St. Nimatullah

Today we're going to learn about a very special saint from our Maronite tradition - Saint Nimatullah Al-Hardini! His name means 'Gift of God,' and that's exactly what he was to everyone he met. Saint Nimatullah lived in Lebanon about 300 years ago. As a young man, he felt God calling him to become a monk. He joined the Lebanese Maronite Order and spent his life serving God and helping others. Saint Nimatullah was known for being very kind and gentle. He taught children and helped poor families who didn't have enough food or clothes. Can anyone tell me what it means to be kind to others? That's right! Being kind means helping people and caring about them. Saint Nimatullah loved to pray and study. He was so smart that other monks would come to him for advice. But even though he was very wise, he was always humble - that means he never thought he was better than anyone else. He would wake up very early every morning to pray and spend time with God. What do you think Saint Nimatullah prayed about? Yes! He prayed for his students, for poor people, and for everyone to know God's love. Saint Nimatullah became very sick when he was older, but he never complained. He trusted in God completely. When he died, many people said he was a saint because of his holy life. Our Church officially declared him a saint in the year 2004! Saint Nimatullah shows us that we can be holy too by being kind, helpful, and loving God with all our hearts. Just like him, we can be gifts of God to the people around us!