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Teri's Reviews > Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta
by
by
This book was quite the read. Very interesting to me, and very detailed in telling the character of Mother Teresa and her “inside views” of life and herself. I did not tell much at all about the actual or day-to-day work she did. It is more telling of her attitude, her thoughts, her inner struggles, her overcoming, her charity, her faith, her beliefs, and her interactions with all others.
Amazed that even her superiors “got after her”, her was always an attitude of total submission, while at the same time, she had a little stubborn streak where she didn’t give up on something easily if she felt she was being called to do it. Her superiors may have thought it was a bad idea, but she knew it came from God, so she was persistent. Perhaps “persistent” is a better word for her than “stubborn.” And yet, she would explain how she felt called to this work, but then always submitted in patience to the counsel of her superiors. Sometimes it was frustrating for her, other times she would patient abide until the Lord helped her superior change their minds. And change their minds they always did, sooner or later.
Even as she neared the end of her life, and her physical body could no longer do what she wanted it to, her soul and attitude was still submissive to God and what she believed He called her to do.
After reading about her entire life’s ‘call’, I have no doubt she *was* called to do this particular work. While I do not believe in the need to physically punish ourselves for Christ, or that He expects that, and several other acts and practices within Catholicism (which I am very familiar with, having grown up in a Catholic nation and “in” and near the Catholic Church.) However, I can’t help but think that for some reason known only to God, Mother Teresa *was* called to this life. A light upon the hill for the rest of us. God works in His own mysterious ways, and His ways do not always make sense to us, but they don’t have to make sense. When we come to know Him and His true character, then we do not need His ways to make sense because, in Mother Teresa’s words, we have “blind faith” and “follow blindly,” thought in my words we have a testimony of the Spirit of the truthfulness of God and His plan, so we are not walking blindly, as much as we are walking informed and and with full trust in Him, even when we can’t see the next step in front of us. Our experiences with Him inform our soul that He is real, and that He is 100% trustworthy and that we are His children, so we are safe to trust in Him, even when something doesn’t make sense. In essence, this was her message as well.
Something that was truly inspiring to me is how she lived such a painful life with a SMILE on her face always, how she always kept that “eternal perspective” (which, wow, I have learned myself that is one huge trick for staying centered and strong amidst any adversity!), how she always thought of others and that always helped lessen her own burdens, and how grew from grace to grace, just as Christ did, until she actually rejoiced in her suffering for His sake. She didn’t physically rejoice, but she rejoiced in her heart and soul, and that gave her peace amidst the storms.
Another thing I had never known and which is above all most admirable - and which is the main theme of this book: of the 55 years she served the Lord, she spent 49 of them in total spiritual darkness, unable to feel the Spirit in her life, unable to feel love for Christ, for others, unable to feel God’s approval of her, unable to feel His comfort and His “Balm of Gilead” in her life. And yet she moved forward in utter faith. Faith was what carried her through. She never doubted Him. She doubted herself, but never Him. Truly amazing and one of the examples in my life I will never forget, as it encourages me to move forward in faith with all that is about to come upon this world in the next few years as we draw ever more into the pit of darkness and finally to the light of His Second Coming! So much to look forward to, once we get past the darkness!
It was notable and a happy thing for me to learn that there was a short period after the Pope had died where she prayed to the Pope to know that the Society of Missionaries was pleasing to God, and she immediately felt a happy spirit and it stayed with her for about 5 weeks, then she back “into the tunnel” of darkness. And she just kept moving forward. Just wow! I cannot think of many people with that faith and fortitude and “can do” attitude. She TRULY “did hard things”. It wasn’t just all talk, like we hear from so many today. I think the vast majority of people in America at least, have no idea what suffering truly is, and yet the example of Mother Teresa to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, to grow a tough skin, to smile no matter what, to never judge, blame or decry, to accept life as God’s will and make the best of it, while serving others and making the world a better place, is something I shall carry with me for eternity.
It is humbling to learn of some of these inward trials and details of this remarkable woman, and it certainly makes me want to emulate her more in some ways. I finished the book finding myself hoping that after having met Christ, He embraced her specially hard and with a big old smile and tears in His eyes. There is certainly no more suffering for this woman who bores more crosses in this world (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) than any other woman I know of.
Some favorite quotes from the book:
— “Because she bore her own suffering in pain and silence and peace, she could effectively encourage others to walk the same path. Whatever failure or disappointment she, or others, face, she always found a way to look at it from God’s perspective and to draw good out of it.”
— “Archbishop Périer continued to counsel Mother Teresa concerning the darkness. At this time, he interpreted it as purification and protection against pride in the face of remarkable fruitfulness in her work. ‘With regard to the feeling of loneliness, of abandonment, of not being wanted, of darkness, of the soul, it is a state well known by spiritual writers and directors of conscience. This is willed by God in order to attach us to Him alone. An antidote to our external activities, and also, like any temptation, a way of keeping us humble the midst of applauses, publicity, praises, appreciation, etc. and success. To feel that we are nothing, that we can do nothing, is a realization of a fact. We know it. We say it. Some feel it. That is why stick to God and like the little Bernadette, at the end of her last retreat, wrote, ‘God alone. God everywhere. God in everybody and in everything. God always.’ With Saint Ignatius you may add, ‘My only wish and desire the one thing I humble crave to have, is the grace to love God. To love Him alone, beyond that I ask for nothing more.’”
