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Saint Charbel


On May 8, 1828 in a mountain village of Bekaa-kafra, the highest village in the near-east, Charbel was born to a poor Maronite family. Yussef, who later took the name Charbel, was the youngest of five children born to Antoun Zaarour Makhlouf and Brigitta Elias al-Shediyaq. His siblings were Hanna, Beshara, Koun and Warde (Sfeir 1995: 15). His father died when he was three years old. Like many of the Christians from the Lebanese Mountain, his father had been taken away from his family [by the Turks] and forced into hard labor. Antoun was required to transport the harvest on his donkey to the Emir (Prince) (ibid. 1995: 25-26). On his way back to his hometown, he developed a high fever and subsequently died. Because Antoun was buried in Gherfeen, near Byblos, where he had fallen ill, his family was unable to pay its last respects. (ibid. 1995: 26; Hayek 1956: 28-29)

With his father's premature death, his mother became responsible for the welfare of her five children during another brutal period. She was a pious woman of strong character. In Bekaa-Kafra, Brigitta was renowned for daily fasting and praying the rosary. She was engaged in silk weaving like many other women of the village. (Hayek 1956: 36)

Upon the death of their father and in accordance with the custom of the times, Youssef and his siblings were placed under the guardianship of their paternal uncle, Tanious Zaarour Makhlouf. Two years later, the widowed Brigitta married Deacon Lahoud, son of Girgis Ibrahim Makhlouf, who later became a priest under the name of Abdel-Ahad. She had two more children, Noah and Tannous. (Sfeir 1995: 26)

Father Abdel-Ahad, Brigitta and the children lived together as a devout Christian family. Brigitta continued to raise her children with love, faith and piety. The future saint and his siblings were used to prayer, fasting and attending Mass every day. Under the care of his stepfather, Yussef grew spiritually as he assisted him at Mass and in serving the community. (Sfeir 1995: 37)

Yussef studied at the parish school and tended the family cow. He spent a great deal of time outdoors in the fields and pastures near his village and he meditated amid the inspiring views of boundless valleys and proud mountains. Outdoor work suited him perfectly because it allowed him to pray and meditate. He spent many hours in prayer at a grotto near the pastures. Around 1845, the village people named it "the Grotto of the Saint" even before he had decided to become a monk. (Sfeir 1995: 37)

Yussef had several good role models within his family. In addition to his pious parents and his stepfather, his maternal uncles Augustin and Daniel al-Shediyaq were hermits at the monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya in the Qadisha Valley, also called the Valley of Saints. He would visit them, follow their example and accept their guidance. He was so impressed by his uncles' devotion that his uncle Tanious and his mother were worried he would follow in their footsteps. Often, he said that he wanted to become a monk, but his uncle and mother were completely opposed and tried to change his mind. (Sfeir 1995: 49-50)

Yussef Becomes Brother Charbel
From early childhood, Yussef showed that he loved prayer and solitude. In 1851, without informing anyone, he left home. Tanious, his uncle and guardian, wanted Yussef to continue working with him. His mother wanted him to marry the young woman who loved him. (Daher 1952: 18-19; Sfeir 1995: 72-75)

When Yussef became Brother Charbel, he was filled with determination and walked all the way to his new home, "the monastery," his new family, "the Lebanese Maronite Order," and his new bride, "the Church." He followed in the footsteps of his maternal uncles, who were already hermits at the hermitage of Mar Boula (Saint Paul) in the Holy Valley of Qadisha, across from the Monastery of Our Lady of Qannobine. (Daher 1993:48-49)

The Lebanese Maronite Order of monks is the embodiment of the ancient eastern monasticism, which since early Christian times existed and thrived within widely dispersed, independent monasteries. In 1695, Lebanese Maronite monasticism was united under one order by the monk, 'Abdallah al-Qaraali, and his fellows (Khalife 1995: 1). During Saint Charbel's time, the Lebanese Maronite Order had over 1,000 monks out of a total Maronite population of about 300,000. (For information concerning the Maronite population in 1800s, see Mallah 1985: 22)

