Saint Charbel Makhlouf 1828-1898 - The Mystical Side of God

couldn't because the light coming from his body and eyes was too blinding and powerful. I was soconfused and asked him: Father, why do you want to operate on me? The doctor didn't say I need anoperation. But St Charbel said: Definitely, you need an operation, and I, Father Charbel, have come todo it for you. I looked towards the statue of the Virgin, placed near me, and said: Holy Mary, please helpme; How are these monks going to operate without anesthetics or sutures ? Then I realized that theVirgin's statue was standing between the monks. Suddenly, I felt a terrible pain under Charbel's fingers,which were rubbing my neck. When St Charbel finished the operation, the other monk approached, putme in a sitting position, and placed a pillow behind my back. He reached for a glass of water, put his handbehind my head and said: Drink this water.I cannot drink without a straw , I said. He replied: We have operated on you, and now you will drink thiswater; then you will stand up and walk ."I woke up and felt water running down my throat, and found myself sitting in the same position as theFather had placed me in. Suddenly I felt a burning in my neck, and unconsciously put my hand there tofind out what was happening. Then I realized that my paralyzed hand had become normal again; I felt my[paralyzed] foot moving normally under the blanket. I got out of bed in a semi-conscious state and kneltbefore the picture of St Charbel and the statue of the Virgin to thank them. I went to the bathroom andlooked in the mirror; I saw two wounds of twelve centimeters each, at both sides of my neck.Nadia SaderIn an article in Al-Anwar on 10 September 1996 Nadia Sader described what happened to her when shedrank a brew in which oak leaves from Nouhad's tree had been soaked. Nadia's illness had progressedquickly and aggressively and within a short time she was totally paralyzed; she suffered tremendous painand expected to die at any moment. Her mother-in-law suggested trying the oak leaves which had beenblessed by St Charbel, an idea she complied with only after much persuasion. "As I drank the hot liquid, Ifelt a burning inside," she told Al-Anwar. "It was horrible, indescribable. I was suffering from my chin downto my right foot. I was howling, screaming, from pain and also from fear. Suddenly I saw the mostwonderful scene in my life: I saw the heart of Jesus, red like blood, beating. The heart was all surroundedby light and my children were standing around it. Then I lost consciousness... People around me saw myright foot making violent movements, rising up and falling down with an unbelievable force. I remembernothing of all of this. [Later] the gathering saw my left foot making the same violent movements as theright one had done before. It was so violent that I fell down on the floor. My foot continued its suddenmovements with more power than three men were capable of restraining. I was still unconscious. I stayedin bed, weakened, till the morning of the third day, when my little child woke me up; only then did I know Ihad been cured, and I was able to walk again normally and serve my family."Nadia Sader still did not know what to make of it all, wavering between belief and non-belief, even afterseveral more appearances to her of Charbel and Jesus. "I have snatched you from your deathbed, andyou still don't believe?" Jesus asked her. Nadia's home became a place of pilgrimage where icons ofJesus, the Virgin Mary and St Charbel exuded oil but Nadia herself continued to swing between faith andfear, especially after a medium told her that the oil had evil origins and was the work of the devil.Only after repeated appearances of Jesus to her did Nadia finally admit that she was convinced. Shesubsequently began receiving messages from St Charbel. The following are quotations from thesemessages: "Always ask for the healing of the soul, and don't fear the illness of the body." "Pray for theliving, because most of the living are dead, and the dead are living."Raymond NaderRaymond Nader, a Lebanese electro-mechanical engineer, carries with him quite spectacular evidence ofCharbel's activities: on one arm he has five fingerprints literally burnt into his skin. The scorchedfingerprints have already renewed themselves six times.Raymond Nader told his story earlier this year, in April 1997, in front of the TV cameras. On 9 November1994 he spent a night in the hermitage where Charbel had lived for 23 years. He wanted to meditate andhad lit five candles . It was a still, cold night. "Suddenly," he told Murr Television, "I felt warmth around me

