Saint of the Month - December 2012: Saint Charbel Makhlouf

St. Charbel Makhlouf

Man of Silence & Virtue

Feast: December 24th

Youssef ("Joseph") Makhlouf was born on May 8, 1828, to a poor Lebanese family.  Being a pious boy, he entertained thoughts of one day becoming a religious but his family opposed his plans and put obstacles along his vocational path.

At age 23, Youssef secretly left his home and entered the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, where he became a monk and a hermit for the rest of his long life.  He chose for his religious name, “Charbel”, after an early Christian Martyr who lived and died in the area.  As a testimony to his resolve to follow God, when his family discovered his whereabouts, his mother went to the monastery in an attempt to convince him to return home; he flatly refused and had his superiors send her away.

At Annaya, Charbel distinguished himself through his fervent practice of the faith, his habitual silence, and his immense devotion to the Holy Eucharist.  His reputation for holiness spread beyond the walls of the monastery and many sought him out for guidance and blessings.  His clients were hardly disappointed, as many came away from his presence comforted or physically and/or spiritually healed of their ailments… or a recipient of some other favor Charbel had performed on their behalf.

In his final years, the holy monk obtained permission to live as a solitary hermit and continued to practice strict self-discipline and mortifications - i.e. fasting, wearing a hair shirt, sleeping on the ground with a log for a pillow, etc. - until his death from a stroke in December 1898.

After his burial, the other monks and the townspeople witnessed a brilliant light which emanated for several days above his grave.  The excitement caused by the luminous display, along with the reported healings that were happening at the tomb, prompted the monks to exhume Charbel’s body to transfer it to a worthier tomb – to their amazement, the body was found completely incorrupt and as flexible as a living person.  The body also began "sweating" a mysterious liquid (manna) that occasioned healings for those who invoked the dead monk’s intercession.

Charbel was elevated to the ranks of the Saints in October, 1977, and his monastery at Annaya continues to attract pilgrims from all over the world, Christians and non-Christians alike.  

Although his body is no longer preserved, and the manna has since ceased to flow, miracles are still reported at St. Charbel's tomb.  In fact, it's one of the most visited religious sites in Lebanon.  May he pray for our personal needs and the needs of the entire Church.

A Reflection
Saints are the special friends of God... and when we befriend the Saints, we also befriend God.

A Short Prayer
Dear St. Charbel, help us to practice holy silence that we may listen more clearly to the words and inspirations of God.  Amen.