Jan 15 – S Paul 1st Hermit

It’s the Feast of St. Paul, First Hermit, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: “The Education of the Children”, today’s news from the Church: “First Cristero Congress in Cancún”, a preview of the Sermon: “Challenges and Remedies for Families Today”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.

Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [e-mail] Sources Used Today:

• “The Education of the Children” – From Epiphany to Lent
  • https://angeluspress.org/products/epiphany-to-lent
  
  
• “First Cristero Congress in Cancún” (FSSPX.news)
  • https://fsspx.news/en/news/mexico-first-cristero-congress-cancun-56547
  
  
• “Challenges and Remedies for Families Today” (SSPX Sermons)
  • SSPX YouTube: Sermons Playlist
  • Listen & Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast
  
  
• The Spiritual Life – Archbishop Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
  • https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop
  
  

Saint Paul the First Hermit stands at the very beginning of Christian monastic history, a figure wrapped in silence whose life shaped centuries of desert spirituality. He lived in the third and fourth centuries, during a time of violent persecution, when choosing solitude was not escapism but a radical act of trust in God. Born into a wealthy Christian family in Egypt around the year 230, Paul was well educated and devout from an early age. When persecution broke out under Emperor Decius, he fled into the desert to avoid being forced to renounce his faith. What began as flight soon became vocation.

Paul settled deep in the wilderness near the Red Sea, dwelling in a cave beside a spring and a palm tree that provided food and clothing. According to tradition, he lived there in complete solitude for nearly ninety years. His life was one of prayer, fasting, and quiet endurance. Bread was brought to him daily by a raven, an image that later became inseparable from his story. Paul did not seek visions, disciples, or recognition. His holiness matured in hiddenness, shaped by constancy rather than intensity. He became a living witness that communion with God does not require structures or crowds, only faithfulness.

Late in Paul’s life, God sent him a visitor. Saint Anthony of Egypt, already known as a father of monks, was led to Paul’s cave by divine prompting. Their meeting is one of the most tender scenes in early Christian literature. The two old