Dear brothers and sisters!

I would like to thank the Superior General for his kind words and for welcoming us to this beautiful monastery in Annaya. The natural enviroment around this house of prayer also draws us in with its austere beauty.

I give thanks to God for allowing me to come as a pilgrim to the tomb of Saint Charbel. I think that my predecessors – especially Saint Paul VI, who beatified and canonized him – would have greatly desired to do the same.

Dear friends, what does Saint Charbel teach us today? What is the legacy of this man who wrote nothing, who lived a hidden and silent life, yet whose fame spread throughout the world?

I would like to offer the following summary of his legacy. The Holy Spirit formed him so that he could teach those who live without God how to pray, those who live immersed in noise how to be silent, those who live ostentatiously how to be modest, and those who seek riches how to be poor. All of these behaviors are counter-cultural, yet, that is precisely why they attract us, just like fresh, pure water draws those walking in the desert.

In particular, Saint Charbel reminds us, bishops and ordained ministers, of the evangelical demands of our vocation. At the same time, his steadfastness, as radical as it was humble, is a message for all Christians.

There is another crucial aspect of his legacy. Saint Charbel has never ceased to intercede for us before our Heavenly Father, the source of every good and grace. Even during his earthly life, many went to him to receive comfort, forgiveness and advice from the Lord. After Saint Charbel’s death, his work multiplied and became like a river of mercy. For this reason, on the twenty-second of every month, thousands of pilgrims from different countries come here to spend a day in prayer and to renew their souls and bodies.

Sisters and brothers, today we entrust to Saint Charbel’s intercession the needs of the Church, Lebanon and the world. For the Church, we ask for communion and unity, beginning with families who are small domestic churches, then parish and diocesan communities, and finally for the universal Church. Communion and unity. For the world, we ask for peace. We especially implore it for Lebanon and for the entire Levant. But we know well – and the saints remind us – that there is no peace without conversion of hearts. May Saint Charbel, therefore, help us to turn to God and ask for the gift of conversion for all of us.

Dear friends, as a symbol of the light that God has enkindled here through Saint Charbel, I have brought a lamp as a gift. In offering this lamp, I entrust Lebanon and its people to the protection of Saint Charbel, so that they may always walk in the light of Christ. We give thanks to God for the gift of Saint Charbel! I also thank all of you for preserving his memory. Keep walking in the light of the Lord!