“Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Mt 13:43)
Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ,
Between prayer, silence and work, lies a story called “Charbel”, a man “drunk in God” and still is! Yet the whole world is now drunk in his love and intercession! On the ninth Sunday of Pentecost, we continue our journey with the Holy Spirit who assures us, once more, that the Lord Jesus is still with his people and his Church through many signs, including his saints, as the Universal Church celebrates today, along with the Maronite Church, the feast of our great saint, Charbel.
Charbel might be one of the most silent saints, but he is also one of the most active workers in the vineyard of the Lord! The years pass whilst his sanctity is increasing! Humanity’s pains intensify whilst his halo is expanding! He left this world a long time ago, yet he is filling it with his presence! What’s the secret behind this majesty?
The majesty of this Saint is summarised in his three characteristics: prayer, silence and work. That is how he lived before becoming a monk, during his monastic life and afterwards, where he is now. Since childhood in his humble village of Bekaa Kafra until he died at the hermitage of Annaya, Charbel was a distinctive sign at his home, monastery and community. He lived in sanctity through the poverty of his family first and then through maintaining the monastic virtues of chastity, obedience and poverty in his convent. He renounced the world but the Lord filled it with many graces from his intercession. He chose the better share, and the Lord chose him to be amongst his most generous intercessors. From mount of Bekaa Kafra to the mount of hermitage in Annaya, and then to the mount of heaven, high peaks upon which Charbel landed with his humble body and giant spirit. Here he is now moving between the peaks of our passions and ailments, healing, appeasing and guiding. He never asked for money or power, never boasted in anything he did, never flexed his muscles because of anything he achieved, never asked for glory for himself or for his name to be immortalised. Yet, look where he is now!
The fragrance of his holiness is filling the earth. Everyone knows who Charbel is, that “simple, poor hermit at the heights of the mountains”, he is the great Saint to whom the Lord never says no. Why is that? Because the Lord is true to his word! Wasn’t him who said that the upright would shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father?
Saint Charbel was “drunk in God” and in love with the Lord Jesus, so he shone like a sun in the Kingdom of heaven.
Everyone of us, beloved brothers and sisters, can be a saint like Charbel. He was “one of us, lived in our midst and the son of our country.” But we have to choose between the glory of this ephemeral world or the eternal glory in heaven. The right choice starts by living like Saint Charbel, in prayer, silence and work, for our own good and the good of our community.
On the parish news, the work in the grotto area is continuing. I would like to thank all the people involved especially the members of the Stewardship Committee. On Wednesday 11 July, the teens had their gathering with more than 200 of them took part in the activities. This was a blessing and a good sign for the future of our parish. A big thank you to the Committee’s Chaplain Fr Danny Nouh and to all the Teens’ leaders. The preparations for the feast of our parish are continuing. There will be a meeting on Tuesday 31 July 8.00 pm at the pastoral centre for all volunteers who would like to assist on all levels. I would like to encourage our youths to join us. I wish you all a blessed feast.
