Obedience lived in joy

Saint Charbel embraced obedience as a true path to God. From the moment he entered the monastery, he chose to renounce his own will in order to follow that of his superiors, which he saw as a direct expression of the divine will. This obedience was never coerced or passive, but freely chosen, lived in peace and humility.

When he was asked to do a task, no matter how arduous or repetitive, he carried it out without a murmur, with application. His heart was not turned towards gratitude, but towards the love of Christ. In this way, he showed that Christian obedience, when lived in trust, becomes an act of love capable of transforming daily life.

Silence, gateway to the mystery

One of Saint Charbel's most striking virtues is silence. It is not an empty silence, but an inhabited silence, nourished by the Word of God. Through this silence, Charbel sought to listen more deeply: God, first of all, but also the suffering of men.

In his hermitage at Annaya, he lived far from the noise of the world, but his silence was not an escape. It was a response. He chose to be silent in order to pray better, to make himself available to the Holy Spirit, and to unite himself with the silence of Christ in his Passion. His silence bore fruit: it soothed, it inspired, it healed.

Today, this silence still touches pilgrims: in front of his tomb or simply looking at his image, many experience an inner peace, as if Saint Charbel were whispering to them that silence is not empty, but full of God.

A holiness rooted in the ordinary

Charbel's holiness is nothing extraordinary at first glance. He did not preach, direct great works or write treatises. He prayed, he worked, he fasted, he obeyed. And yet it was in this fidelity to small things that God raised him.

His hidden life is a reminder that holiness does not consist in doing much, but in loving much in what we do. Through every gesture, every Mass, every silence, he offered his whole person to God. His union with Christ was so strong that even after his death, his body manifested mysterious signs, and thousands of miracles were attributed to his intercession.

Charbel's holiness teaches us that everyone, even in a simple life, can become light for the world.

Prayer to receive the virtues of Saint Charbel

Saint Charbel,

you who chose obedience with gentleness,

silence with love,

and holiness in daily life,

come to light our way.

Help us to listen to God's voice in our lives,

to say "yes" where he calls us,

to be silent when we need to pray,

and to love even in the little things.

May your example teach us to live for God alone,

with humility, perseverance and faith.

Saint Charbel, monk of Lebanon,

be our guide on the path of virtue.

Amen.