In 1853, two years after his novitiate, begun at Our Lady of Mayfouq and completed at the Monastery of Saint Maron in 'Annaya, the monastery council under the patronage of its Superior met to consider his request to become a monk. He was accepted and therefore would take the monastic vows. (Personal communication: interview with Reverend Hani Matar 1998)

At Mass on November 1, 1853 and in the presence of the superior, the novice master and the monks of the monastery, Charbel took the monastic vows. Neither the monk's family nor the public were allowed to attend this solemn occasion. Only the monastic family was present. (Matar 1998) During Mass, the Superior questioned the novice about his readiness to observe all his vows (Matar 1998). After giving affirmative replies, Yussef then pronounced his monastic oath: "I, Brother Charbel, promise God Almighty, in the presence of my Most Reverend Father General, to commit myself to obedience, chastity and voluntary poverty until death, according to our Rule and Order." (Saint Charbel Makhlouf 1989: 28)

After pronouncing his vows, his hair was cut to show his dedication. He was then dressed in the black monastic habit, the angelic cowl [hood], the belt of the Order, the tassel and the habit (Matar 1998). Each of these has its own special meaning and is an important symbol in the novitiate's transition to monkhood. Black represents dying to the world. The black garb means that the monk has withdrawn from the world and all things worldly. By wearing the habit --the cloth of the poor-- the monk proclaims his poverty. The angelic cowl is what the angel gave to Saint Anthony the Great. It symbolizes the purity of the monk, who has forsaken the world and renounced his desire for marriage and children. By wearing the cowl, the monk proclaims his chastity and celibacy --his total commitment to the will of God. The belt symbolizes the monk's fidelity and chastity. The black tassel reminds us of the whip used to scourge Jesus. Every time the monk touches the tassel, he says "With your pain, O Jesus Christ." The robe symbolizes the plea to God to protect the monk. It means that the monk is in God's care. (Matar 1998)

After being vested, Charbel carried a cross in his left hand in response to Christ's call to "take up your cross and follow me" (Mt 10:38) and a candle in his right hand to symbolize Christ, "the light of the world" (Mt 5:14). He was then led in a procession to the church to show the community's joy that it had a new member. (Matar 1998) Yussef was now Father Charbel, a name he took in honor of an earlier Saint Charbel, a martyr of the Antiochian Church. In wearing the monastic habit, cowl and belt, he was no longer part of the world or his family. Now he belonged to God and his community of monks. For formation and education, Charbel was transferred to the Monastery of Saints Yostina and Keprianos in Kfifan, the most important school of theology in Lebanon. He stayed there for six years, from 1853 to 1859, for studies in philosophy and theology. At Kfifan, he met two holy monks who were his teachers. They were Namatallah al-Kafri and Namatallah al-Hardini. The latter was a renowned and pious reformer whose imprint on the Order remains even today. Al-Hardini will be beatified by His Holiness John Paul II in Rome this coming May. (Hayek 1956: 56-59; Daher 1952: 51-55) Father al-Hardini became Charbel's spiritual mentor. As such, al-Hardini gave him a spiritual education and nurtured his deep love for holy monasticism. Father al-Hardini had a great influence upon Charbel. (Sfeir 1995: 147-166) Charbel was ordained a priest at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke in 1859. (Daher 1993: 77) His monastery was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchal Vicar who resided in Bkerke at the time. (Personal communication) After his ordination, Father Charbel returned to the Monastery of St. Maron. During his 19 years there, Charbel performed his priestly ministry and monastic duties in an edifying way. He dedicated himself totally to Christ to live, work and pray in silence. Charbel had said to his superior, "If you judge me worthy, give me the heaviest and most humiliating work." (Saint Charbel Makhlouf 1989: 31) As he had done at Kfifan, Charbel tilled, planted and harvested the crops of the community's land in Annaya. Indeed, working the land and engaging in manual labor formed the second element in monastic life after prayer: Ora et Labora (Hayek 1956: 50, 89-91).

