Rediscovering Mother Teresa

Most of us know Mother Teresa as a servant of mercy among "the poorest of the poor" in Calcutta. She has inspired countless people around the world with her ministry of compassion.

Now I am discovering Mother Teresa as an example of spiritual devotion to Christ. I am reading the book Mother Teresa -- Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta", edited, compiled, and with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk, who knew Mother Teresa for 20 years. Through Kolodiejchuk's commentary and Mother Teresa's own words, we gain a window into her prayer life and her relationship with God. We find out what made her tick. The result is that Mother Teresa becomes much more than just a doer of good deeds in the slums of India.

And what is it that made her tick? Very simply, she was "very, very much in love with Almighty God" (p. 26). She did not serve the poor because she thought it was a worthy social cause. She did it because she experienced a personal call from Christ. And in every stricken face in Calcutta, she saw the face of Jesus. She loved him too much to refuse him when he called. That is what made her tick. Mother Teresa was not complex. But in her simplicity is a clarity and purity that I find most inspiring.

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