spread there too. So he went to Sicily where he was still found and discovered by one of his disciples, Hesychius. In quest of solitude, he left with Hesychius to Dalmatia. Again word of his miracles attracted so much attention that the two left and settled near Paphos in Cyprus. In Cyprus, he was still disturbed by visitors, including Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, who wrote about him to St. Jerome. Hilarion then moved farther inland where he remained until his death at the age of 80.

St. Hilarion's further fame derives from the biography written by St. Jerome between 382-396 A.D. The work appeared in many versions and translations throughout the East. St. Hilarion has now become the patron saint of many villages in Cyprus and is the subject of many icons and mosaics. His feast is traditionally celebrated on October 21. The Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches also celebrate his feast.

Summary and conclusion

Saints are the images of Christ for their time and our time also. They imitate Christ by living out a particular virtue Christ exemplified during His public ministry. For recluses, hermits, and anchorites, these saints imitate Christ as He is portrayed in the gospel of Luke and in many other gospel accounts:

"But so much the more the report went abroad concerning Him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities. But He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed."
(Luke 5:15-16)

Sources of this blog posts

• Dictionary of the Saints, by John Delaney
• A Year with the Saints, by Don Bosco Press, Inc.
• Saints for Our Time, by Ed Ransom
• Saints Who Made History
• In Search of True Wisdom, by Sergius Bolshakoff
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Lives of the Saints, by Richard P. McBrien
• The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, by editor
  Bernard McGinn

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (feast: March 18)

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor: c. 315-386 A.D.

Feast day, March 18

Birth and early history

St. Cyril was born in Jerusalem in c.315 A.D. At the time, Jerusalem was known as Aelia Capitolina - a name given by the Roman Empire. Cyril's parents were both Christians. They may have been wealthy since Cyril received an excellent education. Cyril's education included a wide knowledge of the Bible, which eventually led to his ordination to the priesthood by Bishop Maximus (whom Cyril succeeded as bishop in 350 A.D.). As a priest, Cyril performed his responsibility in teaching the catechumens the fundamentals of the faith before their baptism.

Life as bishop up to his first exile

When St. Cyril succeeded St. Maximus as bishop of Jerusalem, he had to contend with Arianism - a heresy rampant throughout many areas in the Christian world of the mid-fourth century. Even when this conflict raged within the Church of his time, Cyril still campaigned for the recognition of the church in Jerusalem as the primary church in Palestine. His work angered the Arian bishops of Caesarea - first Eusebius, and then Acacius. In 357 A.D., Acacius called a council of Arian bishops and ordered Cyril to appear. He was charged with insubordination and the selling of Church property to relieve the poor during a famine. But St. Cyril refused to appear before the council. His refusal drove him out of Jerusalem into exile - his first of many.

Second exile and return to Jerusalem

St. Cyril went further to Tarsus but was recalled by the council of Seleucia in 359 A.D. He was again expelled at Acacius' instigation by Emperor Constantius. However, he was recalled in 361 A.D. by Emperor Julius the Apostate when Constantius passed away. Again Cyril was exiled in 367 A.D. when Emperor Valens banished all churchmen recalled during Julian's reign. But St. Cyril returned to Jerusalem in 378 A.D. after Emperor Valens was defeated and killed in the Battle of Adrianople.

In Jerusalem

When St. Cyril returned to Jerusalem, he found the city in a state of severe moral degeneration - torn by many schisms, heresy and criminal activities. When he asked the council of Antioch for help, the council sent St. Gregory of Nyssa (St. Basil's brother), to see what could be done. St. Gregory reported that the see of Jerusalem was torn by a lot of factionalism and Arianism, but that its basic faith and that of Cyril's was orthodox. St. Gregory soon left Jerusalem and St. Cyril worked to bring the reforms needed for Jerusalem.

The Council of Constantinople

St. Cyril attended the second ecumenical council, the First Council of Constantinople, in 381 A.D. St. Gregory of Nyssa was also present in that council. In the council, St. Cyril completely accepted the amended Nicene Creed and the Greek term homoousios. The term homoousios came to be regarded as the test word of orthodoxy. At the Council, St. Cyril was also praised as a champion of orthodoxy against the Arians.

