Cardinal Jose Advincula urged Catholics to choose trust over control Wednesday as the pilgrim relic of St. Charbel Makhlouf visited Manila Cathedral.
Speaking during Mass on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Advincula linked Mary’s “yes” to God with St. Charbel’s life of silent, radical surrender.
“Both Mama Mary and St. Charbel show us the same path: not control, but trust; not clarity, but faithfulness; not visibility, but hidden holiness,” he said.
Advincula said both figures followed a path marked not by certainty or recognition, but by humility, faithfulness and openness to God’s will.
The cardinal said Mary’s acceptance disrupted her ordinary life plans but opened the way for salvation through obedience.
Similarly, he added, St. Charbel embraced a hidden life of prayer, fasting and solitude, far from worldly acknowledgment.
The Lebanese Maronite monk and hermit, canonized in 1977, is widely venerated for his austere spirituality and reported miracles.
Advincula said the relic is more than a sacred object; it is a call to live a life fully given to God.
“The relic of St. Charbel is not just a reminder of a holy man. It is a living invitation for all of us to imitate a life totally given to God,” he said.
He also said that the visit encourages Catholics to rediscover faith expressed through quiet fidelity rather than public recognition.
“In St. Charbel, we see how that same surrender can be lived out daily, quietly and faithfully,” Advincula said.
