SAINT SHARBEL: A SAINT FOR ALL SEASONS

SAINT SHARBEL: A SAINT FOR ALL SEASONS

 
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?  - Matthew 24:45

Saint Sharbel certainly lived a life that answered this question about who is a wise servant.  His faithfulness to his Christian calling and his monastic vocation, inspired many people during his life, from many faiths, and he continues to bless many as an intercessor before the throne of God.  He is a saint for all seasons, for all cultures, and for all the ecclesiastical communities that make up the universal church. Saint Sharbel was a child of Lebanon, but a gift to the world.   

Biography

Saint Sharbel (sometimes rendered in English as Charbel) Makhlouf was born in the land of the ancient Cedars of Lebanon, in the northern Lebanese town of Bekaa Kafra, on the 8th of May, in 1828.  The small town in which he was born, over 5000 feet above sea level, was made up of primarily families of simple economic means but richly devout in their faith.  For example, Sharbel himself had two uncles who were already living the monastic life when he was born.  

Sharbel was baptized as Youssef (Joseph) Antoun Makhlouf, he was the fifth child, with two older brothers and two older sisters in his family.  Sadly, when he was only three years of age, his father died after returning from his conscripted duty in the Turkish military.  

Having been nicknamed the saint by the citizens of his village, at the age of twenty-three, Youssef decided to enter the monastic life at the monastery in Mayfouk. For his religious name he took, or was given, the name Sharbel; after Saint Sharbel of Edessa, who was martyred in 107 during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Trajan.  Sharbel’s final profession as a monk was in 1853, after completing his formation at the monastery of Annaya.  

Another future saint, Abouna Nemtallah Kassab El-Hardini was the theology professor of Saint Sharbel and his fellow monks, until he was ordained in July of 1859.  For sixteen years he lived a life of great austerity and prayer in the monastery of Annaya. In 1875 he was granted permission of moving to the hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul on a hill in Annaya.  There he lived a life of prayer and contemplation for twenty-three years, only leaving at times at the request of his superiors to visit the sick who asked for him.  He entered eternal life on Christmas Eve 1898, after suffering from a stroke while celebrating the Divine Liturgy.  His religious superior wrote in the monastic records of the community:

“On the 24th day of the month of December 1898, Father Sharbel, the hermit of Bekaa Kafra, died after suffering a stroke and receiving the Sacraments of the dying. He was buried in the monastery’s cemetery. He was sixty-eight years old. Father Antonios Mishimshany was the superior of the monastery. What God will perform after his death will be sufficient proof of his exemplary behavior in the observance of his vows, to a degree such that we can say that his obedience was angelic, not human.” - familylifeofsaintsharbel.org

Miracles

From the moment of his passing, miraculous events surrounded the tomb and remains of Saint Sharbel; miracles not just for the benefit of the Maronite Catholic  faithful, but for the whole Church and for the whole world.  Indeed, it was in death that Sharbel became a saint for all seasons and for all peoples, even non-Christians.  

For sixty-five years after his death his body continued to bleed and perspire, many who made pilgrimages to his tomb were healed, even members of the Islamic religion.  

At the close of the Second Vatican Council, Sharbel was beatified by Pope Saint Paul VI, for the confirmed healings of Sister Maria Abel Kamari and Mr. Alessandro Obeid. His canonization was also presided over by Pope Saint Paul VI on the 9th of October 1977.  For the canonization to happen, the healing from throat cancer of Miriam Awad was accepted as valid and therefore fulfilled the requirements for sainthood.  

Today there are over 33,000 healing miracles kept in the records of the monastery of Saint Maron-Annaya in Lebanon and many more documented in other parts of the world.  

Teachings

Although Saint Sharbel spent the majority of his life as a monk, he understood the value of family life.  He remarked that, “every family is a Holy Family.” Also, “safeguard the warmth of the family, because all the warmth of the world will not make up for it.”  These words still ring true for today, especially as the breakdown of traditional family life is shown to be a major cause of the emotional illnesses suffered by youth today.  The Holy Family was the model of a loving family, where the rich bonds of love and self-sacrifice, outweigh material wealth.    

His teachings also emphasize the importance of prayer.  He said, “pray to soften heartened hearts, to open darkened minds.” Also he was aware of the growing laxity concerning prayer in his time, only excelerated in our own time; “a man who prays lives out the mystery of existence, and a man who does not pray scarcely exists.” Sharbel shared the fruits of his own years of contemplation; “persevere in prayer without ceasing..to understand and live according to his will, not to change it.”

Sharbel taught that, “success in life consists of standing without shame before God.” This entails living a life of repentance and seeking to know, love, and serve God.  He wrote, “by your prayers you can bring down the rain of mercy.” As we all stand before God, who knows the truth of our lives, we can be transformed by seeking and accepting the mercy of God.  

Ultimately, Saint Sharbel realized that God calls us to be Christ-like, therefore, to be people of love.  He taught,“if a person does not turn into love, he dies.” The person dies because without love they cease to be the image and likeness of God, of being like Christ, and this leads to the death.

Conclusion

Fr. Louis Mater, the coordinator of the Shrine of St. Sharbel in Annaya, Lebanon once remarked to a Catholic news reporter that, “Saint Sharbel has no geographic or confessional limits.  Nothing is impossible for (his intercession) and when people ask (for something), he answers.  

Saint Sharbel is a saint for all seasons and for all peoples, he shows that the power of God resides where there is humility, simplicity, and Christ-like love.

(Rev.) David A. Fisher