Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

The Gospel (Lk 5:1-11)

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

On January 15^th the Pauline Order honors a very special man of prayer whose name is St. Paul the First Hermit. The Pauline Fathers and Brothers are named after this holy man.

St. Paul lived in the 2^nd /3^rd century in Upper Egypt. He was born into a wealthy and noble family. During the persecution of Christians, he fled into the desert. While in the desert he enjoyed the surrounding so much that he decided to spend the rest of his life in the secluded wilderness. According to tradition St. Paul spent nearly 100 years in the desert in prayer and contemplation of God.

He lived in a cave. According to the tradition every day a raven used to bring him a loaf of bread. Next to this rocky grotto a brook of fresh water flowed by. It gave much refreshment.

Before he died another holy man paid him a short visit. It was St. Anthony the Abbot the  father of the desert and founder of the hermitical life in Egypt. Both holy men prayed together. It was their last meeting. After the departure of St. Anthony St. Paul died in the position of praying. When St. Paul died, the lions came and dug up the grave for his burial. The fame of this holy man of prayer spread rapidly throughout the region.

The hermitical life became very popular among the first Christians. Their life style reached the Bałkan countries, especially Hungary and Croatia. This is the beginning of the Pauline Order.

The first hermits in Hungary, encouraged by the local Bishop, decided to live a community life. It was the beginning of the Monastic life of the Pauline Fathers, the spiritual sons of St. Paul the First Hermit.

In the 13^th century the Hermits asked the Holy Sea in Rome for the approval of their rule and first constitutions. The approval was granted. The Pauline Order spread very quickly throughout Bałkan countries, Germany and reached even the Baltic countries.

The Pauline Fathers arrived in Poland in 1382 to take care of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Częstochowa that was brought to Poland at the same year by Prince Ladislaus of Opole. God in his Divine Providence has entrusted to them the care of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Częstochowa and its Shrine in Poland. The Pauline Fathers arrived in this country in 1951. In 1955 the first chapel of Our Lady of Częstochowa was officially blessed and opened to the public.

On June 26, 2005 we celebrated the golden jubilee of the foundation of the shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, known today as the "National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa.

Saint Luke the Evangelist, according to tradition, is believed to be the original artist of this painting in which Mary is depicted holding the Christ Child. This sacred picture, enshrined and venerated at the renowned Marian Shrine in Poland, was first brought from Jerusalem through Constantinople and was bestowed to the Princess of Ruthenia. It was brought to Poland in 1382 through the efforts of Ladislaus of Opole who had discovered it in a castle at Belz. To ensure its protection, he invited the Monks of Saint Paul the First Hermit from Hungary to be its guardians.

From this time onward, the historic records of the painting are documented and authenticated by the miracles associated with the painting. In 1430, a devastating attack on the Polish Shrine resulted in tragic losses and the damaging of the holy picture. To this very day, despite the attempts to repair the damage, the slashes on the face of the Virgin Mary are still visible.

The foundation of the Monastery and Shrine in Czestochowa began with a small wooden church. Subsequent development (1632-48) led to the construction of the present day basilica and defense wall which surrounds the sacred buildings. Under the heroic leadership of the Prior of the Monastery, Father Augustine Kordecki, the Shrine withstood the attacks of the Swedish Invasion of 1655. This great victory proved to be a tremendous boost to the morale of the entire Polish nation.

As a result, King Jan Casimir, in 1656, made a solemn vow proclaiming the Mother of God to be the "Queen of the Polish Crown" and the Shrine of Jasna Gora to be the "Mount of Victory" and a spiritual capital for Poland.

During the years of Poland's partition (1772-1918) the Shrine of Jasna Gora became a vibrant link for the Polish people with their homeland. The holy painting enshrined at Czestochowa beamed as a lighthouse of hope during the painful years of national hardships and defeats.

Following the restoration of national independence in 1918, pilgrimages to the Polish Shrine grew in number and size. As World War II ended, a nation devastated by the scourges of war drew new strength and courage from the Shrine to rebuild and recover from the war. Today the Shrine of Czestochowa in Poland attracts millions of worshipers and tourists who come to honor the miraculous image of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

In 1966, in celebration of the 1000th Anniversary of Poland's Christianity, a National Shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa was dedicated in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and is under the direction of the Pauline Fathers and Brothers who also administer the Shrine in Poland.