in the cold night, and a fiery, warm wind began to blow. However, to my great surprise the flames of thecandles were steady and still. I tried to reason scientifically, but I thought I might be dreaming orhallucinating. Suddenly I lost my five senses. There was no more warmth or wind or flames. I was in adifferent world, a world bathed in light. Not the usual light we know, not white, but transparent like crystalwater. The light didn't come from a specific direction, but from everywhere. It was a billion times brighterthan the light of the Sun... "In that light I felt a Presence, I couldn't see it, but I was aware of it. "No, youare not dreaming, YOU ARE MORE AWAKE THAN EVER. The Voice came from nowhere and yet fromeverywhere. I heard it in every part of me, not with my physical ears. It expressed itself to me with nowords, no sounds. The Presence presented itself to me as a "feeling" of deep peace, and joy and love. Ata certain moment I felt that this experience had come to an end. I wanted this joy and peace to last forever, and if the Presence couldn't stay, I wished at least it would take me with it; but He made meunderstand that He is always here."Gradually Nader returned to normal consciousness. "I looked at the candles with astonishment: they weretotally consumed. My watch indicated that four hours has passed in a blink of an eye. I left the hermitage,and on the way to my car I felt heat in my arm. I thought it might be a scratch, or an animal's sting. But theheat grew stronger. I took off my pullover, and in the light of my car saw five fingerprints on my arm,showing every detail of human fingers, including the wrinkles and the nails. It was very hot, but there wasno pain at all, only itching. For five days it oozed blood and water."Dr Nabil Hokayem, a plastic surgeon, one of the most famous surgeons in Lebanon, confirmed that it wasa second-degree burn. On the occasion of the Feast Day of Charbel on 15 July in 1995, Raymond Naderhad a new and extraordinary experience while visiting the Monastery of St Maroun. "On my way toCharbel's hermitage, I saw a procession ahead of me. I recognized the monks of the monastery, but atthe end of the procession was a very old priest. I approached him to ask a few questions. As I camecloser to him, everything around me changed. All sounds disappeared, but the old priest's voiceresounded inside my head." It was then that Nader heard one of six messages which he attributes toCharbel. With each message the fingerprints on his arm were renewed.The following are quotations from these messages:"The Lord has created each human being to shine, to enlighten the world; you are the light of the world.Each man is a lantern meant to shine; the Lord has provided a clear and transparent glass to the lantern,to enable that light to shine and illuminate the world; but they are taking care of the glass and forgettingabout the light; they are caring about the glass shape, coloring and decorating it, until it becomes thick,opaque, preventing light from shining forth, and thus is the world drowned in darkness. The Lord insistson illuminating the world. Your glass must become transparent again. You should realize the purpose forwhich you are born in this world.""Christ knows what is in your hearts, and it is your hearts that he wants. Don't seek for the truth outsidethe Christ; when you know the Christ, you will know the Truth and you will be free. The Christ wants youto be free. Fear not, and be sure that the Christ has defeated the world.""The Church of the Christ is a rock upon which are being shattered the waves of evil. Christ is the way.Crosses of light will flood the Earth."Sister Maria Abdel KamariThe beatification of Charbel followed the healing of a nun, Sister Maria Abdel Kamari. She sufferedserious intestinal problems, could not keep food down, had been bedridden for 14 years and had alreadyreceived the sacrament of extreme unction three times. In 1950 she was taken to Charbel's grave and onpraying suddenly felt a powerful surge of energy and was able to stand unaided. Since then Sister MariaAbel Kamari has been completely free of her previous ailments.Samira HannochMore recently, in 1992, some of Charbel's "miracles" reached the Western press. Swedish papers and the

British daily, The Guardian, printed the story of 15-year-old Samira Hannoch who reported having had avision of Charbel in her home near Stockholm. Since then oil has been pouring from a portrait of Charbeland has been associated with a number of healings.Saint Charbel in 2011 Incorrupt.Reference:http://incorruptibles.info/saint_charbel_makhlouf.htmlhttp://incorruptibles.info/charbel_miracles.htmlhttp://www.amazon.com/ The Incorruptibles: A Study of the Incorruption of the Bodies of Various CatholicSaints and Beati [Paperback]Joan Carroll Cruz (Author)