Let us pray.Keep us steadfast, Lord God, in that true faith that we professed at our baptism; that, like your servant Hilary of Poitiers, we may rejoice in having you for our Father, and may abide in your Son, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; for you live and reign for ever and ever as one God in Trinity of Persons. Amen.
St Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, lived during the great controversy between Athanasius, who taught that the Son is fully God, equally with the Father, and Arius, who denied this. He is sometimes called “the Athanasius of the West.” He was bishop of Poitiers, and when he refused to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the Arian emperor Constantius (one of the sons of Constantine) banished him to Phrygia in 357. His exile lasted three years, during which time he wrote several essays, including On The Trinity. Finally the Emperor was forced to send him back to Gaul because he was causing such difficulties for the Arians in the East.
The early Church had continuous debates on the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Trinity; some of the most fervent were about the nature of the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit one and equal of the Trinity or a derivative not equal? Our belief is the former; however, in the fourth century, that question was not settled until the Council of Nicea, which prevented a violent schism of the Church. From the Council comes the creed we say every Sunday as a sign of the unity of the Church. So as we pray the creed let us remember how we are connected with other churches around the world, professing our belief in God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Epiphany Blessings,
Father Eric