Subj : October 3rd - St. Hesychius To : All From : rich Date : Wed Oct 02 2019 09:09:16 From: rich October 3rd - St. Hesychius (Fourth Century) MENTION of this holy monk is made in the Life of St. Hilarion, whose faithful disciple he was. He accompanied his master when he left Palestine for Egypt, and when Hilarion, being unwilling to return to Gaza, where he was so well known, fled secretly across the sea to Sicily; Hesychius sought him for three years. He could hear no word of him either in the desert or the ports of Egypt, so he made his way into Greece, where at last a rumour reached him that a wonder-working prophet had arrived in Sicily. He went thither, and tracked Hilarion to his retreat, where =E2=80=9Che fell on his knees and watered his master= 's feet with tears=E2=80=9D. Continuing the vain search for complete solitude they went together to Dalmatia and then to Cyprus. =C2 After two years St. Hilarion sent Hesychius to Palestine to salute the brethren there, report on their progress, and visit the old monastery near Gaza. On his return in the spring he found that Hilarion, worried by the press of people, wanted to escape to yet another country, but he was now considerably advanced in age and Hesychius persuaded him to be content with a place of retreat deeper in the island which he had found for him. Here Hilarion died. St. Hesychius was again in Palestine at the time and directly he heard the news he hurried back to Cyprus to watch over the body lest it be taken away by the people of Paphos. He found that his beloved master had left a letter bequeathing to him all his worldly goods, namely a book of the gospels and some clothes. To allay the suspicions of those who jealously guarded the hermitage he pretended that he was going to live there, but after ten months he was able, with great difficulty and risk, to carry off the body of St. Hilarion and convey it back to Palestine. It was met by crowds of monks and lay people who accompanied it for burial to the monastery which he had established at Majuma, and there some years later Hesychius himself died. A sufficient account of St. Hesychius is provided in the Acta Sanctorum, October, vol. ii. It is mainly derived from St. Jerome; but see later under Hilarion, October 21. Saint Quote: "Charity is the queen of virtues. As the pearls are held together by the thread, thus the virtues are held together by charity; as the pearls fall when the thread breaks, thus virtues are lost if charity diminishes." --St. Padre Pio Bible Quote: "Fear not, for I am with thee; turn not aside, for I am thy God; I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right hand of my just one--Jesus Christ--hath upheld thee. Behold all that fight against thee shall be confounded and ashamed; they shall be as nothing, and the men shall perish that strive against thee. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find the men that resist thee. They shall be as nothing, and the men that war against thee shall be as a thing consumed. For I am the Lord thy God, who take thee by the hand and say to thee: Fear not, for I have helped thee."=C2 (Isa. 41:10-13). <><><><> Lord Our God Lord our God, Your power is indescribable, Your glory is incomprehensible, Your mercy is infinite, and Your love is immeasurable. Look down with compassion on us and on Your Holy Church. Bestow Your bountiful goodness and mercy on us, and all who pray to You. All glory, honor and worship belong to You, now and forever unto all eternity. Amen. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .