Raymond Francis Nader is a Maronite Christian, born in 1961 in Lebanon, married and the father of three. He obtained a degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering from Saint Joseph University in Beirut. Later in London, he further specialized in nuclear physics and worked in advanced technologies.
Since he was a child, he was fascinated with the story of creation and the universe.
During the Lebanese war (1975-1990), Raymond returned to Lebanon to be with his parents and compatriots. He enrolled in the Lebanese Christian Forces and participated in various battles defending the Christian community. He served as a high-ranking officer and was the Commander of the school of officers.
At the end of the war, he returned to civilian life and worked as the CEO of a Swedish Company in Beirut.
“I was praying, as was my custom of many years, and this time in front of Saint Sharbel’s hermitage in Annaya. I found myself in another world… everything had stopped. I could no longer see the candles I had lit, nor the trees, nor the ground. I could hear no sound at all. I could not feel my body. I started seeing – but not with my eyes – things I had never seen in my life. I stopped hearing with my ears, but started hearing things I had never heard before. I started feeling in my heart what I had never felt before as if my heart was no longer made of flesh and blood. I saw a strange and amazing Light unlike any light I had ever seen; it was a sea of light that extended from one end of the universe to the other. The sun would look like a small candle compared to that Light. It was not a natural light; despite all its strength, it neither dazzled nor burned. The Light was soft and smooth, gentle, yet strong and powerful at the same time. It had a crystalline color and was an extremely clear and pure Light. I felt as if I were a tiny drop of water, swimming in a very great sea of wonderful crystal Light. I felt very safe like a tiny baby swimming trustfully in the water of his mother’s womb. I felt indescribable joy and great amazement!
I felt as if I were perhaps standing, sitting, or swimming or something else that I do not know. I was either present before a great being or in the heart of a very powerful and marvelous being. This presence is the perfection of power, knowledge, compassion, and love. I felt as if I were in contact with one being while, at the same time, I was in contact with all the creatures of the universe. It seemed that the whole universe had become one and I was a part of it. As if the universe melted in this Light, and so did I. I then entered into a dialogue with that Light. It would talk to me without words, without voice, without language, but in a way clearer than any words, and more eloquent than any language. That Light was talking directly to my soul and addressing my mind and my heart directly -without passing through my ears or my eyes or any of my earthly senses, of which I was no longer aware of." I said to myself, “I must be dreaming.” He answered me in His way and in His language, which is devoid of words, sounds or languages. He made me understand – in a very clear way that can neither be misinterpreted, misunderstood nor wrongly explained – that I was not dreaming. Yet, I repeated to myself, “I am certainly not conscious.” In the same marvelous and clear way He explained to me that I was at the pinnacle of consciousness and that I had never in my life reached a level of awareness of my existence as I had at that moment. It was as if He were telling me: “You are now more conscious than you have ever been in your life. You are at the most conscious moment of your life.” Then I started wondering: Where am I? What is this Light? Who is this talking to me? At that moment, I felt the most awesome sensation a person can ever feel: a very great peace, an indescribable joy, an intense and absolute happiness. It was a complete and wonderful clarity, a pure and strong love that exceeds by millions of times the love that exists in the hearts of all human beings together… a great and tremendous love, yet unlike that of humans, a different one. A great divine love which only that Light can grant. As I was overwhelmed by that wonderful feeling, and completely melted in it, I ‘heard’ Him telling me: “This is me.” It was as if I had known Him for a very long time, since my birth, or even perhaps before I was born. I felt as if He knew me perfectly since I was formed in my mother’s womb and even before that. As if He knew every atom of my body; and knew each cell of my brain. As if He knew the thoughts of my soul, and my feelings far better than I did. I felt completely naked in front of Him and I felt that the Light went through my body from one side to the other. This Light does not cast shadows; He passes through everything… I felt that He entered every corner of my heart. I wanted that Light to stay permanently. I wanted to remain in Him always and that if He wanted to go away, that He might take me with Him. But He answered me in His way as if He were saying to me: ‘I am always here and everywhere; I do not go anywhere. I am always in time, and out of it; in space and out of it.” This mystical experience lasted for four hours. Raymond was trying to make sense of all that had happened to him, but could not, for that wonderful feeling continued to burn within his soul. He gathered his Bible, candles, and other belongings and headed for his car. He explains:
I saw [the imprint of] five fingers on my forearm. They were engraved like a hand on my arm and encircled by a red glare as if imprinted through fire. But I felt nothing but warmth. I drove home. When my wife saw my arm, she made the Sign of the Cross and asked me whose hand [print] it was. Then I felt a great relief. I needed no more proof. What had happened to me was real!”
