O Lord our God, who didst raise up thy servant Hilary to be a champion of the catholic faith: Keep us steadfast in that true faith which we professed at our baptism, that we may rejoice in having thee for our Father, and may abide in thy Son, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; thou who livest and reignest for ever and ever.
From Lesser Feasts & Fasts, “In 360 Hilary was welcomed back to his See………Angry in controversy with heretical bishops, he was always a loving and compassionate pastor….”
I have read these devotions as part of my daily office worship for over 20 years. In the last 5-7 years I am amazed at how real the struggles of these Saints and Blessed members of the body of Christ have become to me as I watch the disintegration of TEC. Their struggles for the faith and what they suffered have become an inspiration in my prayer life beyond what I ever imagined.
Indeed; we are all–like it or not–going to find out what it means to live “intentional Christianity” in new and challenging ways. Reading the lives of the saints remains one of the best ways to train for the rigor of that race. Blessings in your ministry!