‘The whole universe moves around the mystery of the cross. Man believes that the universe revolves around him personally, but the cross is the center of the universe; therefore he who wants to be at the center of the universe must be with the Crucified on the cross. He who does not live the mystery of the cross cannot understand the mystery of the (geocentric) universe…. For God, the beginning of creation and the end of the universe happen together, in the present. If you sanctify the present moment of your life through love of God, you will realise the mystery of eternity. Through love, man dwells eternally in God. Sanctify time, sanctify your life through love, sanctify every moment of your life. Do not let the clock distract you, because you cannot stop it, you can only be ready when your hour arrives. If anyone removes God far from his life, his mind, and his heart, time will oppress him and hurl him into death; this does not mean that God does not exist; rather he himself is the one who no longer exists. As the light shows the eyes what exists, so Christ reveals existence to the mind and the heart. Without light, the human eye does not see what exists. Without Christ, man does not see existence. God created matter and put it in order; He created the intellect and put spirit into it and gave life. As reason grasps the order and understands matter through logic and analysis, the mind grasps the love of God and the secret of the universe by faith, prayer, and true worship, and gives life. There are flowers that we pick in the spring as a decoration, while others age and fade to provide new seeds in autumn. There are flowers that disperse their petals to the wind, and their perfume can be smelled far away and almost fills the Earth. In every movement God has placed His wisdom; pray, therefore, to understand and to live according to His will, not to change it. The Father’s will is always for your good. Perfume yourselves with the scent of oak and thyme. Do not wear the colors of this world and do not breathe forth its odors. The actions of God’s hand in you are more important than anything this world can clothe you with, which will pass away. Walk at a steadfast pace on the path of sanctity. Let Christ live in you, and then you will live at the heart of the mystery of the universe, in the source of light.’--- St Charbel.
St Charbel. love is a Radiant light, by Hanna Skandar, Angelico press, 2015. Youssef Antoun Makhlouf, who later took the name of Charbel, was born on May 8th, 1828, in Bekaa Kafra, the highest village in Lebanon, situated at an altitude of 1,700 meters (5,575 feet) in the mountains in the north of the country dominating the famous valley of Kadisha, ‘the valley of the saints.’ Considered very intelligent; one of the best students in the Theological Institute of Saints Cyprian and Justina in Kfifan, excelling particularly in theology. Ordained a priest in 1859, he lived as a hermit and was formed by asceticism and prayer. On December 18th’ 1898, while celebrating Mass, he suffered a stroke and began an agony that lasted six days, during which he remained in peace. Father Charbel unceasingly repeated the prayer that he had not been able to finish at Mass: ‘Father of truth, behold your son. He also repeated the names Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and also Peter and Paul, patron saints of the hermitage. Charbel’s soul went to heaven on December 24th, 1898, Christmas Eve.
Topic: The Centre of the Universe (Read 21314 times)