This miraculous mark on his arm and in his heart changed his life. Raymond placed himself under the authority of the Church and complied with the Church’s request to document the event, after having been evaluated physically and psychologically.
Dr. Nabil Hokayem, a Beirut plastic surgeon, examined the mark on Raymond’s arm three times (1994, 1995 and 1996). In his professional opinion, the mark is a third-degree burn that destroys both the upper and lower layers of skin. The doctor said the first time he saw the burn, he wanted to treat and bandage it as usual, but Raymond declined, saying it did not bother him. Besides the lack of pain, the doctor explained it was unusual that the burn did not leave a scar, but instead would just slowly fade until it had “healed totally.”[3] Raymond remains convinced that Saint Charbel imprinted it on his arm to assure him that his experience of God’s presence was as real as the mark on his arm. After five days the wound healed completely by itself, leaving no scar[4].
Thousands of people have joined the “Family of Saint Sharbel” since 1995, under the guidance of the Maronite Church authority and it has spread to other countries. Its main objective is to truly live by the Gospel, the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church.
After 9 years of experience and close observation by the Church (as per the rules to accept new groups within the Church), the Family of Saint Sharbel received the official recognition as Ecclesial Community[6] in 2010.
In 1996, Raymond joined Tele Lumiere, the Christian TV station based in Lebanon, broadcasting to the Middle East and the whole world. He is the Executive Director of Tele Lumiere’s satellite channel, Noursat.
Since 2000 Raymond has been traveling the world promoting Tele Lumiere and Noursat and working on expanding the coverage of the station to the whole globe, improving its programs and equipment, and establishing “the Family of Saint Sharbel” groups (USA, Poland, Ukraine, UK, France, Australia…), believing deeply that Christ’s message of love, peace, and understanding among people should reach every heart on Earth. In 2007, deeply touched by the words of Saint Pope John Paul II “Lebanon is more than a country, it’s a Message”, Raymond founded “Liban Message Movement” (or Lebanon the Message Movement), with an objective of working on reconciliation and building bridges between different Lebanese parties torn by wars. Being the president of “the Family of Saint Sharbel”, the president of “Liban Message Movement”, and the executive director of Noursat, Raymond is dedicating his life to the service of our Lord, spreading His Good News, and inviting people to respond to the call of God so every human being would achieve the Will of God in his life which is to become a saint by following the example of Jesus. So far (2020), Raymond’s encounters with Saint Sharbel have been repeated 100 times. All of them occurred at Annaya in Lebanon except for 2 times at the church of Most Holy Trinity Monastery[7] in the US. During these encounters, the mark is renewed once or twice a year. He has so far received 45 messages, sixteen of them are currently published.
[1] Location of the Monastery of Saint Maron and the Sanctuary of Saint Sharbel (http://saintcharbel.com/)
[2] Detailed video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UatXxxzk_Y&t=307s&ab_channel=FamilyofSaintSharbel-USA [3] Catholic News Agency article (2019) [4] Love One Another Magazine (8/2007)- http://www.loamagazine.org [5] https://www.ayletmarcharbel.org/ [6] It was first approved by the Bishop of Jounieh, Antoine Nabil Andary (Patriarchal vicar), the late Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, a member of the Council for the Apostolate of the Laity, and then by the Council for the Apostolate of the Laity, pursuant to Canon 18 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, and Canon 575 of the same Code. [7] https://www.maronitemonks.org/
20 Comments
Assad Nader
2/28/2022 04:13:53 pm
GOD EXIST everywhere
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Evelyn Donovan
8/4/2022 11:13:05 am
I believe this story. I believe God knows who he can and cannot use..and St.. Charbel affirmed this. Glory to God in the highest.
