Byzantine Saints: Venerable Paul of Thebes (15 January)

About this sermon

On January 15, the Church commemorates Venerable St Paul of Thebes, recognized as the first desert hermit and one of the earliest fathers of Christian monasticism. Born in Egypt around 227 AD, St Paul was orphaned at a young age and suffered persecution during the reign of Emperor Decius. When he learned of a plot to betray him to the authorities, he fled into the wilderness of the Thebaid, where he lived in a mountain cave for 91 years, dedicating his life entirely to unceasing prayer, fasting, and communion with God. Sustained by dates and half a loaf of bread brought daily by a raven, and clothed in woven palm leaves, St Paul lived in complete solitude until God revealed his existence to St Anthony the Great. Their meeting remains one of the most powerful accounts in Christian hagiography. As St Paul approached death, angels received his soul in glory, and two lions miraculously dug his grave, bearing witness to his holiness. His life was later recorded by St Jerome, ensuring his legacy for generations of believers. Though he founded no monastery himself, his example inspired countless ascetics, filling the Egyptian desert with monastic communities. St Paul of Thebes is honored as the Father of Christian Hermits. 📅 Feast Day: January 15 📖 Life written by: St Jerome ⚠️ Not to be confused with St Paul the Simple (October 4) 00:00 Introduction & January 15 Commemoration 00:21 Birth of St Paul of Thebes in Egypt 00:33 Persecution under Emperor Decius 00:46 Flight into the Desert 00:50 Life in the Mountain Cave 01:05 Revelation to St Anthony the Great 01:24 Meeting of St Paul and St Anthony 01:42 The Raven and the Bread Miracle 01:50 Foretelling of St Paul’s Death 02:09 Vision of St Paul’s Soul Ascending 02:31 Lions Dig the Saint’s Grave 02:45 St Anthony Keeps the Palm Garment 02:59 Legacy of Desert Monasticism 03:08 Translation of Relics 03:27 Clarification with St Paul the Simple https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SensusFidelium.TV - https://sensusfidelium.tv/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StPaulOfThebes #DesertFathers #OrthodoxSaints #ChristianMonasticism #OrthodoxChristianity #SaintsOfTheChurch #LifeOfTheSaints #StAnthonyTheGreat #EarlyChristianity #AsceticLife #January15 #OrthodoxFeast #DesertHermit