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Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service
"Find the sick, the suffering and the lonely right there where you are. . . . You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see." --Mother Teresa Lifelong educator Mary Poplin, after experiencing a newfound awakening to faith, sent a letter to Calcutta asking if she could visit Mother Teresa and volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity. She received a response saying, "You are welcome to share in our works of love for the poorest of the poor." So in the spring of 1996, Poplin spent two months in Calcutta as a volunteer. There she observed Mother Teresa's life of work and service to the poor, participating in the community's commitments to simplicity and mercy. Mother Teresa's unabashedly religious work stands in countercultural contrast to the limitations of our secular age. Poplin's journey gives us an inside glimpse into one of the most influential lives of the twentieth century and the lessons Mother Teresa continues to offer. Upon Poplin's return, she soon discovered that God was calling her to serve the university world with the same kind of holistic service with which Mother Teresa served Calcutta. Not everyone can go to Calcutta. But all of us can find our own meaningful work and service. Come and answer the call to find your Calcutta!
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 9, 2008
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September 2, 2019
This book really spoke to me at a deep level. I was raised as a Christian, and like the author grew up in the Wild West Days of the 60's & 70's. Having gone through errily similair life situations, I found her experiences well explained, thought out, and written. The Christian life and commitment lived by Mother Teresa is most assuring and validating in today's sometimes chaotic and confusing world. Thank You Mary Poplin from the bottom of my heart for your candor and timeless Christian truths!
August 7, 2015
Finding Calcutta is a combination of a memoir and well-researched, academic book by Mary Poplin, a woman who converted to Christianity in her early 40’s and decided to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta (now Kolkata) with Mother Teresa. It’s an interesting mix of personal experience with other writings by Mother Teresa, other Christian writers, and passages from the Bible. I like how it not only illustrates examples from her own experiences, but also cross references many other works to help add more depth to a point she’s making.
One of the first ideas I thought was interesting was the clarification of who the missionaries were serving. “The letter from Sister Priscilla, who was in charge of volunteers, answered, ‘Come with a heart to love and hands to serve Jesus in the crippled, the abandoned, the sick and dying in any one of our centres.’ While this response quickened my spirit, my ‘soulish’ mind did something else with it. All of my years of secular education and experience – still very much alive in me – fought with the phrase ‘to serve Jesus.’ Surely I had volunteered to serve people.” (10) This is a really important idea because it shows that how she served God was through the most poverty stricken in India. “Occasionally Mother Teresa taught the volunteers and visitors a Scripture by using her five fingers. She pointed to each one and said emphatically, ‘You-did-it-for-me.’ In the book of Matthew, Christ tells his disciples, ‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ The disciples ask when they ever saw Jesus in these conditions. Jesus answers, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (36) She was helping people, but not to “do good,” or because it was the right thing to do, or because of compassion for other people. She was doing it for God, and doing what she was specifically doing out of obedience. “After repeatedly starting to write and then laying it aside for long periods, I finally realized: one cannot understand or explain Mother Teresa in secular terms. Indeed that is precisely what she meant when she said, ‘Our work is not social work; it is religious work.’” (12) It was through helping the poor that she and the Missionaries of Charity encounter God. “Mother told her as she left Mass, ‘You saw the priest during Holy Mass, with what love and care he touched Jesus in the bread. Do the same when you go to the Home, because it is the same Jesus you will find there in the broken bodies of our poor.’ And when the novice came back she had an enormous smile and said, ‘Mother, I have been touching the body of Christ for three hours.’ Mother asked what she did. The young woman exclaimed, ‘When we arrived there, they brought a man who had fallen into a drain, and had been there for some time. He was covered with wounds and dirt and maggots, and I cleaned him and I knew I was touching the body of Christ!’” (39)
A second theme was the joy they had in their poverty. There were not many toys or books for the children, but they came up with games, and helped one another out, and were all content despite the meager conditions. “They embrace their poverty for four reasons that I could discern. First, Mother Teresa always spoke of how God had chosen to visit the earth as a poor man – Jesus, born in a stable, owning only the clothes on his back, having no dwelling place of his own. Second, she wrote and spoke about how being poor afforded protection from evil, for they could not be easily tempted to do things for the wrong reasons or indulge their own appetites. Third, she believed they could understand and serve the poor better if they were poor. Last, Mother believed that their voluntary poverty made some reparation for the material sins of the world, for the abuse of wealth.” (58) While they do not criticize others for having more, they found it most easy to avoid temptation and sin by living a life free of many material things. Importantly, they were able to reach out to people and serve them better by experiencing the same things as the people they were serving – eating the same food, wearing similar clothes, living in similar (warm) conditions, and without many modern conveniences or appliances.
