Lives of the Saints: St. Charbel Makhluf

Our lives can be so fast paced and noisy that we sometimes forget to find God in quiet moments. It may even become hard for us to believe that God can work in silent stillness. We spend so much time doing that we forget to be; we forget that God is greater than any of our own actions! In our busy world, the life of a monk may seem out of place-even boring-but it was through a monk, St. Charbel, that God worked fantastic miracles.

St. Charbel was born Youssef Zaroun Makhluf in a village in the mountains of Lebanon in 1828. He lived an ordinary life, attending school and studying the Christian faith. He loved to pray and admired the Blessed Mother very much. At a young age, Youssef recognized that God was calling him to enter the monastery. Two of Youssef’s uncles were monks, and he was fascinated by the way they lived.

Even though Youssef’s parents wanted him to marry a young woman in his village, he decided to join the Lady of Mayfouk monastery. After a year of study, Youssef joined the Lebanese Maronite Order and chose the name Charbel, after a second century martyr. In 1853, he took his monastic vows: obedience, chastity and poverty. After completing his studies, Charbel became a priest and lived at the monastery of St. Maron for 16 years.

He devoted himself entirely to prayer and gave up all worldly possessions. He even began to make long retreats to a hermitage to be alone in silent prayer. After a while, he asked his superior if he could live in a hermitage permanently to better pray and serve God, and his superior said yes.

For 23 years, Charbel lived alone in silence. He prayed long hours and fell completely in love with Jesus. While saying Mass on December 1898, Charbel had a stroke. After 8 difficult days, he died.

But God wasn’t finished with him yet. Many miracles began to happen at St. Charbel’s grave, and pilgrims from all over Lebanon-and eventually the world-came to be healed. St. Charbel even began appearing to those who were sick, healing them and offering them wisdom.

Pope Paul VI beatified Charbel after the Second Vatican Council. The Holy Father noted how important St. Charbel’s example of prayer, penance and simplicity is for each of us in a world so focused on wealth and power.

Pope Pius VI said this about St. Charbel: “May he make us understand, in a world largely fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of poverty, penance and asceticism, to liberate the soul in its ascent to God.” What role does a monastic lifestyle have to play in our own efforts to live out global solidarity in the world? How can you make these lessons a part of your own spirituality?