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Evelyn Donovan
9/1/2022 08:59:51 pm
Please send me information
felicity eliot
4/6/2022 09:51:21 am
Request an interview with Mr Raymond Nader for Share International magazine. Thank you.
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Dan Ckampos
7/24/2022 12:43:58 pm
Put me on your mailing list please.
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Barbara Freeman
8/9/2022 09:04:29 am
Please pray for my prayer group and our intentions. We pray the Divine Will/Flame of Love rosary every night on zoom. St Charbel is one of the saints that we ask for intercession from. Jesus and Mary, save souls!
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Victoria sito
9/1/2022 05:55:17 pm
I love to hear your experience verbal and written
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Evelyn Donovan
9/1/2022 09:01:59 pm
Please put my husband and myself on your prayer list. We are going through health issues and out of work issues..St. Sharbel intercede in our lives please if it's God's will...Amen
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Victoria sito
9/2/2022 06:33:07 pm
I love and believe on your experience it makes me closer to Jesus
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Stan Gutierrez
10/26/2022 10:08:49 pm
Please pray for my niece Sarah Who is suffering brain cancer. Stay with her Lord amen
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Bisrat Birru
12/11/2022 01:36:59 am
Hi Raymond, please pray for my sister-in-law who had stroke a week ago. Also, pease pray for me as I have many ailments. Another request, please pray for my daughter to marry a Christian man and blessed with 2 kids before i die. Please send me your address and email. Thank you so much.
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2/1/2023 03:39:02 pm
Please Raymond Francis Nader pray for my husband Robert Alan Altendorf who in 2015 suffered a car accident and since that accident has been suffering from severe headaches, and brain damage and cervical damage between the third, fourth and fifth cervical. Raymond Francis Nader, I am begging you to intercede through Saint Sharbel and St. Sharbel intercede through Jesus. May Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Sharbel cover you with infinite blessings
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Javeline Chansa
8/1/2023 07:53:47 am
Please pray for me. I have had encounters of the Lord Jesus transporting me from the US to my family's home in a remote village in Zambia and setting the place in inexplicable light. With the Lord Jesus turning into a lamp and I am carrying that lamp. People are falling by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Godwin
10/9/2023 06:03:41 am
I think you should trust God and wait for His time and way/s to enable what He showed you. He makes everything beautiful in His time.
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Tiffany O'Hara
8/18/2023 01:34:03 pm
CHECK out IANDS. These experiences are more common than you think. And, we are a family of experiencers.
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DeaconNoel Hinerth
9/1/2023 09:21:59 pm
HOW DOES ONe acquire a deacon stole with St. Sharbel on it?
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Magda
11/12/2023 11:12:38 am
Please pray for the completely healing for my little twin daughters Marta and Ewa.
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Sanja
5/17/2024 08:36:57 am
molim vas molite za moga kolegu Matu Andabaka, koji je pokušao suicid vješanjem. bore mu se za život. hvala vam
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Maria Cristina
10/21/2024 05:02:15 pm
I had one experience a little somewhat similar I was standing near a square on my coutry and like you say a voice spoke to me and said you're a unity of light after that I added I am a unity of light in harmony with the Universe and all beings that surround me. That was 46 years ago.
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Lori Ann
11/1/2024 09:31:13 am
Reading this while on an extended pilgrimage in Medjugorje where there seems to be a growing devotion to St. Charbel. Raymond’s experience has touched my soul. Praise God in His Saints on this, their glorious Feastday! St. Charbel, please pray for us!
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