St. Sharbel (Charbel) Makhluf, Priest
1828 – 1898
Feast Day July 24th
Youssef Antoun Makhlouf was born in 1828, in Bekaa Kafra (North Lebanon). He had a true Christian upbringing, which had given him a passion for prayer. Then he followed his two hermit uncles in the hermitage of the St Antonious Kozhaya monastery and was converted to monastic and hermetical life.
In 1851, he left his family village and headed for the Our Lady of Maifouk monastery to spend his first monastic year, and then he went to the St Maron monastery in Annaya, where he entered the Maronite Order, carrying the name Charbel, a name of one of theAntioch church martyrs of the second century. On November 1st. 1853, he exposed his ceremonial vows in St Maron’s monastery – Annaya. Then he completed his theological studies in the St Kobrianous and Justina monastery in Kfifan, Batroun.
He was ordained a priest in Bkerky, the Maronite Patriarchate, on July 23rd, 1859. He lived 16 years in the St Maron’s monastery – Annaya. From there, he entered, on February 15th, 1875, the St Peter & Paul hermitage, which belongs to the monastery. He was a typical saint and hermit, who spent his time praying and worshipping. Rarely had he left the hermitage where he followed the way of the saintly hermits in prayers, life and practice.
St Charbel lived in the hermitage for 23 years. On December 16th, 1898 he was struck with an illness while performing the holy mass. He died on Christmas’ eve, December 24th, 1898, and was buried in the St Maron monastery cemetery in Annaya.
Few months later, dazzling lights were seen around the grave. From there, his corpse, which had been secreting sweat and blood, was transferred into a special coffin. Hordes of pilgrims started swarming the place to get his intercession. And through this intercession, God blessed many people with recovery and spiritual graces.
In 1925, his beatification and canonization were proposed for declaration by Pope Pious XI. In 1950, the grave was opened in the presence of an official committee which included doctors who verified the soundness of the body. After the grave had been opened and inspected, the variety of healing incidents amazingly multiplied. A multitude of pilgrims from different religious facets started flocking to the Annaya monastery to get the saint’s intercession.
Prodigies reached beyond the Lebanese borders. This unique phenomenon caused a moral revolution, the return to faith and the reviving of the virtues of the soul.
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From the Catholic.org website
Note: Wikipedia identifies the Feast Day of St. Sharbel (Charbel) Makhluf as July 17, so that is probably why Catholic.org also did.
Another website forSt. Sharbel (Charbel) Makhulf is here.
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BOOK OF HEAVEN
VOLUME 17; May 4, 1925
The Mission of the Divine Will shall veil the Most Holy Trinity upon earth, and shall make man return to his Origin.
After writing what is written above, I began to do the Adoration to my Crucified Jesus, Fusing all of myself in His Most Holy Will; and my beloved Jesus came out from within my interior, and placing His Most Holy Face close to mine, all Tenderness, told me: “My daughter, did you write everything on the Mission of My Will?”
And I: “Yes, yes, I wrote everything.”
And He, again: “And what if I told you that you have not written everything? Rather, you have left out the Most Essential Thing. So, continue writing, and add: The Mission of My Will shall Veil the Most Holy Trinity upon earth. Just as in Heaven there are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Inseparable from One Another but Distinct among Themselves, Forming the Whole Beatitude of Heaven; in the same way, on earth there shall be three persons who, because of their Missions, shall be Distinct and Inseparable among themselves: the Virgin, with Her Maternity that Veils the Paternity of the Celestial Father and Encloses His Power in order to Fulfill Her Mission of Mother of the Eternal Word and Co-Redemptrix of mankind; My Humanity, for the Mission of Redeemer, that Enclosed the Divinity, and the Word, without ever separating from the Father and from the Holy Spirit, Manifested My Celestial Wisdom – adding the Bond of rendering Myself Inseparable from My Mama; and you (Little Daughter of the Divine Will, Luisa Piccarreta), for the Mission of My Will, as the Holy Spirit shall make Display of His Love, Manifesting to you the Secrets, the Prodigies of My Will, the Goods It contains, to make Happy those who shall give themselves to Knowing how much Good this Supreme Will contains, to love It and to let It Reign in their midst, offering their souls to let It Dwell within their hearts, that It may be able to form Its Life in them – adding the Bond of Inseparability between you (Little Daughter of the Divine Will, Luisa Piccarreta), the Mother and the Eternal Word.
