The Wisdom of St. Patrick

by Greg Tobin

Inspirations from the Patron Saint of Ireland
Of all the saints through the centuries, St. Patrick stands out as the most universally beloved--and the symbol of all that is Irish. Although much of his life has been shrouded in myth and legend, two of his important writings have survived. St. Patrick's voice speaks to us clearly and compellingly in these documents. And from the well of his thoughts, consolation and understanding can be drawn.
The Wisdom of St. Patrick celebrates the life and the spirit of this remarkable individual, revealing a powerful, charismatic man whose thoughts are just as relevant today as they were more than a millennium ago. Accessibly arranged by spiritual topics ranging from honesty and grace to faith and prayer, St. Patrick's own words are enriched by commentary on his life and times, contemplations that tie into issues of daily life, and a meaningful prayer relevant to each quoted passage.
Nowhere has the wisdom of St. Patrick been so eloquently presented. This wonderful volume is a treasury of inspiration that will be a cherished gift, not only for the saint's feast day, but for every day of the year as well.

264 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 1999

About the author

Greg Tobin is the author of several books on the Catholic Church. He was the editor of The Catholic Advocate, and during the April 2005 papal transition he appeared frequently on national radio and TV programs as an expert commentator on the popes and the papal election process. His books Selecting the Pope and Holy Father were widely used as authoritative resources on the subject and were quoted in the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, as well as the Associated Press. He lives in West Orange, NJ."

Reviews

[Karol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I timed the reading of this book to end on St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patrick left two main writings behind that have survived the centuries. Both are contained in this book and I gained a lot by reading them. In addition to these writings, the book contains a history of St. Patrick's life and several devotionals based on the writings.

I must say that I believe St. Patrick would be appalled at how his memory is celebrated today. We would do better in honoring him to practice humility, and service to others as a reflection of our devotion to God.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book to get to know St. Patrick. I realized once I started reading this that I didn’t really know anything about St. Patrick except lore.

[Stu]

Read 90% then gave it to a Catholic. I was interested in the Dark Ages side of things, but the author added his own spiritual take on it in his modern us life

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greg Tobin does such a wonderful job with this book. He provides you with tremendous amounts of reasearched information in short space. It's a fast read, but a quality one. His translations of St. Patrick's works as well as those translations he cites are rather well and thought provoking. This is not a book to read just because, though. This is a book that you need to read when you have plenty of time to contemplate and think over what both St. Patrick and the author have said. The best parts are the little prayers at the end of each chapter and the latin works of St. Patrick in the Appendices. Also, very well documented sources lead you to want to go look up those sources for yourself. A great read whether you're Catholic or not. A must read for the Protestant contemplating converting to Catholicism...

[Russell Hayes · Rating 1 out of 5]

More interesting for its inclusion of Patrick's Confession, Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus, and historical information than for its devotional portion.

There was an interesting musing in the chapter on individual worth which compared the ancient druidic worldview, in which the discrete nature of each individual person and thing is an illusion and everything is connected with its surroundings, with modern cyberculture, in which nothing is discrete and everything is interconnected in a sort of illusion, and which is more important to many people than actual reality. In a sense, the druidic worldview is similar to native American thought, postmodernism, and gnosticism.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this mostly for Patrick's actual letters in the back but the devotions were very well done. The introduction is all about the history and legends of St. Patrick and i think for someone not too historical-minded might be rather boring (it got to me at times and i love irish history...) but you can always skip that part and not be confused in the topical devotions. Good book!

[Paul Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little book, probably best used as a devotional, rather than read all at once. Also provides insight into the patron saint of Ireland. Turns out he was quite human, just motivated by something and someone much larger than himself.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard to review this book, as I had to decide whether I was creating my rating based too much on my own personal feelings or the quality as a book. Personally, the book did not serve as an effective spiritual guide but it was written fairly well.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, fun, and informative St Patrick read, it also contains a brief survey of literature by and about him.