[Gulf Goans] St. Sharbel Makhlouf - the second St. Anthony of the Desert

Sun, 24 Jul 2005 08:57:09 -0700

July 24, 2005
St. Sharbel Makhlouf
(1828-1898)

Although this saint never traveled far from the Lebanese village of Beka-Kafra, where he was born, his influence has spread widely.

Joseph Zaroun Maklouf was raised by an uncle because his father, a mule driver, died when Joseph was only three. At the age of 23, Joseph joined the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, Lebanon, and took the name Sharbel in honor of a second-century martyr. He professed his final vows in 1853 and was ordained six years later.

Following the example of the fifth-century St. Maron, Sharbel lived as a hermit from 1875 until his death. His reputation for holiness prompted people to seek him to receive a blessing and to be remembered in his prayers. He followed a strict fast and was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament. When his superiors occasionally asked him to administer the sacraments to nearby villages, Sharbel did so gladly.

He died in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Christians and non-Christians soon made his tomb a place of pilgrimage and of cures. Pope Paul VI beatified him in 1965 and canonized him in 1977.

Comment:

Pope John Paul II has often said that the Church has two lungs (East and West) and it must learn to breathe using both of them. Remembering saints like Sharbel helps the Church to appreciate both the diversity and unity present in the Catholic Church. Like all the saints, Sharbel points us to God and invites us to cooperate generously with God's grace, no matter what our situation in life may be. As our prayer life becomes deeper and more honest, we become more ready to make that generous response.

Quote:

When Sharbel was canonized in 1977, Bishop Francis Zayek, head the U.S. Diocese of St. Maron, wrote a pamphlet entitled “A New Star of the East.” Bishop Zayek wrote: “St. Sharbel is called the second St. Anthony of the Desert, the Perfume of Lebanon, the first Confessor of the East to be raised to the Altars according to the actual procedure of the Catholic Church, the honor of our Aramaic Antiochian Church, and the model of spiritual values and renewal. Sharbel is like a Cedar of Lebanon standing in eternal prayer, on top of a mountain.”

The bishop noted that Sharbel's canonization plus other beatification cases prove “that the Aramaic Maronite Antiochian Church is indeed a living branch of the Catholic Church and is intimately connected with the trunk, who is Christ, our Savior, the beginning and the end of all things.”


(This entry appears in the print edition of Saint of the Day.)


This first of its kind Gulf-Goans e-newsletter is dedicated to Goans around the Globe. http://www.goa-world.com/ Team and founders are always the first to get you in the limelight - in the field of sports, politics, social, cultural, educational, other actitivity(ies) or to the benefit of Goans and Goa via its news services from professional journalists and supporters based in Gulf countries and worldwide. It is moderated by AlmeidaGaspar since 1994, and presented by Ulysses Menezes, owner of http://www.goa-world.com website. Any and all postings from Goans are welcomed - be it a Goan business enterprise, a Goan event/programme of cultural heritage, or of a personal nature. Thanks for the support to Goa and Goans.
Support the less fortunate: http://www.goa-world.com/goa/smtmem/
Upcoming Konkani Musical Show in Kuwait:
Comedian Philip's "TUM VHOIR AUM SOKOL" on 16th Sept. 2005.
Book early to avoid disappointment.

Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page

http://www.goa-world.com
http://www.live365.com/stations/61664 Live Konkani Music
http://www.mahableshwar.com/


Addresses:
Post message: [email protected]
Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
List owner: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
URL to this page:
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans




YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS



Reply via email to