Saint of the day · July 24
St Charbel Makhlouf
Optional memorialFriday, week 16 in Ordinary Time
Liturgical colour : Green
St Charbel Makhlouf was a Maronite priest and monk born in the mountains of Lebanon in the 19th century. Renowned for his deep spiritual life, Charbel spent much of his life as a hermit, devoting himself to prayer, asceticism, and contemplation. His life was marked by simplicity, humility, and a profound commitment to the monastic tradition of the Eastern Catholic Church. He is particularly remembered for his devotion to the Eucharist and his silent witness to the Gospel. After his death in 1898, many miracles were attributed to his intercession, particularly healings. St Charbel’s tomb became a pilgrimage site, drawing Christians from many backgrounds who sought his prayers and healing. The Church keeps his memorial to honor his exemplary holiness, his witness as a bridge between Eastern and Western Christianity, and his testimony to the transformative power of prayer and penance. St Charbel remains a figure of unity and hope within the Church, inspiring many faithful to seek God in silence and simplicity. His legacy invites believers to encounter God through contemplative prayer, sacrifice, and trust in divine providence.
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Mass readings
“I will give you shepherds after my own heart. All nations shall stream to Jerusalem” — Jr 3, 14-17
Return, faithless children – oracle of the Lord;
it is I who am your master.
I will take you, one from a city, two from a family,
and bring you to Zion.
I will give you shepherds after my own heart:
they will shepherd you with knowledge and understanding.
When you have multiplied and increased in the land,
in those days – oracle of the Lord –,
they will no longer speak of the "Ark of the Covenant of the Lord",
it will never come to mind again,
they will not remember it,
they will not care for it,
nor will another be made.
At that time,
they shall call Jerusalem "The Throne of the Lord."
All nations will gather there,
to the name of the Lord in Jerusalem;
they will no longer follow the evil inclinations
of their hardened hearts.
– The word of the Lord.
Jr 31, 10, 11-12ab, 13
Listen, O nations, to the word of the Lord!
Proclaim it on distant islands:
“He who scattered Israel now gathers them,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
“The Lord has freed Jacob,
has redeemed him from a hand stronger than his own.
They come, shouting for joy, on the heights of Zion:
they flock to the Lord’s blessings.
“The young girl rejoices and dances;
young men and old, all together!
I will turn their mourning into joy,
cheer and comfort them after their sorrow.”
“The one who hears the Word and understands it bears fruit” — Mt 13, 18-23
At that time,
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Listen, then, to the meaning of the parable of the sower.
When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom but does not understand it,
the Evil One comes
and snatches away what was sown in his heart:
this is the seed sown along the path.
The one who received seed on rocky ground,
is the one who hears the Word
and immediately receives it with joy;
but he has no root in himself,
he is short-lived:
when trouble or persecution comes because of the Word,
he falls away at once.
The one who received seed among thorns,
is the one who hears the Word;
but the worries of the world and the lure of riches
choke the Word,
and it bears no fruit.
The one who received seed on good soil,
is the one who hears the Word and understands it:
he indeed bears fruit
and yields a hundred, or sixty, or thirtyfold."
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org