Another theme was the attitudes of the people who were serving. “Studs Terkel, in his study of work in America, said that many people are unhappy in their jobs because, as he quoted an interviewee, ‘Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits.’ Mother Teresa showed me that it is less about the actual work and more about the attitudes and the spirit in which we do it. Our call is to work to the best of our ability and to do it with and for God.” (129) She talks also about how something as simple as a smile to a passerby can help brighten someone’s day, and bring them joy. Another quote I liked but couldn’t find a perfect paragraph home for is this one on how to give. “Privileged people can be quite impractical in places where they do not know the land or the people. Money is usually the best gift. That way those who do know the needs can buy what is most appropriate. I am certain Mother was right – God is not terribly impressed when we simply give away our discards. Recycling is good, but it is not the same as true giving.” (125) This reminds me of another book I read that talked about how people go into a place and think they’re experts and that they know much better about how to run things, but how it often ends up as a prescription for a misdiagnosed ailment. The people in the needy area might not be able to provide everything they need, but people living among those in need have a good sense of what types of things are actually needed.
The main take away from the book is that we are all called to do different things, and it’s important to do what it is that we’re called to do. “This, then, is the simple story of my brief encounter with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity and of my struggles then and now to understand – and more importantly, to live – the lessons in our culture and times. It is an ongoing tale of how I listen to God through her life and through the lives of others who graciously serve as guides to me. It is the story of how God used her and the Missionaries to cause a crisis in my own life which revealed more clearly my purpose and my calling. Mother called it ‘finding your Calcutta.’” (14) For Mother Teresa, her calling was to serve the poor in Calcutta. People periodically criticized her for doing that and not other things. “Politically minded individuals often criticized Mother Teresa for not getting involved in the politics of poverty, for speaking out against abortion, and for feeding the poor directly rather than ‘teaching them to fish.’ However, Mother Teresa was not what you could call a political woman. She told Muggeridge, ‘If there are people who feel that God wants them to change the structures of society, that is something between them and God. We must serve him in whatever way we are called. I am called to help the individual; to love each poor person. Not to deal with institutions. I am in no position to judge…All of us are but his instruments, who do our little bit and pass by.’” (90) She knew her calling and did that. She later gained fame and had a stage with which she could have reached different people, and changed the manner in which she helped. She was very focused, though, and listened to what she was called to do. For Poplin, her calling was to go back to the college she taught at (Claremont Graduate University) and teach education classes with Christian principles. For other people, including me, it’s probably something different.
One thing I really liked about this book was the picture it gave of the orphanages in India. It really brought them to life and did a good job of explaining why Mother Teresa did what she did and why not other things. I liked the style, as well, with many references to various theologians – it seemed like it was well researched as well. It did a good job of connecting your vocation to doing God’s work, and challenging you to make that connection if it did not previously exist. This book isn’t long, and is a series of ideas in 3-10 page chapters, but it has a powerful message and is very well written. I highly recommend it.
One of the first ideas I thought was interesting was the clarification of who the missionaries were serving. “The letter from Sister Priscilla, who was in charge of volunteers, answered, ‘Come with a heart to love and hands to serve Jesus in the crippled, the abandoned, the sick and dying in any one of our centres.’ While this response quickened my spirit, my ‘soulish’ mind did something else with it. All of my years of secular education and experience – still very much alive in me – fought with the phrase ‘to serve Jesus.’ Surely I had volunteered to serve people.” (10) This is a really important idea because it shows that how she served God was through the most poverty stricken in India. “Occasionally Mother Teresa taught the volunteers and visitors a Scripture by using her five fingers. She pointed to each one and said emphatically, ‘You-did-it-for-me.’ In the book of Matthew, Christ tells his disciples, ‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ The disciples ask when they ever saw Jesus in these conditions. Jesus answers, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (36) She was helping people, but not to “do good,” or because it was the right thing to do, or because of compassion for other people. She was doing it for God, and doing what she was specifically doing out of obedience. “After repeatedly starting to write and then laying it aside for long periods, I finally realized: one cannot understand or explain Mother Teresa in secular terms. Indeed that is precisely what she meant when she said, ‘Our work is not social work; it is religious work.’” (12) It was through helping the poor that she and the Missionaries of Charity encounter God. “Mother told her as she left Mass, ‘You saw the priest during Holy Mass, with what love and care he touched Jesus in the bread. Do the same when you go to the Home, because it is the same Jesus you will find there in the broken bodies of our poor.’ And when the novice came back she had an enormous smile and said, ‘Mother, I have been touching the body of Christ for three hours.’ Mother asked what she did. The young woman exclaimed, ‘When we arrived there, they brought a man who had fallen into a drain, and had been there for some time. He was covered with wounds and dirt and maggots, and I cleaned him and I knew I was touching the body of Christ!’” (39)
A second theme was the joy they had in their poverty. There were not many toys or books for the children, but they came up with games, and helped one another out, and were all content despite the meager conditions. “They embrace their poverty for four reasons that I could discern. First, Mother Teresa always spoke of how God had chosen to visit the earth as a poor man – Jesus, born in a stable, owning only the clothes on his back, having no dwelling place of his own. Second, she wrote and spoke about how being poor afforded protection from evil, for they could not be easily tempted to do things for the wrong reasons or indulge their own appetites. Third, she believed they could understand and serve the poor better if they were poor. Last, Mother believed that their voluntary poverty made some reparation for the material sins of the world, for the abuse of wealth.” (58) While they do not criticize others for having more, they found it most easy to avoid temptation and sin by living a life free of many material things. Importantly, they were able to reach out to people and serve them better by experiencing the same things as the people they were serving – eating the same food, wearing similar clothes, living in similar (warm) conditions, and without many modern conveniences or appliances.