“These Three Missions are Distinct and Inseparable. The first two have prepared the Graces, the Light, the Work, and with unheard-of pains, for the Third Mission of My Will, to then Fuse themselves all in It without leaving their Office, so as to find Rest, because My Will alone is Celestial Rest. These Missions shall not be repeated, because the Exuberance of Grace, of Light, of Knowledge is Such and So Great that all human generations can be Filled with them; even more, they shall not be able to contain all the Good that they contain. These Missions are symbolized by the sun; in fact, in creating it, I filled it with so much light and heat, that all human generations have superabundant light. Nor did I consider that, since at the beginning of Creation there were only Adam and Eve who would enjoy it, I could place the necessary light for them only, to then increase new light as the generations would grow. No, no – I made it full of light, just as it is now, and shall be. For the Decorum and the Honor of Our Power, Wisdom and Love, Our Works are always done with the Fullness of All the Good that they contain; nor are they subject to increasing or decreasing. So I did with the sun: I centralized in it all the light that was to serve up to the last man. But how many goods does the sun not do for the earth? What Glory, in its mute light, does it not give to its Creator? I can say that because of the immense goods it does to the earth, in its mute language the sun Glorifies Me and makes Me Known more than all other things together; and this, because it is full in its light, and stable in its course. When I looked at the sun that, with so much light, only Adam and Eve were enjoying, I also looked at all the living; and in seeing that that light was to serve all, My Paternal Goodness Exulted with Joy, and I remained Glorified in My Works. So I did with My Mama: I filled Her with So Much Grace, that She can give Graces to all without ever exhausting even one of them. So I did with My Humanity: there is no Good that It does not Possess; It enclosed Everything, and the very Divinity, to give It to whomever wants of It. So I did with you: I enclosed in you My Will, and, with It, I enclosed Myself. I enclosed in you Its Knowledges, Its Secrets, Its Light. I Filled your soul up to the brim; so much so, that what you write is nothing other than the Outpouring of what you contain of My Will. And even though it now serves you alone, and a few Glimmers of Light serve a few others, I am content because, being Light, More Than Second Sun, it shall make its way by itself, in order to Illuminate the human generations and to bring about the Fulfillment of Our Works: that Our Will be Known and Loved, and that It Reign as Life in the creatures. This was the Purpose of Creation – this, its Beginning, and this shall be the Means and the End.
“Therefore, Be Attentive, because this is about Placing in Safety that Eternal Will that, with so much Love, wants to Dwell in the creatures. But It wants to be Known, It does not want to be like a stranger, but wants to give Its Goods and become Life of each one. However, It wants Its Rights, Its Place of Honor; It wants the human will to be put aside – the only enemy for Itself and for man. The Mission of My Will was the Purpose of the Creation of man. My Divinity did not depart from Heaven – from Its Throne, while My Will not only departed, but descended into all created things and formed Its Life in them. But while all things Recognized Me, and I dwell in them with Majesty and Decorum, man alone drove Me away. But I want to Conquer him and Win him, and therefore My Mission is not ended. So I called you, Entrusting to you My own Mission, that you may place the one who drove Me away on the Lap of My Will, and everything may return to Me in My Will. Therefore, do not be surprised at the Many Great and Marvelous Things I may tell you for the sake of this Mission, or at the Many Graces I may give you; because this is not about making a Saint, or saving the generations. This is about placing a Divine Will in Safety, that all may Return to the Beginning, to the Origin from which all came, and that the Purpose of My Will may have Its Fulfillment.”
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(Click on Picture above for more information)
Miraculous image of “Santa Maria Greca” that appeared on July 18, 1656 in Corato, Italy. Archbishop Mons. Addazi obtained permission from the Holy Office on May 11, 1962 to transfer the mortal remains of Luisa to the Church of Santa Maria Greca with the internment occurring on July 3, 1962.
