Come, Follow Me

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Holy God, you called St. Charbel from Lebanon's villages into the prayer of the Maronite Church and the hidden life of a hermit. As I begin this novena, gather my restless heart and receive my intention. Through his intercession, deepen my love for the Eucharist, make my work an offering, and form me into an instrument of healing, unity, and peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pause in silence, and bring to mind the intention you are praying for.

In the app, your own saved intention rests here during the silence. The narration stays the same for everyone.

Jesus looking at him loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, taking up the cross.'

Before Jesus asks anything, he looks with love. Charbel Makhlouf answered that loving gaze by leaving home for monastic life, where his belonging to Christ became steadily more complete. Most people are not called to a hermitage, but every disciple is called to loosen whatever prevents a free response and to follow the particular path God gives.

Lord Jesus, look upon me with the love that called St. Charbel. Show me what I cling to for safety, status, or escape. Give me freedom to answer my own vocation generously, without imitating a path that is not mine. May every renunciation create more room to love you and the people entrusted to me. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

St. Charbel, monk, priest, and hermit of the Maronite Church, your hidden life in Christ became a lamp far beyond Lebanon. Carry my intention before God. Pray for those who are sick, displaced, grieving, or divided by conflict, and for everyone who cares for them. Help me seek Christ in silence, receive him in the Eucharist, work with love, and become a bearer of his peace. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.