Another theme was the attitudes of the people who were serving. “Studs Terkel, in his study of work in America, said that many people are unhappy in their jobs because, as he quoted an interviewee, ‘Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits.’ Mother Teresa showed me that it is less about the actual work and more about the attitudes and the spirit in which we do it. Our call is to work to the best of our ability and to do it with and for God.” (129) She talks also about how something as simple as a smile to a passerby can help brighten someone’s day, and bring them joy. Another quote I liked but couldn’t find a perfect paragraph home for is this one on how to give. “Privileged people can be quite impractical in places where they do not know the land or the people. Money is usually the best gift. That way those who do know the needs can buy what is most appropriate. I am certain Mother was right – God is not terribly impressed when we simply give away our discards. Recycling is good, but it is not the same as true giving.” (125) This reminds me of another book I read that talked about how people go into a place and think they’re experts and that they know much better about how to run things, but how it often ends up as a prescription for a misdiagnosed ailment. The people in the needy area might not be able to provide everything they need, but people living among those in need have a good sense of what types of things are actually needed.
The main take away from the book is that we are all called to do different things, and it’s important to do what it is that we’re called to do. “This, then, is the simple story of my brief encounter with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity and of my struggles then and now to understand – and more importantly, to live – the lessons in our culture and times. It is an ongoing tale of how I listen to God through her life and through the lives of others who graciously serve as guides to me. It is the story of how God used her and the Missionaries to cause a crisis in my own life which revealed more clearly my purpose and my calling. Mother called it ‘finding your Calcutta.’” (14) For Mother Teresa, her calling was to serve the poor in Calcutta. People periodically criticized her for doing that and not other things. “Politically minded individuals often criticized Mother Teresa for not getting involved in the politics of poverty, for speaking out against abortion, and for feeding the poor directly rather than ‘teaching them to fish.’ However, Mother Teresa was not what you could call a political woman. She told Muggeridge, ‘If there are people who feel that God wants them to change the structures of society, that is something between them and God. We must serve him in whatever way we are called. I am called to help the individual; to love each poor person. Not to deal with institutions. I am in no position to judge…All of us are but his instruments, who do our little bit and pass by.’” (90) She knew her calling and did that. She later gained fame and had a stage with which she could have reached different people, and changed the manner in which she helped. She was very focused, though, and listened to what she was called to do. For Poplin, her calling was to go back to the college she taught at (Claremont Graduate University) and teach education classes with Christian principles. For other people, including me, it’s probably something different.
One thing I really liked about this book was the picture it gave of the orphanages in India. It really brought them to life and did a good job of explaining why Mother Teresa did what she did and why not other things. I liked the style, as well, with many references to various theologians – it seemed like it was well researched as well. It did a good job of connecting your vocation to doing God’s work, and challenging you to make that connection if it did not previously exist. This book isn’t long, and is a series of ideas in 3-10 page chapters, but it has a powerful message and is very well written. I highly recommend it.
March 25, 2011
I really loved all the quotes by Mother Teresa and stories about her and the Missionaries of Charity. They were so inspiring. She was an amazing person. Reading about her makes me want to try even harder to be a better person. I didn't enjoy as much the authors views/philosophies. I wish the book had more about Mother Teresa and talked more about the actual experiences the author had there, then Catholism and trying to refute critics of Mother Teresa (like Christopher Hitchens). Those made the book less enjoyable for me.
December 5, 2015
In this seemingly crazy world where lives are snuffed out randomly by barbarians, this book is a refreshing read and reminds one of the depth of goodness in many. If you are grappling with trying to find the meaning of life, this book gives insight into the thinking of the Missionaries of Charity. It is a helpful refresher course in how people are able to make a difference, at least to those around them even if your surroundings are the extreme poverty of Calcutta.
December 3, 2020
Perhaps this is a time and place book, perfectly arranged for me just when and where I needed it, but I loved this book.
Lots of short and powerful chapters. A very unique perspective. A partial slice of life biography. A partial defense of Mother Theresa's ministry. A women's journey from the secular to the spiritual, spurred on by an extended experience with people who's lives were sold out in service for Christ.