In the night of 18th July 1830, 1st Appearance of the Virgin Mary, Catherine was woken up by a child ringed in a halo of light. She followed him into the church which was open and lit by countless candles. The child asked her to kneel next to the altar where the Virgin Mary was waiting for her with a message, a mixture of political and religious predictions.
In this message, she namely predicted the July 1830 revolution in France, the bloody political events of 1870, the death of Archbishop Darboy in 1871 and the ensuing political chaos. The Virgin Mary also announced the formation of 2 religious communities abroad, one in the United States (founded by Elisabeth-Ann Seton) and one in Austria, founded by Léopoldine de Brandis. (Read more by clicking here)
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7/16 Feast of the Brown Scapular 1251
“And You, Sovereign Queen, hide me under Your mantle.
Keep me defended from everything; never leave me alone,
so that I can complete the Divine Will in everything.”
Book of Heaven; Volume 32; 3/12/33
Mount Carmel is mentioned in the Bible in 1 Kings 18:16-40. It was there that the prophet Elijah took his stand against the pagan prophets of Baal and Asherah. He revealed to them all the power of Our Lord and God. During the 12th Century, the Carmelite Order was founded on Mount Carmel.
Today being July 16
the Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary
under the title of
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
We remember her appearance to St. Simon Stock, the superior general of the Carmelites, in Cambridge, England, on Sunday, 16 July, 1251. St. Simon Stock had appealed to Mary through prayer to help the new Carmelite order to overcome oppression. She appeared with the Brown Scapular and said to him:
“Take, beloved son, this scapular of the order as a badge of my confraternity and for you and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant”.
Two great founders of the Religious Orders, St. Alphonsus, of the Redemptorists and St. John Bosco of the Salecians had a very special devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and both wore Her Brown Scapular. When they died each was buried in priestly vestments and Scapular. Many years later their graves were opened, the bodies and sacred vestments in which they were buried were decayed-dust! BUT THE BROWN SCAPULAR WHICH EACH WAS WEARING WAS INTACT. The Scapular of St. Alphonsus is on exhibit in his Monastery in Rome.
On day St. Simon Stock was called promptly by Lord Peter of Linton: “Come quickly, Father, my brother is dying in despair!” St. Simon Stock placed his large Scapular over the dying man and prayed that Mary would keep her promise. The man instantly repented of his sins and died in a state of grace.
Blessed Pope Gregory X was buried wearing the Scapular, only 25 years after the vision. When his tomb was opened over 600 years later, the wool scapular remained perfectly intact and had not degraded in the least.
Every single baptized Catholic in the world can be enrolled in the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular and be able to wear the brown Scapular. If you would like to be enrolled, just ask a priest. The prayer he says to enroll a person is very short.
By the wearing of the Brown Scapular, Mary promises to pray for us at the hour of death. And more than that – intercede with God to obtain the graces we need to remain in the state of grace. And if we are in a state of mortal sin, she will intercede for us that sanctifying grace may come back into our soul before we die. Mary also promises that the Scapular will be “a safeguard in danger.” Those are the two promises by Mary for those that wear the Scapular.
Now, does Mary’s promise (Whoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire) allow us to live a sinful lifestyle and go to Heaven? No! One who wears the scapular must be in the state of grace, live their lives according to their vocation, pray the rosary, and try to live a holy life. This must not be viewed as magical or a superstition.
Once a man that lived a horribly sinful lifestyle that also wore the Brown Scapular. He hated everything holy and thought that just because he wore the Scapular, without a conversion of heart, that he would enter Heaven. Now the time of his death came, and his scapular began to glow red and burn his skin. It became so intense that he had to remove the Scapular. He then died.
Wearing the Scapular must be the outward sign of an individual’s trust in the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII said that wearing the Brown Scapular should be an outward sign of one’s consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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Book of Heaven; 6/6/35 – Vol. 33
The Queen of Heaven goes around through all the nations
in order to place Her children in safety.
