*The Catholic Church has 24 particular churches and six major rites of worship. The largest particular church is the Latin Church. There are 23 Eastern Catholic Churches united under the authority and leadership of the Pope.
Today’s saint is from the Maronite Catholic Church, which belongs to the West Syriac Rite. St. Sharbel Maklūf was a priest, monk, and hermit who lived in Lebanon from 1828-1898. He is known as the “Miracle Monk of Lebanon” due to the many miraculous healings and wonders attributed to him during his life and after, as well for his ability to unite Christians and Muslims. He became a monk in 1853 and was ordained a priest for the Monastery of St. Maron. He served the monastery for 19 years and then was granted permission to live as a hermit near the monastery. He lived as a hermit for another 23 years in deep prayer with God and a life devoted to deprivation of material pleasures.
His wisdom comes through his life of holiness and his words: “A man who prays lives out the mystery of existence, and a man who does not pray scarcely exists.” “Success in life consists of standing without shame before God.” “Persevere in prayer without ceasing… to understand and live according to his will, not to change it.” “One does not have to look far to see evidence of Satan’s plan in our world today, as the family is further fragmented and divided in modern culture.” “The family is the basis of the Lord’s plan; and all forces of evil are focusing all their evil on destroying the family because they know that by destroying the family, the foundations of the plan of God will be shaken.” How prophetic for us, as we seek to strengthen the family against new “definitions.”
*By FOSS-the-world - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63027121
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