Devotion

Once Epiphanius the bishop from Cyprus sent a message to Hilarion, and asked him, "Come, let me see you before I die."

When they had met and greeted each other, part of a chicken was set before them. The bishop took it and gave it to Hilarion. The hermit said to him, "No, thank you, abba. From the time I took the habit, I have not eaten anything that has been killed."

Epiphanius said to him, "From the time I took the habit, I have let no one go to sleep who still had something against me, and I have never gone to sleep with an enemy in the world."

Hilarion said to him, "I beg your pardon. Your devotion is greater than mine."

~~Devotion II by Poon Tai To

Pray Without Ceasing

Bishop Epiphanius of Cyprus, of holy memory, was told this by the abbot of his monastery in Palestine:

"By your prayers we have our rule; we carefully observe the offices of terce, sext, none and vespers."

But Epiphanius rebuked him and said, "Then you are failing to pray at other times. The true monk ought to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17). He should always be singing psalms in his heart."

~~ Illustration from A Child's Book of Saints (1898) by William Canton (1845-1926)