— Father [Michale] Van Der Peet: “It [her ability to accept and eventually rejoice in her utter poverty and darkness where she could not feel God’s Spirit for 49 years] was a gift from a God for which I am most grateful. The impression that I got was that I was dealing with a woman who somehow saw God and felt God in the distress of the poor and a woman who had an incredible faith in light and darkness. She saw the suffering of Christ, but it was not that she was taken up ecstasy or things like that, that was not part of her life, although people might be tempted to think that. I really believe that the reason Mother Teresa had to undergo so much darkness in her life is that it would bring about a greater identification with the poor.”
— On Family: Are we caring for our own family:
“Jesus makes Himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the sick one, the one in prison, the lonely one, the unwanted one and He says, ‘You did it to me.’ He is hungry for our love. And this is the hunger of our poor people. This is the hunger that you and I must find. It may be in our own home.
“I visited a home where they had all these old parents. I saw in that home they had everything, but everybody was looking towards the door. And I turned to the sister and I asked, ‘How is it that these people who have everything here, why are they all looking towards the door? Why are they not smiling? I am so used to the smiles in our people. Even the dying ones smile.’
“And she said, ‘This is nearly every day. They are hoping that a as son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt, because they are forgotten.’
“This is where Love comes. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there to receive them?”
— Lastly, On Abortion: Abortion:
“I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given in to drugs, and I tried to find out why. Because there is no one in the family to receive them. Father and mother are so busy they have no time. The child goes back to the street and gets involved in something. These are things that break peace.
But I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is Abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing, direct murder by the mother herself. Abs we read in the scripture, for God says very clearly, ‘even if a mother could forget her child, I will not forget you; I have carved you in the palm of my hand.’
“That unborn child has been carved in the hand of God.
“Many people are very, very concerned with children in India, with the children of Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on. But millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greater destroyer of peace today. Because if another can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you, and you to kill me? There is nothing between. ….
“I find the unborn child to be the poorest of the poor today. The most unloved, the most unwanted. The throw-away of society.”
Highly Recommend. Probably for adults thoughts. I doubt many under the age of 25 will grasp or appreciate the nuggets of golden wisdom and inspiration and example within the pages of this book. It is a serious book. And told in documentary style, rather than story style. It is not dry, but it also is not “entertaining”, if you know what I mean. It does keep your attention.
Again - I rarely give 5 stars. I save that for the MUST MUST MUST READ list. This is definitely a 4.5
Amazed that even her superiors “got after her”, her was always an attitude of total submission, while at the same time, she had a little stubborn streak where she didn’t give up on something easily if she felt she was being called to do it. Her superiors may have thought it was a bad idea, but she knew it came from God, so she was persistent. Perhaps “persistent” is a better word for her than “stubborn.” And yet, she would explain how she felt called to this work, but then always submitted in patience to the counsel of her superiors. Sometimes it was frustrating for her, other times she would patient abide until the Lord helped her superior change their minds. And change their minds they always did, sooner or later.
Even as she neared the end of her life, and her physical body could no longer do what she wanted it to, her soul and attitude was still submissive to God and what she believed He called her to do.
After reading about her entire life’s ‘call’, I have no doubt she *was* called to do this particular work. While I do not believe in the need to physically punish ourselves for Christ, or that He expects that, and several other acts and practices within Catholicism (which I am very familiar with, having grown up in a Catholic nation and “in” and near the Catholic Church.) However, I can’t help but think that for some reason known only to God, Mother Teresa *was* called to this life. A light upon the hill for the rest of us. God works in His own mysterious ways, and His ways do not always make sense to us, but they don’t have to make sense. When we come to know Him and His true character, then we do not need His ways to make sense because, in Mother Teresa’s words, we have “blind faith” and “follow blindly,” thought in my words we have a testimony of the Spirit of the truthfulness of God and His plan, so we are not walking blindly, as much as we are walking informed and and with full trust in Him, even when we can’t see the next step in front of us. Our experiences with Him inform our soul that He is real, and that He is 100% trustworthy and that we are His children, so we are safe to trust in Him, even when something doesn’t make sense. In essence, this was her message as well.
Something that was truly inspiring to me is how she lived such a painful life with a SMILE on her face always, how she always kept that “eternal perspective” (which, wow, I have learned myself that is one huge trick for staying centered and strong amidst any adversity!), how she always thought of others and that always helped lessen her own burdens, and how grew from grace to grace, just as Christ did, until she actually rejoiced in her suffering for His sake. She didn’t physically rejoice, but she rejoiced in her heart and soul, and that gave her peace amidst the storms.
