During his life, Saint Sharbel detached himself from earthly things and offered his whole being to God. Since childhood he would dedicate his spare time to prayer, and by the example of his two uncles he was drawn to the monastic life.
He spent 23 years of his life as a lay person, another 23 as a monk and then priest, and the last 23 years of his life as a hermit. He would sleep a few hours a day, spend hours preparing for the Divine Liturgy, work prayerfully in the fields, and immerse himself in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and in meditation on the Lord’s word. He lived in poverty, silence, obedience, fast and abstinence. He bore insults and humiliation with love for others.
