|
| Login | Sign up | My Wish List |
![]() | Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta by Mother Teresa, Brian Kolodiejchuk (Editor) ISBN-10: 9780385520379 ISBN-10: 0-385-52037-9 ISBN-13: 9780385520379 ISBN-13: 978-0-385-52037-9 Hardcover 2007-09-04 Doubleday Find Lowest Price | |
Editorials | ||
Product Description This historic work reveals the inner spiritual life of one of the most beloved and important religious figures in history. | ||
Reviews | ||
"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. | ||
If she were Buddhist , she would be a true Bodhisattva First it is important to realize what this book is. It is a compilation of Mother Theresa's correspondence and advice she was given by her closest personal confidants.It was compiled as part of the process of declaring her a saint. We don't know much about what was happening in her world at the time the letters were written. For that we would need to read an autobiography of which there are a number of good ones.There are chronological gaps. This book is carefully compiled and referenced. It gives a very different perspective of Mother Theresa. The previously available works are authorized biographies and teachings.It is an excellent compilation of the process of spiritual growth. She truly was a Bodhisattva one who remained in the world to further others spiritual progress and relieve suffering. Through these letters one can can appreciate the depth of her humility, the immensity of her persistence in the face of her person crisis of faith and external obstacles. It is long and not light reading, but reaches to a depth no other work has. I would recommend this for the serious spiritual student or scholar. It may be too deep and repetitive for the casual reader. | ||
Inspiring I was inspired, not scandalized, that Mother Teresa underwent a protracted dark night of the soul. The book may not have the impact it now has on those who knew her media image in another decade or so; one reason the book surprised me so much was that it presented a hidden and totally different portrait from her public persona. | ||
Mother teresa come be my light A Walk Through LifeCome be my light is a great book on how she battled through her darkness and helped many people in all corners of the world. This book has been translated from her original writings and gives you a good insight into Mother Teresa. | ||