Read entire reflection online >>>

July 24: Saint Sharbel (Charbel) Makhlūf, Priest, Hermit—Optional Memorial

1828–1898
Patron Saint of Lebanon
Canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 9, 1977
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Yes, the kind of holiness practiced by Charbel Makhlouf is of great weight, not only for the glory of God, but for the vitality of the Church…Pastors are needed, who gather the people of God…We need theologians…evangelizers and missionaries…catechists…people who are directly dedicated to helping their brothers…But we also need people who offer themselves as victims for the salvation of the world, in a freely accepted penance, in an unceasing prayer of intercession…in a passionate search for the Absolute, testifying that God is worth worshiping and loving for himself. The lifestyle of these religious, of these monks, of these hermits is not offered to everyone as an imitable charisma; but in their pure state, in a radical way, they embody a spirit from which no faithful of Christ is exempt, they exercise a function which the Church cannot do without, they remind us of a salutary way for all. ~Pope Paul VI, Homily for the canonization of Saint Sharbel

Prayer:
Saint Sharbel, you were called into the solitary life of a monk and then a hermit, and you responded. You kept your eyes upon Christ, and He transformed your humble soul into a glorious beacon of light for the world to see. Please pray for me, that I will receive the grace I need to be faithful to the vocation God has given me and that I will respond with the same generosity and commitment that you manifested in your earthly life. Saint Sharbel, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source of content: mycatholic.life
Copyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Main image, public domain via Wikipedia Commons