(1828-1898) Joseph Zaroun Makhlouf was the youngest of five children of a Lebanese mule driver, who died from forced labor when Joseph was only three. Joseph snuck away from home at 23 and joined the Baladite (formally known as the Lebanese Maronite Order) monastery of Saint Maron, taking the name Charbel. He was a model monk, becoming a hermit for the last 23 years of his life. Charbel was known as a holy man and miracle worker, and he was sought out for his counsel and blessing. Many miracles have been reported at his tomb.

Called the “second Saint Anthony of the Desert” and “Miracle Monk of Lebanon,” Saint Charbel baffles the modern world as the ideal monk. Let us be inspired by his example, as modern culture is also baffled by recovery. Is your life a good advertisement for being Catholic? How about for being in recovery?

“A man who prays lives out the mystery of existence, and a man who does not pray scarcely exists” (Saint Charbel Makhlouf).

Reflection by Brad Farmer