Have you ever witnessed a miracle? 

Saint Charbel Makhlouf didn’t set out to become known as the “Miracle Monk of Lebanon”. In fact, from a young age, it was his sole desire to become a priest and live the life of a hermit. And that’s exactly what he did. In 1851, Charobel joined the Maronite order in Lebanon, but his goal of being a hermit would have to wait. He spent over 20 years living in a Monastery, serving his community, and became widely known as a holy man who helped unite Christians and Muslims. Then, for the last 23 years of his life, his wish was granted and he went to live alone as a hermit before passing away.

That’s when the miracles began to happen.

When Charbel died, light poured out from his tomb for days. Decades later, officials unearthed his body and found that it hadn’t decayed. Miraculous stories began to circulate—healings, conceiving a child despite infertility, transformed faith. Today, over 33,000 miracles have been reported as a result of Saint Charbel’s intercession.

Do you need a miracle, too? 

It is easy to fall into the trap of placing miracles like these in a far-off place with people you never knew. But it’s important to remember what God is drawing our attention to through these

miraculous stories. He performs miracles to show us the deeper spiritual reality at work in the circumstances of our lives.

When we put on the eyes of faith, we discover that miracles are happening all around us. The sun coming up is a miracle. Real, genuine, loving relationships are a kind of miracle. And of course, at every Mass in every Catholic Church around the world—including the one down the street from you—bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. This Christmas, when you go to Mass, you will witness a miracle. 

How do we learn to see everything as a miracle? We ask for the virtue of faith. Faith is a gift from God. You can work hard to develop many virtues, but with faith, we ask: “Lord, increase my faith.” Ask dozens of times each day. And as your faith grows, you will see more and more miracles, until finally, you will realize everything is a miracle.

This Christmas, bring your needs to Jesus. Just as he worked miracles 2,000 years ago, he continues to work miracles today. Ask for the miracles you seek. And have faith that Jesus hears your prayer.



Feast Day: December 24 (Christmas Eve)

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Tarsilla and Saint Irma

Patron Saint of: Those Who Suffer in Body and Soul

Also Known As: The Perfume of Lebanon

Canonized: October 9, 1977

Canonized By: Pope Paul VI