St. Sharbel
- Anna Maria De Guid
- Jul 24
- 2 min read
We choose personal saints for our Confirmation. (Do you remember yours? I don't.)
Our parents picked one for our Baptism. Some couples pick saints for their weddings, and the religious I believe choose them when taking vows.
But they say saints can choose us, too.
Over a decade ago, someone asked if I knew St. Sharbel. I didn't. A few weeks later, I ran into his name again. A month or so passed. Then someone visited and handed me a framed picture of St. Sharbel! For a thick-skinned me, that wasn't a nudge. That was a shake!
I placed the 8x10 frame on our home altar, though I quietly thought a smaller picture would be nice for the mini altar beside my bed.
St. Sharbel's feast day was celebrated this past Sunday (July 19) in the Maronite calendar (and today July 24 in the Roman Catholic calendar). That exact Sunday, a family friend we hadn't seen in nearly ten years invited our family for their son’s birthday.
Their son's name? Sharbel.
And as a gift before we parted, they handed me a small, standalone portrait of
St. Sharbel in the exact size I needed for my bedside table!
They say it takes a lot to get through to someone who is thick-skinned. But when a saint decides to introduce himself, he doesn't just knock. He moves right in.
My name's Anna Maria, and I share videos on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every other week! Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! If you've been #tbgtoday, feel free to share your story of grace here.
Good Morning Maria, I love what you wrote about St Charbel! This was my first article reading for you and I thing I am hooked. God Bless your Beautiful heart and gives you strength to keep going ❤️