Raymond Nader is a Lebanese Catholic Maronite citizen born in Ghineh, Mount Lebanon on the 10th of November 1961 and is married with three children. He graduated from the Jesuit University in Lebanon with a degree in Electro-mechanical engineering. He then left Lebanon to work in the United Kingdom where he specialised in Nuclear physics.
One day Raymond began to search through science and technology for answers concerning creation, the universe and God’s mystery. The mystery of the Eucharistic Sacrament has always perplexed Raymond since his childhood. His grandfather being a priest has encouraged him to search for the truth and to find answers revolving around the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
The questions Raymond kept asking himself were “Does God truly exist? Where is He? Is Christ really the Son of God? Was He truly crucified? Did he die and rise from the dead? Why does God become incarnate? How does the bread that we bake become the Holy Body of Christ when the priest prays on it? And why people after receiving it, are supposed to love each other and God?
In 1985, Raymond started searching for answers for his questions, persevered in his prayers and attended regular spiritual retreats in hermitages in particular the St Peter and St Paul hermitage of Annaya, Mount Lebanon. This hermitage in Annaya was the place where St Charbel used to pray, meditate, fast, work and sleep.
On the eve of November 9th, 1994, Raymond arrived at St Peter and St Paul hermitage in Annaya, Mount Lebanon carrying the Holy Bible and five candles in a bag. He lit the candles and began his prayers and meditations. Suddenly, he started to feel changes in his surroundings. The wind grew stronger, the temperature began to rise and the flames of the 5 candles stopped flickering but continued to burn with no motion.
Raymond said “I tried to reason scientifically, but I thought I might be dreaming or hallucinating. Suddenly I lost my five senses. There was no more warmth, wind or flames. I was in a different world, a world bathed in light. Not the usual light we know, not white, but transparent like crystal water. The light didn’t come from a specific direction, but from everywhere. It was a billion times brighter than the light of the Sun…In that light I felt a Presence, I couldn’t see it, but I was aware of it”.
Then a voice replied, “No, you are not dreaming, you are more awake than ever”.
Raymond continued, “The Voice came from nowhere and yet from everywhere. I heard it in every part of me, not with my physical ears. It expressed itself to me with no words, no sounds. The Presence presented itself to me as a “feeling” of deep peace, and joy and love. At a certain moment I felt that this experience had come to an end. I wanted this joy and peace to last for ever, and if the Presence couldn’t stay, I wished at least it would take me with it; but He made me understand that He is always here.”
Gradually Raymond returned to normal consciousness and said, “I looked at the candles with astonishment, they were totally consumed. My watch indicated that four hours had passed in a blink of an eye. I left the hermitage and on the way to my car I felt heat in my arm. I thought it might be a scratch or an animal’s sting. But the heat grew stronger. I took off my pullover and in the light of my car saw five fingerprints on my arm, showing every detail of human fingers including the wrinkles and the nails. It was very hot but there was no pain at all only itching. For five days it oozed blood and water.” Dr Nabil Hokayem, a plastic surgeon and one of the most famous surgeons in Lebanon, confirmed that it was a second degree burn.