The Hidden Room

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.

But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Charbel eventually lived as a hermit near the monastery at Annaya, giving long hours to prayer and silence. Christian silence is not abandonment of the world or escape from responsibility. It is a place where distractions settle, motives become visible, and the cries of others can be carried before the Father without performance.

Father who sees in secret, lead me beneath the noise I use to avoid you or myself. Through St. Charbel's prayers, teach me a silence that is attentive rather than empty. Help me listen honestly, carry another person's suffering without spectacle, and return from prayer more available to the duties and relationships you have given 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.