Friday, March 27, 2009

No Greater Love


Mother Teresa had always been someone who had fascinated me. I had always admired how much she willingly gave herself for the love of the poorest of the poor. But it wasn't until I joined a women's Bible study and prayer group in my community that I actually sat down to read some of her teachings. I was blown away.

This particular book, published seven months before her September 1997 death, is filled with wisdom that anyone -- no matter what their faith -- can and should take to heart. I'll just highlight some of the passages that spoke to me:

"Do we know our poor people? Do we know the poor in our house, in our family? Perhaps they are not hungry for a piece of bread. Perhaps our children, husband, wife, are not hungry, or naked, or dispossessed, but are you sure there is no one there who feels unwanted, deprived of affection? Where is your elderly father or mother? Abandonment is an awful poverty." -- p. 101

"Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater development and greater riches. Children have very little time for their parents and parents have very little time for their children and for each other. So the breakdown of peace in the world begins at home." -- p. 129

"Bring prayer to your family, bring it to your little children. Teach them to pray. For a child that prays is a happy child. A family that prays is a united family." -- p. 129-130

"Remember that the passion of Christ ends always in the joy of the resurrection of Christ, so when you feel in your own heart the suffering of Christ, remember the resurrection has to come. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of Christ risen." p. 137

"At the moment of death, we will not be judged by the amount of work we have done but by the weight of love we have put into our work. This love should flow from self-sacrifice, and it must be felt to the point of hurting." -- p. 140


There is so much more I'd like to highlight, but if I did that I'd be posting the entire contents of this book on this blog, which I'm sure is a no-no.

The bottom line is this book was an incredibly satisfying read for me, especially because I read it during Lent. I'll definitely be looking for other books of hers.

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5 comments:

Momma Roar said...

I love all the quotes you shared, especially the second to last one. I'm writing that down somewhere where I will see it often!

Jenny said...

What a great review. I am adding this book to my wish list. Thanks for sharing.

Jennifer said...

I love the quotes you chose. I've never read anything by Mother Theresa, but I think I'll add this to my growing list!

Shauna said...

Awesome! Thanks for sharing :)

Susanne said...

Every one of the quotes you shared spoke volumes to me. This is so going to be my next book purchase as it sounds like one I would be underlining like crazy and would go back to again and again. Thanks for the review!