Homily: July 24 - St. Charbel Mahkluf, Priest & Hermit

St. Charbel was a Maronite Catholic, born in a small mountain village in north Lebanon in 1828.  His peasant family lived a strong faith, they attended Divine Liturgy devoutly and had a great devotion to the Mother of God.

Charbel spent his early years as a shepherd, and spent much time in quiet reflection and prayer.  At age 23, he joined the monastery of St. Maron, was ordained a priest, and lived as a hermit until his death in 1898.  His deepest desire was to live a life of prayer and solitude where he could focus his attention on Christ.

Known for his holiness, his strict austerity, penances, obedience, and chastity. People from surrounding villages would come to him to receive a blessing and ask for his prayers.
At the closing of the Second Vatican Council, on December 5, 1965 Charbel was beatified by Blessed Pope Paul VI who said:

"...a hermit of the Lebanese mountain is inscribed in the number of the blessed...a new eminent member of monastic sanctity is enriching, by his example and his intercession, the entire Christian people... 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..."
During this Year of Consecrated Life, we do well to consider the example and seek the prayers of Saints like Charbel: to consider how each of us are called to Gospel poverty, penance and reparation for the sins of the world, solitude in order to seek Christ above all.

We are not all called to be hermits, but the hermits remind us that each of us does need a great love of quiet and solitude in which we can seek the heart of Christ and the face of God.  Jesus himself would often go to quiet deserted places in order to seek His Father’s Will.  We too must go to God in solitude, every day, to be refreshed.

The hermits are witnesses that the kingdom of noise and distraction of our digital age is not the true kingdom.  The graces of the true kingdom—prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice, faith, hope, and love— are found when we withdraw from distraction in prayer.

May St. Charbel and the holy consecrated hermits continue to enrich the Church by their, meditation, silence and penance, and teach us to seek first the kingdom of God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.