Homily on Saint Sharbel by Fr. Sean Donovan Pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Tulsa
On October 26th, 2024, during the Traditional Latin Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Tulsa, OK, Fr. Sean Donovan delivered a powerful homily on Saint Sharbel reflecting on his extraordinary life, intercession, and miracles. The homily was part of a special event marking the Family of Saint Sharbel, USA’s delivery of a first-class relic of St. Sharbel to the parish.
Read the full story HERE.
HOMILY
Oftentimes, as Catholics, we think of our own immediate families and cultures, [and] we think like, "Well, this is our saint or their saint,” but we're all one universal Catholic family, and you might say, "If they're a saint, they're our saint." So, the beautiful thing as well is that the saints in heaven, like Saint Sharbel, also had gifts to be able to communicate with everyone, especially when they appear in dreams. It doesn't matter what language you speak then; you can completely communicate. So, when we're close to Christ or close to all of his saints as well, who draw close to Him.
So, Saint Sharbel, you may know, he lived in the 1800s and was living 23 years of his life as a layman, 23 in the monastery, and about 23 as a hermit—perfectly divided in his life—and even though he was a hermit, he still, like so many holy hermits, drew many people to himself, and he also went out to help others without even having to leave the hermitage. That's the case also with all the saints in heaven; they're able to come to all of us around the world without having to leave the Beatific Vision. He lived in the 1800s, and many miracles were attributed to him during [his life] and after his death.
One interesting thing that we were speaking about last night was that Saint Sharbel also has a rather unique approach to communication and speaking with those that he will help. It's not always a matter of visions and locutions but in dreams. This is a rather unique approach of Saint Sharbel, although of course it's not unprecedented when you have Almighty God also communicating with Saint Joseph and so on. So, the way he also communicates is interesting.
The example he gives was not just for those of us who were living outside the monastery, but those who were in the monastery. He lived a life that was even penitential for monks. So, he was setting a good example for them. As opposed to just living in his cell, his pillow was a piece of wood, and as opposed--we were just talking last night also about how it's cold in Lebanon. Lebanon, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe it actually means “snow capped mountains" because it's so cold in the higher elevations. And so it's natural when it's so cold—you're in the hills, you're in the mountains—that you'll want to get near the fire. [With] Saint Sharbel, all the other monks would be gathered at the fire trying to thaw off their frozen hands, and Saint Sharbel would walk just around them to his cell at night. Just these continual and daily penances in his vocation.
All vocations ideally will be ones of self -sacrifice, but we can even build each other up through good example. Every one of our vocations is calling us to holiness. This is the way that God wants to sanctify us, but we don't have to take the minimum of the rule. We want to do it out of great love. Speaking of love, his love was even very clear and focused on Almighty God, even when we might be tempted humanly to be drawn away from God, love of God, to love of those we love the most, our family. He was invited to go back to his family's home after he had become a monk, and following some ancient rules of the desert fathers, if he had returned to his family home, he'd have to begin the process of formation again entirely, which also makes it clear that this is your vocation now and there'll be no regression. We don't always have these kind of hard rules outside of monastic life, but it they can be good guidelines for us to make sure that we're always progressing in our in our vocation, sanctity in our vocation.
Saint Sharbel as well, you probably heard, [was] incorrupt and his body [was] even floating on water when they first discovered it. There's no natural explanation for his incorrupt state of body and blood and sweat coming out of his body for about 65 years, I think, after his death. These are beautiful gifts, and we don't know why the Lord necessarily gives them but to increase faith. But we also don't know why sometimes they go on and on for generations or centuries and other times we only have 65 years. I would have liked to be a little bit older, so I could go visit during those 65 years, but we have blessings as well that derive from this period, including holy relics.
This relic that we have received is from his blood. So, it's a relic from the blood of Saint Sharbel. It's a first-class relic. A first-class relic, you remember—all first-class relics will be part of the Saint's glorified bodies in heaven. So, in a way we are participating in his heavenly glory even ahead of time, and he's able to intercede for us immediately, and he does…with the speed of his intercession is sometimes quite impressive, but it's all in God's time.
Oftentimes, people will say Saint Sharbel is like the Padre Pio of Lebanon, but he is older. So no, it's better to say that Padre Pio is the Saint Sharbel of Italy. So, even if you don't have a--I noticed that several of you do--have a great devotion to Saint Sharbel, thanks be to God, andI think also this is why he's here. This is part of divine providence. And for those who don't have a great devotion to Saint Sharbel yet, it seems that he's inviting you to. He’s inviting all of us by being here. You might say he's kind of conquering our diocese for this grace. So, I think we'll have an even greater and greater devotion to Saint Sharbel as the years go on.
We don't just pick saints for devotions; often times, the saints pick us. Mind you, we have automatic Patron saints - the saints of our birthday, the saints of our anniversaries, and sometimes saints just reach out and invite us into friendship with them. So, Saint Sharbel seems to be inviting all of us into deep friendship with him and also, I think, to allow us to invite others into this friendship.
