Love is a Radiant Light: The Life & Words of Saint Charbel

With the attack on fatherhood, widespread divorce, illegitimacy, and now so-called same-sex marriage and gender ideology, many believe the family is under attack. Though he died in 1898, consider how timely and undated St. Charbel's words on the war against the family are:"The family is the basis in the Lord's plan, and all the forces of evil aim to demolish it, because they know that in destroying it they will shake the foundations of God's plan. The war of the Evil One against the Lord is a war waged against the family. ... The collapse of the family means the ruin of the Lord's plan for humanity, that is to say, a breakdown that removes salvation and sanctity from human beings. ... The deformation of the family means the deformation of God's image. ... Every family is a Holy Family because it is in the image of the Triune God. ... Safeguard the warmth of the family, because all the warmth of the world will not make up for it." (94, 93, 95)I also like St.Charbel's words on prayer:"Persevere in prayer without ceasing. ... Endure .. by praying. ... [P]ray ... to understand and live according to his (God's) will, not to change it. The Father's will is always for your good. ... Pray to soften heartened hearts, to open darkened minds ... By your prayers you can bring down the rain of mercy ... Pray in your beds" (39, 43, 47, 44, 52)Some other quotes of St.Charbel I like include:"[T]he cross opens the gate of heaven, and there is no other. ... Therefore carry the cross of Christ, and you will have the key to heaven. ... Carry the cross of Christ and follow in his footsteps; you will find the Virgin at your side, as she was for Christ." (41, 42)"Your happiness in this world is not of this world ... Jesus alone is able to give you true happiness." (30, 31)"[D]eafening racket prevents them (people) from hearing his (God's) voice." (30)"Anyone who does not know the Gospel is an ignorant person who lives in darkness, even if he possesses all the knowledge in the world. ... Man believes that the universe revolves around him personally, but the cross is the center of the universe; therefore he who wants to be at the center of the universe must be with the Crucified on the cross. ... If anyone removes God far from his life, his mind, and his heart, time will oppress him and hurl him into death; this does not mean that God does not exist, rather he himself is the one who no longer exists. ... Without Christ, man does not see existence. ... [G]ive yourself up to God in order to free yourself from your chains. ... [C]hange your life and renew it. ... Once you have arrived at the gate (of Heaven), you will feel that the joy of your passage far surpasses your suffering and fatigue during the walk. The happiness of your arrival at the destination will infinitely surpass the sorrows of your travels." (82, 45-47, 51, 43)As you can see from the previous quote and the one on the family, St.Charbel has a kind of John the Baptist quality to him. He didn't care if people didn't like his words. And so he bluntly tells us the truth, not wasting words.The bio at the beginning tells us that St.Charbel is "incorrupt" (18, 21) and that he was devoted to the "Holy Rosary" (10).Finally, one last quote to drive home the point of how timely and undated St.Charbel's words are 121 years after his death:"Their buildings rise, their morality sinks. Their worldly goods increase, their values diminish. Their speeches multiply, their prayers grow scarce. ... An edifice based on man may well rise, but it ends up crushing him." (74, 75)

This 103 page book of provides a life of St. Charbel and then a section of his homilies The first 20-page section on the life of St. Charbel provides a look into his holiness rather then a review of the bare facts of his life, giving with this what I expect most readers would prefer having. The fact that this book reveals the heart of this great saint is one of its accomplishments. Nevertheless, it would have been good to have more information on the course of his life. This book then provides 70 pages of this saint's homilies. (Homilies are sermons.) Generally I don't read sermons, finding little merit in them as literary pieces. However the sermons of this saint are exceptional for their insight and penetrating wisdom. They give a good idea on this saint' depth of understanding, and are characterized by their originality, their felicity, along with their simplicity of expression. This book is rough around the edges, clearly not by someone experienced as a writer. This comes out by the fact that the titles of these sermons do not give an idea about what Saint Charbel says in each one, so that you have to begin reading a sermon to see what it is about. This is my one criticism about this worthwhile book.

This book is filled with wisdom to help you on your journey, your Exodus, to Heaven. You will treasure this wisdom for the rest of your life.

St Charbel is alive in Christ. This book gives us a glimpse into Charbel's total self giving to God and others. His life tells us how the Spirit renews and recreates us in Christ. Now he is a great healer united to the greatest physician. He is as merciful as the Father in generously bring our petitions to God's presence. In this book his spiritual insights are practical invitations for us to follow Jesus Way, Truth and Life.

I enjoyed this short and easy book, a fount of wisdom, one to reread again and again to reap its full reward.

This book is short. Very short. But it is one of the most powerful I've read. There is a biographical profile of St. Charbel included, but the sermons are the real gold here. St. Charbel can say more in a sentence than many say in huge volumes. This book, like the title implies, radiates the love and light of Christ. It is worth every penny.

The words of Saint Charbel - worth thousands of books. Meditate his words and feel them in your everyday life. Live a life of a monk amongst people.

After reading St. Charbel’s biography, I wanted to read his teachings. I was not disappointed. They remind me of “The imitation of Christ”.

Very good

Great book! It is worth each penny and is cheaper than its physical copy. Best book on Saint Charbel I've read so far.

This little book is easy to read and full of beautiful, spiritual insight. Amazing life story of Saint Charbel and some of his meditations. I recommend it to anyone who needs a boost to faith and / or a powerful intercessor!

Love this book. St Charbel has inspirational teachings that are easy to understand and remember. I highly recommend this book.

An excellent intro to St Charbel’s life and teaching!