… So after this I (Luisa) continued to think about the Divine Will, and I prayed that It would hurry and that with Its Omnipotence that can do everything, It would conquer all the obstacles and would make His Kingdom come and that His Will would Reign on earth as It does in Heaven. But while I thought this, before my mind, my sweet Jesus made seen so many mournful and horrifying things, before which the hardest hearts are shaken, and the most obstinate knocked down. Everything was terror and fright. I remained so afflicted as to feel myself dying, and I prayed that He would spare so many scourges.
And my beloved Jesus, as if He would have pity on my affliction, told me: “My daughter, courage, everything will serve for the Triumph of My Will. If I strike, it is because I want to heal. My Love is so much, that when I cannot conquer by way of Love and of Graces, I seek to conquer by way of terror and fright. The human weakness is so much that many times he does not care about My Graces, he is deaf to My Voice, he laughs at My Love. But it is enough to touch his skin, to remove the things necessary to natural life, that it abases his haughtiness. He feels so humiliated that he makes himself a rag, and I do what I want with him. Especially if they do not have a perfidious and obstinate will, one chastisement is enough—to see himself at the brink of the grave—that he returns to Me into My arms.
“You must know that I (Our Lord Jesus Christ) always Love My children, My beloved creatures. I would eviscerate Myself in order to not see them stricken, so much so that in the mournful times that will come, I have placed them all into the hands of My Celestial Mama. I have entrusted them to Her, so that She keeps them secure for Me under Her mantle. I will give to Her all those that She will want, death itself will not have power over those who will be in the custody of My Mama.”
Now while He said this, my dear Jesus made me see with deeds that the Sovereign Queen descended from Heaven with an indescribable Majesty and a Tenderness all Maternal, and She went around in the midst of creatures in all the nations and She marked Her dear children, and those who must not be touched by the scourges. Each one my Celestial Mama touched, the scourges had no power to touch those creatures. Sweet Jesus gave the right to His Mama of placing in safety whomever She pleased. How moving it was to see the Celestial Empress going around through all the parts of the world, that She took them in Her Maternal Hands, She entrusted them to Her bosom, she hid them under Her Mantle, so that no evil could harm those whom Her Maternal Goodness kept in Her custody, guarded and defended. O! if everyone could see with how much Love and Tenderness the Celestial Queen did this office, they would cry from consolation, and they would Love She who Loves them so much.
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AN EXEMPLARY CHAPLIN – FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO
50th Anniversary of Father Capodanno’s death is September 4, 1967
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by Maureen Boyle
There have been countless brave Catholic chaplains serving the U.S. Armed Forces since the Revolutionary War. One heroic example who is honored every year on the anniversary of his death is Father Vincent R. Capodanno, a Maryknoll priest who was killed in Vietnam on September 4, 1967, as he gave physical and spiritual assistance to the dying Marines of the 1st Marine Division. Father Capodanno posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor and was officially proclaimed a Servant of God by the Catholic Church in 2006, formerly initiating his cause for sainthood.
The annual memorial Mass for Father Capodanno was celebrated September 6, 2011 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and attended by active-duty and retired members of the armed forces, civilians, and many Catholic military chaplains.
In his homily, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio pointed out that among the scores of Navy chaplains, only two have received the Medal of Honor: Jesuit Father Joseph O’Callahan and Father Capodanno.
“They were men who never forgot the specificity of what they brought to others as Catholic priests, and yet still served all who sought their counsel comfort and ministry,” said Archbishop Broglio. “It is that realization that permitted Father Capodanno to defy logic and remain under fire to minister to those entrusted to his pastoral care. He knew that he brought them something no other chaplain could: the healing presence of the risen Lord who entrusted his sacraments, his life, to the Church.”
The archbishop encouraged those in attendance at the Mass to look to Father Capodanno as an example and source of inspiration to all the faithful, especially the Catholic chaplains serving in the armed forces.
“Men and women like Father Capodanno, afire with the love of Christ, challenge us to live the Gospel and to teach all people to live as brothers and sisters. The quest for peace still stirs our hearts,” he said.
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