Let's ask Saint Sharbel for his prayers. Saint Sharbel, pray for us.
Oftentimes, as Catholics, we think of our own immediate families and cultures, [and] we think like, "Well, this is our saint or their saint,” but we're all one universal Catholic family, and you might say, "If they're a saint, they're our saint." So, the beautiful thing as well is that the saints in heaven, like Saint Sharbel, also had gifts to be able to communicate with everyone, especially when they appear in dreams. It doesn't matter what language you speak then; you can completely communicate. So, when we're close to Christ or close to all of his saints as well, who draw close to Him.
So, Saint Sharbel, you may know, he lived in the 1800s and was living 23 years of his life as a layman, 23 in the monastery, and about 23 as a hermit—perfectly divided in his life—and even though he was a hermit, he still, like so many holy hermits, drew many people to himself, and he also went out to help others without even having to leave the hermitage. That's the case also with all the saints in heaven; they're able to come to all of us around the world without having to leave the Beatific Vision. He lived in the 1800s, and many miracles were attributed to him during [his life] and after his death.
One interesting thing that we were speaking about last night was that Saint Sharbel also has a rather unique approach to communication and speaking with those that he will help. It's not always a matter of visions and locutions but in dreams. This is a rather unique approach of Saint Sharbel, although of course it's not unprecedented when you have Almighty God also communicating with Saint Joseph and so on. So, the way he also communicates is interesting.
The example he gives was not just for those of us who were living outside the monastery, but those who were in the monastery. He lived a life that was even penitential for monks. So, he was setting a good example for them. As opposed to just living in his cell, his pillow was a piece of wood, and as opposed--we were just talking last night also about how it's cold in Lebanon. Lebanon, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe it actually means “snow capped mountains" because it's so cold in the higher elevations. And so it's natural when it's so cold—you're in the hills, you're in the mountains—that you'll want to get near the fire. [With] Saint Sharbel, all the other monks would be gathered at the fire trying to thaw off their frozen hands, and Saint Sharbel would walk just around them to his cell at night. Just these continual and daily penances in his vocation.
All vocations ideally will be ones of self -sacrifice, but we can even build each other up through good example. Every one of our vocations is calling us to holiness. This is the way that God wants to sanctify us, but we don't have to take the minimum of the rule. We want to do it out of great love. Speaking of love, his love was even very clear and focused on Almighty God, even when we might be tempted humanly to be drawn away from God, love of God, to love of those we love the most, our family. He was invited to go back to his family's home after he had become a monk, and following some ancient rules of the desert fathers, if he had returned to his family home, he'd have to begin the process of formation again entirely, which also makes it clear that this is your vocation now and there'll be no regression. We don't always have these kind of hard rules outside of monastic life, but it they can be good guidelines for us to make sure that we're always progressing in our in our vocation, sanctity in our vocation.
Saint Sharbel as well, you probably heard, [was] incorrupt and his body [was] even floating on water when they first discovered it. There's no natural explanation for his incorrupt state of body and blood and sweat coming out of his body for about 65 years, I think, after his death. These are beautiful gifts, and we don't know why the Lord necessarily gives them but to increase faith. But we also don't know why sometimes they go on and on for generations or centuries and other times we only have 65 years. I would have liked to be a little bit older, so I could go visit during those 65 years, but we have blessings as well that derive from this period, including holy relics.
This relic that we have received is from his blood. So, it's a relic from the blood of Saint Sharbel. It's a first-class relic. A first-class relic, you remember—all first-class relics will be part of the Saint's glorified bodies in heaven. So, in a way we are participating in his heavenly glory even ahead of time, and he's able to intercede for us immediately, and he does…with the speed of his intercession is sometimes quite impressive, but it's all in God's time.
Oftentimes, people will say Saint Sharbel is like the Padre Pio of Lebanon, but he is older. So no, it's better to say that Padre Pio is the Saint Sharbel of Italy. So, even if you don't have a--I noticed that several of you do--have a great devotion to Saint Sharbel, thanks be to God, andI think also this is why he's here. This is part of divine providence. And for those who don't have a great devotion to Saint Sharbel yet, it seems that he's inviting you to. He’s inviting all of us by being here. You might say he's kind of conquering our diocese for this grace. So, I think we'll have an even greater and greater devotion to Saint Sharbel as the years go on.
We don't just pick saints for devotions; often times, the saints pick us. Mind you, we have automatic Patron saints - the saints of our birthday, the saints of our anniversaries, and sometimes saints just reach out and invite us into friendship with them. So, Saint Sharbel seems to be inviting all of us into deep friendship with him and also, I think, to allow us to invite others into this friendship.
Let's ask Saint Sharbel for his prayers. Saint Sharbel, pray for us.
