Why is Saint Charbel Makhlouf depicted with his eyes closed?
His image is literally going around the world these days, as Pope Leo XIV is visiting the Annaya Monastery in Lebanon, during his first apostolic journey outside Italy.
Saint Charbel is known as the Lebanese "Padre Pio," venerated by the Maronite Church, the only Eastern Church to have always remained in communion with the Holy See.
Born on May 8, 1828, in Lebanon to a peasant family, at the age of 23 he entered the Maronite Order, becoming a monk at the monastery of Annaya, where he took the name Charbel in honor of an ancient Christian martyr.
After several years of community life, he decided to retreat into a hermit's life, living in complete solitude in a small cell near the monastery. Here he lived a life of complete austerity, prayer, fasting, and meditation, seeking a deep and intimate relationship with God.
Saint Charbel died on December 24, 1898, on Christmas Eve, leaving a reputation for sanctity and total dedication …More