Words of Light: Inspiration from the Letters of Padre Pio

by Padre Pio, Raniero Cantalamessa (Introduction)

The world was startled in 2007 by revelations that Mother Teresa of Calcutta's spiritual life was full of serious doubts and personal suffering for nearly 50 years. The other great saint of the last half century - Padre Pio - offers similar revelations of his own in this enlightening collection of short excerpts from his letters.

Many books have been written on the life and works of Padre Pio, but Words of Light is not a book about what others think or say about him. Here, he speaks for himself. If you are interested in the complexities and challenges of contemporary faith, you will benefit from these short teachings, counsels, and recollections culled from some of Padre Pio's most personal writings.

In these letters I quickly discovered the same states of soul that were described by the great mystics. Padre Pio's own 'dark night' was in no way inferior to that described by John of the Cross, and equally the 'living flame' of his love for God dazzles the reader and allows them to catch a glimpse of another world.
- Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, from the Introduction

Genres: Catholic, Spirituality, Christian

206 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2008

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, but the quotes, albeit “organized” are disjointed. Wouldn’t recommend reading cover-to-cover, but meditating on one excerpt at a time.

[Anthony Rewak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights into the spiritual life of Padre Pio. The book would have been more enjoyable reading more slowly over a long period of time, however I read it during a Retreat. Some of the letters really stood out, which I would like to return to for further reflection. The Prayer Chaplet to the Sacred Heart at the back of the book that Padre Pio prayed for others is beautiful. In short: a great *slow* read!

[Julie Machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to get through. Unrelated quotes. But I liked how it's his original words.

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Padre Pio will always give you the inspiration you need.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snippets arranged by several topics.