Product Description

This historic work reveals the inner spiritual life of one of the most beloved and important religious figures in history.

During her lifelong service to the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa became an icon of compassion to people of all religions; her extraordinary contributions to the care of the sick, the dying, and thousands of others nobody else was prepared to look after has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world. Little is known, however, about her own spiritual heights or her struggles. This collection of her writing and reflections, almost all of which have never been made public before, sheds light on Mother Teresa's interior life in a way that reveals the depth and intensity of her holiness for the first time.

Compiled and presented by Fr. Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., who knew Mother Teresa for twenty years and is the postulator for her cause for sainthood and director of the Mother Teresa Center, MOTHER TERESA brings together letters she wrote to her spiritual advisors over decades. A moving chronicle of her spiritual journey—including moments, indeed years, of utter desolation—these letters reveal the secrets she shared only with her closest confidants. She emerges as a classic mystic whose inner life burned with the fire of charity and whose heart was tested and purified by an intense trial of faith, a true dark night of the soul.

Published to coincide with the tenth anniversary of her death, MOTHER TERESA is an intimate portrait of a woman whose life and work continue to be admired by millions of people.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2193 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-04
• Released on: 2007-09-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Mother Teresa was one of the most revered people of the 20th century, so it is no surprise that 10 years after her death people still want to know what impelled this poor, humble Albanian woman to give her life to God so completely. Kolodiejchuk, a Catholic priest and friend of Mother Teresa’s who is actively promoting her cause for sainthood, assembles a startling and impressive collection of her writings, most of which have never been seen by the public. Two themes especially shine through in Mother Teresa’s letters, namely, her absolute conviction that she was doing God’s will, and a deep and surprising chasm of darkness within her that some would call the dark night of the soul. It is also apparent that this saintly woman was no pushover. In her quest to found the Missionaries of Charity, she aggressively pursued approval from her bishop, fully confident that God desired this work to be done. Kolodiejchuk is at times a bit presumptive in his interpretations of Teresa’s letters, as no one can say for certain what was in her mind and heart at all times. What we do know, in part thanks to this volume, is that Mother Teresa’s vocation to care for the poorest of the poor will continue to inspire people for generations.

Review

“If I ever become a Saint—I will surely be one of “darkness.” I will continually be absent from Heaven—to lit the light of those in darkness on earth .”
—Mother Teresa of Calcutta

About the Author

Born in Skopje in 1910, MOTHER TERESA joined the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin in 1928 and was sent to India, where she began her novitiate. She taught at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta from 1931 to 1948, until leaving the Loreto order to begin the Missionaries of Charity. Through her sisters, brothers, and priests, her service of the poorest of the poor spread all around the world. She won many awards, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. After her death in 1997, the process for her sainthood was quickly begun and she was beatified in 2003.

FR. BRIAN KOLODIEJCHUK, M.C., Ph.D., was born in Winnipeg, Canada. He met Mother Teresa in 1977 and was associated with her until her death in 1997. He joined the Missionaries of Charity Fathers at the time of their foundation in 1984. Fr. Brian is postulator of the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and director of the Mother Teresa Center.

Customer Reviews

Mother Teresa
This book gives a great insight into the thoughts and struggles Mother Teresa had in hearing the call from God and trying to carry it out. Her generosity is incredible.

"The Saint of Darkness"
Canadian born Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, MC, PH.D, one of the founding priests of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers and now director of the Mother Teresa Foundation, has provided us with an outstanding book. The book is a chronological compilation of Mother Teresa's private letters, revealing her inspiration (the vow, the call, the locutions and the visions) for the Missionaries of Charity and her remarkable inner spiritual life. The writings have had minimal editing and almost all were written initially in English. These are the personal communications to her spiritual advisors and close friends, and were never intended for publication. Fr. Koloiejchuk adds excellent commentary throughout providing valuable insights and context. The appendix includes the rule of the Society and a diary from a retreat she made in 1959. Both are worth reading.

Jesus asked Mother Teresa to "Come be My Light" and she responded by dedicating her life to be that light of God's love in the lives of those experiencing darkness. But the fruitfulness of her apostolate came at a steep price of many years of sacrifice. Not only did she live as a "woman of sorrows, familiar with suffering, bearing the suffering and burdens of the Society and the poorest of the poor." But she also lived in "spiritual darkness - the absence of God." This "darkness" would become the greatest trial of her life. She felt, if she ever became a saint, she would be called the "Saint of Darkness." Despite this, she held fast to the promise God made to her - "Do not fear - I shall be with you always...Trust me lovingly - Trust me blindly." She considered herself "a pencil in God's hand" and was convinced God was using her "nothingness" to show His greatness.

The secret of abundant light and love that Mother Teresa displayed is the essence of this book. The reader will learn that the secret lies in the depth and intimacy of her relationship to God throughout her heroic life - living the mission of being a "light to those in darkness." "Come Be My Light" is filled with passages that inspire, and passages to meditate on. It should be read slowly and integrated into one's own call and possibilities.

"Mother Teresa was a fearless missionary all her life. She had heard the voice of God calling her to serve the poor. Armed with the weapon of faith, she was not afraid to face and challenge the world to protect the interests of the most vulnerable members of human society." She was able to lift up those who had fallen, to encourage the faint, to rekindle hope in the disheartened. And most importantly, she showed us how holiness can be reached by simple means - always doing a little more than we feel ready to do for the unloved and unwanted in our society, our community, and in our homes.

Mother Teresa taught us that we each have a chance to radiate God's love to each person we meet throughout each day, thus transforming, little by little, the darkness of the world into His light.

Come Be My Light
Even having taken a few months to read this book, I am in a state of awe. Mother Teresa's journey in faith has brought me to question just what is faith? Do we have faith when we have an intimacy with God? Do we have faith when we can intellectually agree with a belief in God? In reading this book, it seems that Mother Teresa had a deep belief and intimacy with God. All sense of that was stripped away, and she was left with having to trust God. At one point, I was reminded of the poem and picture of "Footprints in the Sand." God does not seem to be present; do we have the faith to trust that He is there anyway?

Many have commented on the fact that Mother Teresa had asked for her letters to be destroyed. That was a part of her humility, her 'I am nothing-He is everything.' I think that she would have assented if she had known that those too are a tool bringing people to Jesus.