Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you. Today, the Church invites us to contemplate the life of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, a quiet and hidden saint from the mountains of Lebanon. He lived a life of such humility, silence, and devotion that even in death, God chose to reveal his holiness to the world. His story is both simple and astonishing.
Sharbel was born in 1828 in a remote Lebanese village and was drawn from an early age to prayer and solitude. At 23, he entered the monastic life and later became a priest of the Maronite Church, one of the Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Pope and the universal Church. The Maronite Church traces its roots to the early Christians of Lebanon and Syria, shaped by the monastic tradition of Saint Maron, a 4th-century hermit. Though fully Catholic, the Maronites preserve their own liturgy, spiritual customs, and language traditions, including Syriac and Arabic, all while sharing in the same sacraments and faith we profess.
Saint Sharbel’s life reflected the best of that rich spiritual heritage. For the final 23 years of his life, he lived as a hermit, entirely devoted to prayer, silence, and the Eucharist. He lived in a small stone cell near the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya. His days were marked by manual labour, fasting, and a deep interior union with Christ.
His life brings to mind today’s reading from Sirach, which tells us: “The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself, and you will find favour with God.”
Sharbel did just that. He had no public acclaim, no great following, and no worldly possessions. Like Saint Peter in the Gospel today, he could honestly say: “We have given up everything and followed you.” And just as Jesus promised, he received a hundredfold and inherited eternal life.
But even more remarkable is what happened after his death in 1898. Strange lights were seen above his grave. When monks opened the tomb, they found his body incorrupt—flexible, moist, and emitting a mysterious fluid, despite no embalming and harsh burial conditions. Over time, thousands of healings and miracles were reported around the world through his intercession—some medically documented and completely unexplainable.
And yet, these wonders point us back to something deeper. They do not glorify Sharbel for his own sake, but rather confirm what Psalm 15 tells us: “The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.”
Sharbel was not just buried on a mountain—he lived on the mountain of God’s presence. In silence, in humility, and in love. His life is a beautiful fulfilment of the Beatitude we heard before the Gospel: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” So what does Saint Sharbel teach us today? In a world obsessed with visibility, he reminds us of the power of hidden faithfulness. In a culture rushing after comfort, he shows us the peace found in sacrifice and simplicity. And in an age full of noise, he shows us that silence with God is not empty—it is full.
You may feel that your own daily sacrifices, your quiet prayers, or your hidden acts of love are unseen—but they are not forgotten by God. Saint Sharbel reminds us that the Lord sees what is hidden and honours those who live humbly for Him.
Let us turn to Saint Sharbel today, and ask for his prayers: For healing—spiritual, emotional, and physical; For peace in Lebanon, the Middle East, and in our own families; For a renewal of holiness in the Church; And for the grace to seek God more deeply in the silence of our hearts.
Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, faithful son of the Maronite Church, humble priest and hermit, pray for us. May we follow your example and so one day enter into eternal paradise to be with God forever.
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