Saint Paula

🌿 Introduction about Saint Paula:
Pope Shenouda III spoke about Saint Paula, a noble and wealthy woman who was married and had a daughter, Saint Eustochium. After her husband’s death, she devoted her life to God and followed Saint Jerome, who guided her toward the path of monasticism.

🏡 Her Monastic Life:
Saint Jerome built her a convent in Bethlehem, where she became the abbess. Her daughter Eustochium joined her in a life of monastic devotion, and after Saint Paula’s departure, her daughter succeeded her as head of the convent.

📜 Her Relationship with Saint Jerome:
Saint Paula was one of Saint Jerome’s most devoted disciples. He wrote spiritual letters about her and her daughter, one of which began with a meditation on the psalm verse:

“Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house, for the Lord has desired your beauty; He is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.”
Saint Jerome interpreted this as a call for the human soul to forget the world and live only for God.

🕊 The Message of Monasticism and Detachment:
Pope Shenouda clarified that Saint Jerome’s letter was not addressed to youth, as some thought, but rather about monasticism, asceticism, and dying to the worldly life for the sake of full dedication to God. Saint Paula embodied this spirit by leaving behind wealth and earthly glory to live in humility and spiritual service.

🌺 The Spiritual Lesson:
From Saint Paula’s life, we learn the meaning of forsaking the world, complete dedication to God, and striving for purity and union with Christ. Her story also shows how the spirit of monasticism can pass from generation to generation, as a sacred spiritual legacy.