Another thing I had never known and which is above all most admirable - and which is the main theme of this book: of the 55 years she served the Lord, she spent 49 of them in total spiritual darkness, unable to feel the Spirit in her life, unable to feel love for Christ, for others, unable to feel God’s approval of her, unable to feel His comfort and His “Balm of Gilead” in her life. And yet she moved forward in utter faith. Faith was what carried her through. She never doubted Him. She doubted herself, but never Him. Truly amazing and one of the examples in my life I will never forget, as it encourages me to move forward in faith with all that is about to come upon this world in the next few years as we draw ever more into the pit of darkness and finally to the light of His Second Coming! So much to look forward to, once we get past the darkness!
It was notable and a happy thing for me to learn that there was a short period after the Pope had died where she prayed to the Pope to know that the Society of Missionaries was pleasing to God, and she immediately felt a happy spirit and it stayed with her for about 5 weeks, then she back “into the tunnel” of darkness. And she just kept moving forward. Just wow! I cannot think of many people with that faith and fortitude and “can do” attitude. She TRULY “did hard things”. It wasn’t just all talk, like we hear from so many today. I think the vast majority of people in America at least, have no idea what suffering truly is, and yet the example of Mother Teresa to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, to grow a tough skin, to smile no matter what, to never judge, blame or decry, to accept life as God’s will and make the best of it, while serving others and making the world a better place, is something I shall carry with me for eternity.
It is humbling to learn of some of these inward trials and details of this remarkable woman, and it certainly makes me want to emulate her more in some ways. I finished the book finding myself hoping that after having met Christ, He embraced her specially hard and with a big old smile and tears in His eyes. There is certainly no more suffering for this woman who bores more crosses in this world (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual) than any other woman I know of.
Some favorite quotes from the book:
— “Because she bore her own suffering in pain and silence and peace, she could effectively encourage others to walk the same path. Whatever failure or disappointment she, or others, face, she always found a way to look at it from God’s perspective and to draw good out of it.”
— “Archbishop Périer continued to counsel Mother Teresa concerning the darkness. At this time, he interpreted it as purification and protection against pride in the face of remarkable fruitfulness in her work. ‘With regard to the feeling of loneliness, of abandonment, of not being wanted, of darkness, of the soul, it is a state well known by spiritual writers and directors of conscience. This is willed by God in order to attach us to Him alone. An antidote to our external activities, and also, like any temptation, a way of keeping us humble the midst of applauses, publicity, praises, appreciation, etc. and success. To feel that we are nothing, that we can do nothing, is a realization of a fact. We know it. We say it. Some feel it. That is why stick to God and like the little Bernadette, at the end of her last retreat, wrote, ‘God alone. God everywhere. God in everybody and in everything. God always.’ With Saint Ignatius you may add, ‘My only wish and desire the one thing I humble crave to have, is the grace to love God. To love Him alone, beyond that I ask for nothing more.’”
— Father [Michale] Van Der Peet: “It [her ability to accept and eventually rejoice in her utter poverty and darkness where she could not feel God’s Spirit for 49 years] was a gift from a God for which I am most grateful. The impression that I got was that I was dealing with a woman who somehow saw God and felt God in the distress of the poor and a woman who had an incredible faith in light and darkness. She saw the suffering of Christ, but it was not that she was taken up ecstasy or things like that, that was not part of her life, although people might be tempted to think that. I really believe that the reason Mother Teresa had to undergo so much darkness in her life is that it would bring about a greater identification with the poor.”
— On Family: Are we caring for our own family:
“Jesus makes Himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the sick one, the one in prison, the lonely one, the unwanted one and He says, ‘You did it to me.’ He is hungry for our love. And this is the hunger of our poor people. This is the hunger that you and I must find. It may be in our own home.
“I visited a home where they had all these old parents. I saw in that home they had everything, but everybody was looking towards the door. And I turned to the sister and I asked, ‘How is it that these people who have everything here, why are they all looking towards the door? Why are they not smiling? I am so used to the smiles in our people. Even the dying ones smile.’
“And she said, ‘This is nearly every day. They are hoping that a as son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt, because they are forgotten.’
“This is where Love comes. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there to receive them?”
— Lastly, On Abortion: Abortion:
“I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given in to drugs, and I tried to find out why. Because there is no one in the family to receive them. Father and mother are so busy they have no time. The child goes back to the street and gets involved in something. These are things that break peace.
But I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is Abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing, direct murder by the mother herself. Abs we read in the scripture, for God says very clearly, ‘even if a mother could forget her child, I will not forget you; I have carved you in the palm of my hand.’
“That unborn child has been carved in the hand of God.
“Many people are very, very concerned with children in India, with the children of Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on. But millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greater destroyer of peace today. Because if another can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you, and you to kill me? There is nothing between. ….
“I find the unborn child to be the poorest of the poor today. The most unloved, the most unwanted. The throw-away of society.”
Highly Recommend. Probably for adults thoughts. I doubt many under the age of 25 will grasp or appreciate the nuggets of golden wisdom and inspiration and example within the pages of this book. It is a serious book. And told in documentary style, rather than story style. It is not dry, but it also is not “entertaining”, if you know what I mean. It does keep your attention.
Again - I rarely give 5 stars. I save that for the MUST MUST MUST READ list. This is definitely a 4.5
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Reading Progress
June 11, 2023
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Started Reading
June 11, 2023
– Shelved
June 17, 2023
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Finished Reading