Until just a few decades ago, the Maronite Patriarch himself did farm work. Working the land in the Maronite tradition --the temporal and the sacred-- embodies a level of mysticism best illustrated by Father Michel Hayek. "A Maronite," said Hayek, "works, builds, plants as if he is celebrating the liturgy. His whole economy has a sacramental taste and a liturgical savoring --the vine and the wheat for the bread and the wine of the Eucharist; the olive tree to make the holy oils; the mulberry plant to weave the altar cloth and the vestments for benediction. All of which are signs of the hereafter." (Hayek 1980: 197)

Charbel The Hermit
As he worked the land and performed manual labor at the monastery, he continued a life of purity, obedience and humility that has yet to be surpassed. In 1875, because he showed "supernatural power," he was granted permission to live as a hermit at the Hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul, which is near the monastery. This foreshadowed the true significance of 'Annaya which is a Syriac word meaning "hermit" or "anchorite". (Hayek 1956: 65)

The Hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul was built as a monastery in 1798 and became a hermitage in 1829 when the Order decided to build the Monastery of Saint Maron on a nearby property (Dagher 1988: 96, 104). The first monk to live as a hermit in this newly established hermitage was Father Alisha' al-Hardini, the brother of Namatallah al-Hardini who was Charbel's teacher and mentor at Kfifan. He was followed by Fathers Yohanna al-'Akoury, Yowakim al-Zouki, Libaous al-Ramati and Charbel Bekaa-Kafra. (Dagher 1988: 104-111) As a monk, Father Charbel learned and followed the rules of his Order to the letter, including:


He must say Mass and visit the chapel frequently night and day. He must pray, meditate and read the Holy Scriptures. He must do manual labor as a powerful remedy for many temptations, as a proof that he is not deserting his human obligations and in accordance with the stern injunction of Saint Paul: "If anyone will not work, neither let him eat." He must live a life of strict poverty." (Vincent 1992: 52; Benedict 1990: 76-77; St. Charbel Makhlouf 1989: 54-56; Daher 1965:103-107)


He did penance alone and in silence, for the rule states: The hermit can eat only one meal a day, which is sent by the monastery. He must never eat meat or drink wine. During Lent he can have only vegetables, with a little oil. He must not sleep more than five hours. He must observe strict silence. In case of necessity, he must speak briefly and in subdued tones. He must not leave the hermitage without the express consent of his superior (Vincent 1992: 52; Benedict 1990: 76-77; St. Charbel Makhlouf 1989: 54-56; Daher 1965:103-107). At the hermitage, Saint Charbel's companions were the Son of God, as encountered in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist, and the Blessed Mother. The Eucharist became the center of his life. Though this hermit did not have a place in the world, the world had a great place in his heart. Through prayer and penance he offered himself as a sacrifice so that the world would return to God. (Benedict 1990: 10-11)


It was in this secluded sanctuary that the monk Charbel spent the remaining twenty-three years of his life practicing severe mortification. It is recorded by his companions that he wore a hair shirt, practiced corporal punishment, chained himself, slept on the hard ground and ate only one meal a day - the leftovers from his companions' meals. (Hayek 19526: 81-83; St. Charbel Makhlouf 1989: 41, 56-58; Sfeir 1996: 90-91) His pillow was a piece of wood covered with an old cloth, a remnant from an old habit. His bed was made of goat hair and laid directly on the floor. Although a hermit, he was not exempt from the supervision and orders of his superiors. He was to follow strict religious practices and carry out a severe ascetic way of life. His day would start with adoration of the Eucharist, prayers and celebration of the Holy Mystery, followed by manual labor, fasting, penance, continuous prayer, little sleep, and mortification of the body…all of which Charbel practiced with utmost humility and love. (Hayek 1956: 81-83, 107; St. Charbel Makhlouf 1989: 41, 56-58; Sfeir 1996: 90-91)

Father Charbel suffered a stroke on December 16, 1898 while he was reciting the prayer of the Holy Liturgy: "Father of Truth, behold Your Son, a sacrifice pleasing to You. Accept this offering of Him who died for me..."As he fell to the floor, he kept his hands clasped around the Holy Eucharist. His companion, Father Makarios Al-Mishmeshani the Hermit, and some other monks helped him to his cell. Eight days later, on