Collect from the optional memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Doctor
Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may rightly understand and truthfully profess the divinity of your Son, which the Bishop Saint Hilary taught with such constancy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may rightly understand and truthfully profess the divinity of your Son”
– Jesus Christ is God and every generation has had trouble accepting this fact, so the Church prays for us to not only accept it, but actually profess it in the face of worldly denial.
“which the Bishop Saint Hilary taught with such constancy”
– It is remarkable that, of all the things which contributed to St. Hilary being a saint, the one thing this ancient prayer remembers about him is that he was constant in teaching a difficult truth.
Questions & Advice: Do you believe, do you truly and fully accept that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man? Are you willing to defend this fact against the overwhelming popular opinion that the “Historical Jesus” was just a great man and a clever teacher? Do you see and accept the sanctifying power of proclaiming the truth, even when it’s unpopular?
Especially today, the idea of teaching a difficult truth, whether it be Christ’s divinity or the insolubility of marriage, is widely rejected. People equate “love” with being “nice.” Catholics who defend the Truth today are even accused of contradicting their own Pope. This is a clever trick and a misrepresentation of what Pope Francis says. There are many kinds of saints in the world and just because Pope Francis is not known for his intellectual precision does not mean that being precise, constant, and bold (and Charitable!) in the proclamation of Truth is a bad thing.
Pray this prayer with the Church today and ask God to reveal to you those areas of Church teaching which you do not accept. Then, invoke St. Hilary’s intercession to accept and profess the Truth with the love and zeal to which you are called through your baptism and confirmation.
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| St. Hilary, pray for us! |