Homily on Saint Sharbel by Cardinal Jose Advincula, Manila, March 2026
Homily delivered by Cardinal Jose Advincula during the Welcome Mass for the Pilgrim Relic of Saint Sharbel Makhlouf at the Manila Cathedral, held on March 25, 2026, in conjunction with the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
"Reverend Monsignor Rolando dela Cruz, our dear cathedral rector; Reverend Father Hans Magdurulang, Spiritual Director of the Family of St. Sharbel; dear concelebrating priests, assisting deacons, men and women in consecrated life; devotees of St. Sharbel; my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ:
On this radiant Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the Church contemplates the decisive moment when the eternal Word entered time. In the humble house of Nazareth, the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and bear the Son of the Most High (cf. Lk 1:26–38). In that hidden encounter, heaven and earth embraced. Mary’s fiat, “Let it be done to me according to your word,” opened history to redemption by her act of total trust and obedience to the plan of God.
This mystery becomes tangible for us in a special way through the presence of the relics of Saint Sharbel Maklouf. Like Mary, St. Sharbel lived a life of radical surrender. He left behind ordinary life. He embraced silence, hiddenness, and solitude. He entrusted everything to God, even without visible consolation. If Mary’s “yes” was spoken in Nazareth, St. Sharbel’s “yes” was lived out in the silence of the monastery and the hermitage.
We too must ask, Lord, what do you want from me? How can I live this calling? In the life of St. Sharbel, his “question” was lived in silence, through prayer, fasting, and contemplation. He allowed God to slowly shape the answer in his life. He may not have had clear answers, but he had deep trust. Like Mary and St. Sharbel, we are invited not just to ask, but to listen.
At the Annunciation, Mary abandons herself to God in a complete and absolute way. Luke the Evangelist tells us very clearly at the beginning of the text how Mary had a quiet, ordinary life already mapped out for her and Joseph, to whom she was already engaged. Her future, according to the customs of their time, was already taking shape with stability, predictability, and the ordinary hope of building a family. Yet into this carefully unfolding human plan came the disruptive voice of grace. The angel’s message did not merely add something to her life but changed it entirely.
Yet she gives up her plan in favor of God’s plan. Her fiat was a radical entrustment of her very self into the unknown. She consented to a proposal that would expose her to misunderstanding, vulnerability and uncertainty. She placed her whole life at the disposal of God. In so doing, she shared in the mystery of human fragility and suffering and became one with all the abandoned peoples of the world who have no one but God to depend on.
Both Mama Mary and St. Sharbel show us the same path. Not control, but trust. Not clarity, but faithfulness. Not visibility, but hidden holiness. Mary did not fully understand what her yes would bring. St. Sharbel did not seek recognition or results. Yet both allowed God to work through their surrender.
St. Sharbel gave up comfort, recognition, and even ordinary human relationships. He chose a life of silence, sacrifice, and total belonging to God. His whole life was a lived fiat: “I am the Lord’s.”
We too are being greeted today: “Hail! The Lord is with you.” May we realize that we are entrusted with a formidable task by the Lord that would contribute to the salvation of the world. This means you are not alone. But also, you are being entrusted with a mission. Not only your personal plans, but God’s plan. We can look at the life of Saint Sharbel Maklouf. He lived a hidden life as a monk and hermit. No public recognition, no worldly success. Yet he believed deeply: “The Lord is with me.” And because of that, he embraced a mission that seemed small in the eyes of the world—but great in the eyes of God.
In a world that seeks certainty and control, this moment invites us to something deeper. To say “yes” even when we do not fully understand. To trust even when the future is unclear. To remain faithful even in silence or dryness.
The relics of St. Sharbel are not just a reminder of a holy man. They are a living invitation for all of us to imitate a life totally given to God. At the Annunciation, Mary shows us how salvation begins: with a heart fully open to God. In St. Sharbel, we see how that same surrender can be lived out daily, quietly, and faithfully.
On this radiant Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the Church contemplates the decisive moment when the eternal Word entered time. In the humble house of Nazareth, the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and bear the Son of the Most High (cf. Lk 1:26–38). In that hidden encounter, heaven and earth embraced. Mary’s fiat, “Let it be done to me according to your word,” opened history to redemption by her act of total trust and obedience to the plan of God.
This mystery becomes tangible for us in a special way through the presence of the relics of Saint Sharbel Maklouf. Like Mary, St. Sharbel lived a life of radical surrender. He left behind ordinary life. He embraced silence, hiddenness, and solitude. He entrusted everything to God, even without visible consolation. If Mary’s “yes” was spoken in Nazareth, St. Sharbel’s “yes” was lived out in the silence of the monastery and the hermitage.
We too must ask, Lord, what do you want from me? How can I live this calling? In the life of St. Sharbel, his “question” was lived in silence, through prayer, fasting, and contemplation. He allowed God to slowly shape the answer in his life. He may not have had clear answers, but he had deep trust. Like Mary and St. Sharbel, we are invited not just to ask, but to listen.
At the Annunciation, Mary abandons herself to God in a complete and absolute way. Luke the Evangelist tells us very clearly at the beginning of the text how Mary had a quiet, ordinary life already mapped out for her and Joseph, to whom she was already engaged. Her future, according to the customs of their time, was already taking shape with stability, predictability, and the ordinary hope of building a family. Yet into this carefully unfolding human plan came the disruptive voice of grace. The angel’s message did not merely add something to her life but changed it entirely.
Yet she gives up her plan in favor of God’s plan. Her fiat was a radical entrustment of her very self into the unknown. She consented to a proposal that would expose her to misunderstanding, vulnerability and uncertainty. She placed her whole life at the disposal of God. In so doing, she shared in the mystery of human fragility and suffering and became one with all the abandoned peoples of the world who have no one but God to depend on.
Both Mama Mary and St. Sharbel show us the same path. Not control, but trust. Not clarity, but faithfulness. Not visibility, but hidden holiness. Mary did not fully understand what her yes would bring. St. Sharbel did not seek recognition or results. Yet both allowed God to work through their surrender.
St. Sharbel gave up comfort, recognition, and even ordinary human relationships. He chose a life of silence, sacrifice, and total belonging to God. His whole life was a lived fiat: “I am the Lord’s.”
We too are being greeted today: “Hail! The Lord is with you.” May we realize that we are entrusted with a formidable task by the Lord that would contribute to the salvation of the world. This means you are not alone. But also, you are being entrusted with a mission. Not only your personal plans, but God’s plan. We can look at the life of Saint Sharbel Maklouf. He lived a hidden life as a monk and hermit. No public recognition, no worldly success. Yet he believed deeply: “The Lord is with me.” And because of that, he embraced a mission that seemed small in the eyes of the world—but great in the eyes of God.
In a world that seeks certainty and control, this moment invites us to something deeper. To say “yes” even when we do not fully understand. To trust even when the future is unclear. To remain faithful even in silence or dryness.
The relics of St. Sharbel are not just a reminder of a holy man. They are a living invitation for all of us to imitate a life totally given to God. At the Annunciation, Mary shows us how salvation begins: with a heart fully open to God. In St. Sharbel, we see how that same surrender can be lived out daily, quietly, and faithfully.