A scholar, preacher and doctor of the Church

St. Cyril was a Bible scholar and a successful preacher. The "Catecheses" that he delivered during Lent in about 347 A.D. gives a clear picture of the instruction given to those preparing for baptism in the Palestinian liturgy of the fourth century. Though Cyril had been befriended by semi-Arian bishops and led to accusations that he shared Arian beliefs, St. Cyril's stance against Arianism was ckear. This vindicated his orthodoxy and remained unquestioned. St. Cyril was declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1882 A.D. The Church celebrates his feast day every March 18.

Edited from the following sources

• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
• Saints for Our Time, by Ed Ransom
• The Doctors of the Church, by John F. Fink
• A Year With the Saints, by Don Bosco Press, Inc.

Lenten Study 2023: Recluses, Hermits & Anchorites (4)

The next three inspiring stories of solitaries comes from different cultural backgrounds: an Irishman in the 7th century, an Englishwoman in the 15th century, and an Egyptian in the 4th century. Each biography is one-of-a-kind. What is common among these three solitaries is the story of their love for God and the life of prayer for others and solitude.

St. Fiacre, Hermit (d. ca. 670 A.D.)

Also known as Fiachra, St. Fiacre was born in Ireland. He became a hermit at Kilfiachra, Ireland, before he travelled to France. Upon reaching France, he was received by St. Faro, the bishop of Meaux. St. Faro provided Fiacre with a plot of land where Fiacre lived in solitude as he had lived in Ireland. When people in Meaux heard of Fiacre's piety, they flocked to him because of his knowledge of the Christian faith. St. Fiacre took responsibility for these people and built a hospice for them. He also tilled the soil to grow corn and vegetables for their food. St. Fiacre's reputation for charity and spiritual wisdom continued to grow. His miracles of healing became legendary. The Catholic Church made him the patron saint of gardeners and cabdrivers. The reason is found in relation to the Hotel Saint-Fiacre in Paris and vehicles called "fiacres". Pilgrims make the first stop of their spiritual journey to St. Fiacre's shrine by staying at a hotel and riding a vehicle both named after the Saint. The Church in Ireland and France celebrate the feast of St. Fiacre
every September 1.

Blessed Juliana of Norwich (c. 1342-1423 A.D.)

Juliana became an anchoress outside the walls of St. Julian's Church in Norwich, England. Nothing much is known about her early life. In 1373 A.D., she experienced a series of 16 revelations of Christ's passion and the Trinity. She was at the point of death before this spiritual experience, but the revelations restored her back to health. She then spent the next twenty years meditating on these revelations and the suffering she had endured prior to the revelations. The result of these meditations is a core of writings that produced the Revelations of Divine Love - messages on the love of God, the Incarnation, redemption, sin, penance, and divine consolation (her favorite theme and topic). Blessed Juliana's message is very much rooted in the writings of St. Paul on the themes of sin, grace, redemption in Jesus, and the notion of man's solidarity in Christ. At the time of her death, Blessed Juliana had a far-reaching reputation for sanctity - attracting visitors from all over Europe to her cell. Tradition gave her the title of Blessed. And the Church traditionally celebrates her feast every 13th of May.

St. Paul the Hermit (ca. 229-342 A.D.)

Also known as Paul of Thebes, Paul was born in lower Thebaïd, Egypt. He was orphaned when he was fifteen, but his parents had given him not only a good education and a fair-sized estate, but a strong background in Christianity. During the persecution of Christians by Emperor Decius in 250 A.D., Paul hid himself in the house of a friend. He then learned that his brother-in-law wanted Paul's estate and was planning to report Paul as a Christian to the authorities. Paul therefore fled to the desert. He chose a cave near a palm tree and a spring, and was determined to serve God in the desert until the persecution would end.

As time went on, St. Paul realized that his state of life suited him. So he resolved to stay in the desert. He was then visited by St. Anthony of Egypt (who also sought God in the desert after he and his sister were orphaned). Another story reports that St. Jerome also visited Paul in his old age and found the holy hermit an exemplar of what a saint should be. St. Jerome was said to have buried St. Paul when the old man died at the age of 113. Of all these 113 years, more than 90 of them were spent as a hermit.

St. Jerome wrote on the life of Paul and is the only source for biographical details of this famous hermit. Although the Church traditionally celebrates his feast on January 15 and then later on put it in the General Roman Calendar in 1969, the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches and the Coptic and Armenian rites continue to celebrate his feast on this day.