I was challenged deeply by the theology of seeing the face of Jesus in the helpless, the needy, and the unlovely. I am still wrestling with just how wide this should go and what it really means. But these stories were both lovely and challenging. It had me asking "How would I treat, serve, and love people if we were always mindful that service and love was directly being done to Christ? How much more patience, generosity, and love would I be able to muster?"
I would recommend this for everyone.
Lots of short and powerful chapters. A very unique perspective. A partial slice of life biography. A partial defense of Mother Theresa's ministry. A women's journey from the secular to the spiritual, spurred on by an extended experience with people who's lives were sold out in service for Christ.
I was challenged deeply by the theology of seeing the face of Jesus in the helpless, the needy, and the unlovely. I am still wrestling with just how wide this should go and what it really means. But these stories were both lovely and challenging. It had me asking "How would I treat, serve, and love people if we were always mindful that service and love was directly being done to Christ? How much more patience, generosity, and love would I be able to muster?"
I would recommend this for everyone.
November 15, 2020
I had the joy of audiobook narrating this stunning memoir of Mary Poplin's time serving with the Missionaries of Charity. What an inspirational and moving account. Highly recommend to all those who work in education or who have wondered about the life of Mother Teresa beyond the service.
November 19, 2008
Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa taught me about meaningful work and service
By Mary Poplin
Deep down, my absolute favorite thing to do is shop. As I write this, I’m internally scheming how to get the biggest bang for my buck on my next errand. I like things, especially pretty ones, and acquiring them makes me feel good. As I’ve come to recognize this passion of mine, I’ve found it nagging at me a bit. I know people who hate to shop. On top of that, they also hate to accumulate clutter. Their personality enhances their ability to live simply. Not me. I feel better with full bookshelves, cupboards, and drawers. I find malls comforting and thrift stores exhilarating. Quite likely, my pension to store up treasures here on earth runs a bit too deep.
Enter: Mother Teresa, Mary Poplin, Ron Sider, and Shane Claibourne. Since recognizing the grip that my materialism has on me, I’ve embarked on a slow (and slightly reluctant) quest to examine it. I owned the book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (by Ron Sider) for about five years before I had the guts to actually read it. Then I joined the crowd reading Irresistible Revolution to find myself completely captured by its fresh and clear vision. This fall, I came across Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa taught me about meaningful work and service by Mary Poplin. I’ve long admired Mother Teresa’s work and wisdom; and have also wanted to hear more from Mary Poplin since she spoke on education and poverty at the university where I teach. In spite of my reluctance, my worldview is being reshaped by such books, and my shopping habits are certainly being redefined!
Whereas Rich Christians is factual and data-full, Irresistible Revolution is passionate, funny, and, well, irresistible and revolutionary, Finding Calcutta is simple and focusing. It seems hard for these traits to not follow anything touched by Mother Teresa. Mary Poplin, an education professor, spent her sabbatical as a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in 1996, a year before Mother Teresa died. Her book is a reflection on how her time in Calcutta shaped her newly found Christian faith. Writing on themes such as “the church as flawed and finite”, “the vow of poverty and service to the poor”, and “do all things without complaining or disputing”, Poplin provides a glimpse into the daily world and perspective of the Missionaries of Charity.
While Mother Teresa’s words often pierce to the core of an issue, her simple lifestyle illuminates what our complicated lives lack. “There were few toys or books at the centers,” writes Poplin. “The lack of toys concerned no one except an occasional volunteer, like me. I realized more clearly how Americans are accustomed to having so many things that we have trouble coping without them. In the United States, we are entertained day and night; we can hardly live our own lives for living others’ lives – fictional or real – through movies, television, and the news. Both children and adults who have many things constantly want more, and then in a short while, we are restless and bored again.”
While acknowledging the need for Christians to live the type of “revolutions for love” that the Missionaries of Charity practice, Poplin also recognizes that this won’t look the same for everyone. She calls the Sisters of Charity “a class unto themselves”, but also believes that “there are ways we would need to imitate the missionaries in order to be effective”. How does this look? A few of her observations:
• Commit their lives to God and the Holy Spirit
• Follow a leader with a distinct call and submit themselves to this
• Keep themselves from worldliness while working “deeply in the troubled heart of the world”
• Love selflessly
• Pray, worship, and study unceasingly
While on one level, Finding Calcutta is a reflection of one woman’s interaction with Mother Teresa and the Sisters of Charity, it is also a deeper call to the readers to discover their own ‘Calcutta’ and to live there with the same measure of abandon. With shocking statistics and passionate pleas, Claiborne and Sider’s books stirred me out of a numb slumber. I am grateful for their perspective, but also left overwhelmed by what to do next. The charge is large and my capacities are small. The simplicity and focus of the sisters in Finding Calcutta helped me acknowledge that the small ways I move toward offering my life (even addressing those darn shopping addictions) can be as “beautiful for God” as those irresistible revolutions.
By Mary Poplin
Deep down, my absolute favorite thing to do is shop. As I write this, I’m internally scheming how to get the biggest bang for my buck on my next errand. I like things, especially pretty ones, and acquiring them makes me feel good. As I’ve come to recognize this passion of mine, I’ve found it nagging at me a bit. I know people who hate to shop. On top of that, they also hate to accumulate clutter. Their personality enhances their ability to live simply. Not me. I feel better with full bookshelves, cupboards, and drawers. I find malls comforting and thrift stores exhilarating. Quite likely, my pension to store up treasures here on earth runs a bit too deep.
Enter: Mother Teresa, Mary Poplin, Ron Sider, and Shane Claibourne. Since recognizing the grip that my materialism has on me, I’ve embarked on a slow (and slightly reluctant) quest to examine it. I owned the book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (by Ron Sider) for about five years before I had the guts to actually read it. Then I joined the crowd reading Irresistible Revolution to find myself completely captured by its fresh and clear vision. This fall, I came across Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa taught me about meaningful work and service by Mary Poplin. I’ve long admired Mother Teresa’s work and wisdom; and have also wanted to hear more from Mary Poplin since she spoke on education and poverty at the university where I teach. In spite of my reluctance, my worldview is being reshaped by such books, and my shopping habits are certainly being redefined!
Whereas Rich Christians is factual and data-full, Irresistible Revolution is passionate, funny, and, well, irresistible and revolutionary, Finding Calcutta is simple and focusing. It seems hard for these traits to not follow anything touched by Mother Teresa. Mary Poplin, an education professor, spent her sabbatical as a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity in 1996, a year before Mother Teresa died. Her book is a reflection on how her time in Calcutta shaped her newly found Christian faith. Writing on themes such as “the church as flawed and finite”, “the vow of poverty and service to the poor”, and “do all things without complaining or disputing”, Poplin provides a glimpse into the daily world and perspective of the Missionaries of Charity.
While Mother Teresa’s words often pierce to the core of an issue, her simple lifestyle illuminates what our complicated lives lack. “There were few toys or books at the centers,” writes Poplin. “The lack of toys concerned no one except an occasional volunteer, like me. I realized more clearly how Americans are accustomed to having so many things that we have trouble coping without them. In the United States, we are entertained day and night; we can hardly live our own lives for living others’ lives – fictional or real – through movies, television, and the news. Both children and adults who have many things constantly want more, and then in a short while, we are restless and bored again.”
While acknowledging the need for Christians to live the type of “revolutions for love” that the Missionaries of Charity practice, Poplin also recognizes that this won’t look the same for everyone. She calls the Sisters of Charity “a class unto themselves”, but also believes that “there are ways we would need to imitate the missionaries in order to be effective”. How does this look? A few of her observations:
• Commit their lives to God and the Holy Spirit
• Follow a leader with a distinct call and submit themselves to this
• Keep themselves from worldliness while working “deeply in the troubled heart of the world”
• Love selflessly
• Pray, worship, and study unceasingly
While on one level, Finding Calcutta is a reflection of one woman’s interaction with Mother Teresa and the Sisters of Charity, it is also a deeper call to the readers to discover their own ‘Calcutta’ and to live there with the same measure of abandon. With shocking statistics and passionate pleas, Claiborne and Sider’s books stirred me out of a numb slumber. I am grateful for their perspective, but also left overwhelmed by what to do next. The charge is large and my capacities are small. The simplicity and focus of the sisters in Finding Calcutta helped me acknowledge that the small ways I move toward offering my life (even addressing those darn shopping addictions) can be as “beautiful for God” as those irresistible revolutions.
November 22, 2019
An intriguing memoir by a woman who spent several months volunteering alongside the ministry led by Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity. She shares many of the conversations with Mother Teresa and other sisters who loved the most destitute and forsaken people of the slums of Calcutta, India. Mother Teresa is known for doing “small things with a great love”, living a humble life amidst those she served, denying herself from modern conveniences so she could live like the poor she ministered to. The author structures each chapter to focus on a different lesson she learned, which was both fascinating (to learn about Mother Teresa’s extravagant love) and challenging (because I saw my own love was often lacking in comparison). What I loved most was the emphasis Mother Teresa and other sisters made about the source of their love and compassion coming not from themselves but from Jesus. They continually pointed to His love being the driving force and sustaining power behind their work with the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa was a remarkable woman who lived a life devoted to Jesus and people, beautifully displaying God’s commandments to love Him with all her heart, mind, body, and soul — and that love spilling out to those He called her to serve.
May 24, 2019
The parts regarding Mother Teresa, the Missionaries of Charity, their work, daily life, and history was really interesting. The parts about the author's own spiritual life and her conversion, not so much. I had planned to give this 3 out of 5 stars as an average read, but after reading the two appendixes, decided to give it 2 stars for it biases and inaccuracies.
First, in the main body of the work the author fails to research her topics correctly at times - for example, see her describing the goal of Buddhism as overcoming desire. The Buddha actually taught that desire was just part of being human and gratification is in the wold because as humans, we can be gratified. Desire is not to be overcome and is not the goal. Clinging, or craving, is what is to be overcome. Clinging to anything, such as one view that your religion is the correct one is the cause of suffering.
In the appendixes, there are a number of inaccurate statements/ideas. A few brief examples,
The author states Martin Luther King Jr. used scriptural teachings to "found" the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement started long before MLK got involved, and while he based his leadership and teachings on the scriptures, there are a whole host of others who did not - see SNCC, Black Panthers, Marcus Garvey, etc...
Describing neuroscientist and contemplative Sam Harris who has spent months in silent retreat investigating his mind and Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, Poplin writes: "Though little engaged in the actual practice of scientific inquiry...." This is a completely absurd statement.
She writes in the 1970s she was trying to become more spiritual, that she "equated becoming more spiritual, with becoming good..." If your religious belief is that you were born bad, or born with sin, then go ahead and try becoming good. The Eastern religions, like Buddhism and Hinduism, teach we are already "good" at the core. Hence, Poplin's striving to become good - to become spiritual, is antithetical to "being". Instead of learning to "be," she has the common Western trait of striving to become something by doing.
In the end, what really causes Poplin to fail is the continuously stated belief that only her religion has it "right"; that only her god is the true god and all others are inadequate for addressing what it means to be human. For this, she would be well suited to turn to the Buddha to learn a bit of the suffering caused by clinging to fixed views.
First, in the main body of the work the author fails to research her topics correctly at times - for example, see her describing the goal of Buddhism as overcoming desire. The Buddha actually taught that desire was just part of being human and gratification is in the wold because as humans, we can be gratified. Desire is not to be overcome and is not the goal. Clinging, or craving, is what is to be overcome. Clinging to anything, such as one view that your religion is the correct one is the cause of suffering.
In the appendixes, there are a number of inaccurate statements/ideas. A few brief examples,
The author states Martin Luther King Jr. used scriptural teachings to "found" the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement started long before MLK got involved, and while he based his leadership and teachings on the scriptures, there are a whole host of others who did not - see SNCC, Black Panthers, Marcus Garvey, etc...
Describing neuroscientist and contemplative Sam Harris who has spent months in silent retreat investigating his mind and Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, Poplin writes: "Though little engaged in the actual practice of scientific inquiry...." This is a completely absurd statement.
She writes in the 1970s she was trying to become more spiritual, that she "equated becoming more spiritual, with becoming good..." If your religious belief is that you were born bad, or born with sin, then go ahead and try becoming good. The Eastern religions, like Buddhism and Hinduism, teach we are already "good" at the core. Hence, Poplin's striving to become good - to become spiritual, is antithetical to "being". Instead of learning to "be," she has the common Western trait of striving to become something by doing.
In the end, what really causes Poplin to fail is the continuously stated belief that only her religion has it "right"; that only her god is the true god and all others are inadequate for addressing what it means to be human. For this, she would be well suited to turn to the Buddha to learn a bit of the suffering caused by clinging to fixed views.
February 21, 2019
Mary Poplin went to Calcutta in 1996 to investigate why Mother Teresa called her work "religious work" and not "social work." As a volunteer in one of the homes for handicapped children, Poplin delves into the life of the MCs, both spiritually and temporally, and deepens her own blossoming Christianity.
June 24, 2010
This is one of the few books that has changed my life. I view charity and seeing people through God's eyes in a whole new way now.
January 31, 2021
Poplin depicts her own struggle to understand and emulate Mother Teresa as a typical American Christian. Poplin had recently converted to Christianity when she went to Calcutta. She points out that as a secular person, it is easy to praise Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity for their work with children, the poor, the sick, the dying, and the most vulnerable. However, it is tempting to ignore the reason why they commit their lives, and the source of their powerful love—Jesus.
One striking thing for me is the idea of “doing small things with great love” or “doing something beautiful for Jesus.” I’m struck by the idea of small, daily sacrifices being enough. It’s remarkable that Mother Teresa showed no judgement to those who (like me) love Jesus but still choose comfortable lives while trying to force my comfort into compatibility with selflessness and service. She did not become self-righteous, even though she had good reason to claim her works as evidence of her being better than others. She constantly compared herself and her work to Jesus, which is how she remained humble despite being a person of immense character and compassion.
Plenty of people call Mother Teresa an inspiration. I think she would say that they missed the point. Jesus is the inspiration—both for her work and life, and ours.
As Poplin tries to point out, any description of Mother Teresa that ignores her faith is wholly incomplete. In the book, though, I struggled to connect Poplin’s concluding discussion about the university system, secular humanism, naturalism, and pantheism. Her concluding material diluted the main point drawn from Mother Teresa’s life—that we all need to expand our categories when it comes to faith and service, and not forgo Spiritual power or Jesus’ example in realizing God’s better plan for human flourishing.
One striking thing for me is the idea of “doing small things with great love” or “doing something beautiful for Jesus.” I’m struck by the idea of small, daily sacrifices being enough. It’s remarkable that Mother Teresa showed no judgement to those who (like me) love Jesus but still choose comfortable lives while trying to force my comfort into compatibility with selflessness and service. She did not become self-righteous, even though she had good reason to claim her works as evidence of her being better than others. She constantly compared herself and her work to Jesus, which is how she remained humble despite being a person of immense character and compassion.
Plenty of people call Mother Teresa an inspiration. I think she would say that they missed the point. Jesus is the inspiration—both for her work and life, and ours.
As Poplin tries to point out, any description of Mother Teresa that ignores her faith is wholly incomplete. In the book, though, I struggled to connect Poplin’s concluding discussion about the university system, secular humanism, naturalism, and pantheism. Her concluding material diluted the main point drawn from Mother Teresa’s life—that we all need to expand our categories when it comes to faith and service, and not forgo Spiritual power or Jesus’ example in realizing God’s better plan for human flourishing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2024
For a long time, I've wanted to read a book about Mother Teresa and her work as a missionary. Fortunately, I came across this book. At the beginning, it seemed interesting to me. It focused more on how the author, Mary Poplin, traveled to India for a trip and her perspective on the missionary experience. A few chapters even delved into Mother Teresa's methods and her involvement in social causes, which I appreciated. However, I must admit that the book gradually shifted its focus away from Mother Teresa and towards Christianity and its values. While it's not wrong to include discussions on Christianity in a book about a missionary, it became repetitive and tedious. As a result, I lost interest, and finishing the book became a challenge.
There were some parts of the book that I enjoyed, particularly Mother Teresa's perspective on her work and how she viewed it more as a religious calling rather than simply social service. I found her ability to maintain motivation for her work inspiring.
What this book lacked was a deeper portrayal of Mother Teresa's actual work, the world's perception of her, and her daily life in the missionary alongside other sisters. Additionally, the book occasionally seemed to perpetuate the narrative that Mother Teresa adhered strictly to outdated religious beliefs, which I found off-putting.
One interesting line of Mother Teresa from this book is “the most devastating disease of humanity was not illness, hunger or poverty but loneliness and the sense of being unloved” that she encountered in people all over the world. The missionaries serve some of them by visiting them regularly.
I don't plan on revisiting this book in my lifetime. Instead, I'm searching for another book that provides a more comprehensive look at Mother Teresa's life and work in India.
There were some parts of the book that I enjoyed, particularly Mother Teresa's perspective on her work and how she viewed it more as a religious calling rather than simply social service. I found her ability to maintain motivation for her work inspiring.
What this book lacked was a deeper portrayal of Mother Teresa's actual work, the world's perception of her, and her daily life in the missionary alongside other sisters. Additionally, the book occasionally seemed to perpetuate the narrative that Mother Teresa adhered strictly to outdated religious beliefs, which I found off-putting.
One interesting line of Mother Teresa from this book is “the most devastating disease of humanity was not illness, hunger or poverty but loneliness and the sense of being unloved” that she encountered in people all over the world. The missionaries serve some of them by visiting them regularly.
I don't plan on revisiting this book in my lifetime. Instead, I'm searching for another book that provides a more comprehensive look at Mother Teresa's life and work in India.
April 12, 2019
Mary Poplin, professor and educator, shares what she learns about calling and vocation from her visit with Mother Teresa. She recounts bits of her volunteer experience and what she observes of Mother and the other Missionaries of Charity, who have given their lives to serving the poorest of the poor in Calcutta. she is deeply impressed by the nuns' deep partnership with the Holy Spirit in their work, praying the presence of God in their very ordinary work of changing diapers, washing the sick, feeding the hungry. The book wraps up with a bit of Poplin's travel itinerary after her time in Calcutta, highlighting more the work of the Holy Spirit as she makes her return to the other side of the world with a few stop overs along the way.
What stands out to me from the book is the single-mindedness of the Missionaries' devotion to loving the poor as though Christ and their commitment to suffering as they live out their calling. Suffering and the ordinary do not make frequent appearances in the "calling and vocation" conversation much here in the 'west'. I appreciated this perspective that Poplin tried to draw out repeatedly... It's a breath of fresh air in the midst of reading a lot of the literature in faith and work, where many of the examples given and by extension, the principles, are built on middle and upper class, white American privilege... I could go on, but them this would become less of a book review!
What stands out to me from the book is the single-mindedness of the Missionaries' devotion to loving the poor as though Christ and their commitment to suffering as they live out their calling. Suffering and the ordinary do not make frequent appearances in the "calling and vocation" conversation much here in the 'west'. I appreciated this perspective that Poplin tried to draw out repeatedly... It's a breath of fresh air in the midst of reading a lot of the literature in faith and work, where many of the examples given and by extension, the principles, are built on middle and upper class, white American privilege... I could go on, but them this would become less of a book review!
June 7, 2023
This is a lovely little memoir. We can learn a lot from Mother Teresa and her ability to ignore social movers around her trying to "update" her ministry. The experience in Calcutta completely changed Poplin's own life. It was a little hard to make a cohesive story out of this despite the fact that Poplin writes it more or less in chronological order. I think this is because she focuses each (very) short chapter on a theme. That just made it difficult to remember what each section was about. Unless you move very slowly and reflect after every few pages, you only get little pieces here and there.
February 26, 2018
“Mother Teresa showed me that no job is too small, but my spirit may be. She showed me that it is less about the actual work and more about the attitudes and the spirit in which we do it. Our call is to work to the best of our ability and to do it with and for God. The faithfulness with which we perform a current job builds the character needed for the next one.” Pg. 129
October 9, 2018
This book was ok. It was quite repetitive. There were some useful insights given, but I felt like it was very superficial and too easily accessible. The description given about Calcutta was interesting, and the interactions the author had with Mother Theresa were worthwhile.
March 12, 2019
Excellent!
After this I have grown and yet I am so much smaller.
I was so honored to get to hear Mary Poplin last night at a C. S. Lewis Conference. What a beautiful soul and inspiring example of Christ’s presence and beauty in a life.
After this I have grown and yet I am so much smaller.
I was so honored to get to hear Mary Poplin last night at a C. S. Lewis Conference. What a beautiful soul and inspiring example of Christ’s presence and beauty in a life.
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August 29, 2022This is an amazing book about service and how it can change the hearts of both givers and recipients. Mary Poplin shares remarkable insights about conflicts today concerning secular living and truth, based on her own life experiences.
September 1, 2024
not the most well written book I've ever read. the book would have been better named "my personal thoughts and meditations concerning my time with mother Theresa"
nonetheless the content concerning mother Theresa's past, faith, and values is inspiring and her compassion for the poor is beautiful
nonetheless the content concerning mother Theresa's past, faith, and values is inspiring and her compassion for the poor is beautiful
February 23, 2017
3.5 stars. I really enjoyed learning about mother theresa and some of the work in calcutta. A good read.
May 30, 2017
Really interesting peek into the World of Mother Teresa. A woman who was completely selfless and faithful, she not only changed lives but the face of an incredibly impoverished nation. Great read.
September 15, 2018
Not my favorite. I don’t like religious nonfiction, which is surprising because I consider myself a very religious person. The genre just rubs me the wrong way. Book club choice.
April 23, 2020
A book I read again and again...never really finish....good spiritual insight, comforting and encouraging.
August 12, 2024
Heartfelt, insightful, loving, and full of wisdom. Finished in almost one sitting. I would recommend to any Christian looking to interrogate their sense of gratitude.
July 25, 2025
I found this very enjoyable. There were nice little nuggets to that kind of made me think in each chapter.
May 29, 2012
I should start by saying I see Mother Teresa as one of the most extraordinary and influential role models of our time, especially in my own life. Poplin gives a short account in a quick read about her time spent in Calcutta with "Mother" (as she is referred to) and the other Missionaries of Charity. She gives an interesting perspective, coming from a secular world and entering into a purely religious one, as she learns to adjust to live with the missionaries in their utterly distinct lifestyle, and the questions she faces about everything she once thought was "true." This book serves as a great reminder for Christians of all denominations that the road with Christ is both full of grace and darkness. I thought Poplin could have delved into each of the 30 chapters a bit deeper, giving more background or contemplation rather than the expected "lesson learned" fluff that coated the book. However, she does keep the reader's attention with tearful examples and even nonchalantly and unexpectedly revealing her past history of abortions. As someone who is always looking for books to help encourage or strengthen my relationship with Christ, I found this book to be extremely helpful in looking at ways I can change and better this relationship, and my life.
For example, these following passages really struck a chord with me and made me question how I approach certain people and situations on a everyday basis, and made me reflect on ways I can change this:
"I began to think how different I would work if I truly saw each person I met as a hungry, hurting Christ. What if every time someone came to me with a problem, I responded as though Christ himself had approached me? What if I saw everyone all day long as in need of a touch from God, and what if I were yielded enough that God could actually use me to give his touch?" (p. 40)
"Driving in Los Angeles, I often think of drivers on the two-lane roads where I grew up in Texas who would pull over to the side to let a faster car by and how the recipient of the grace would give a big wave. We could use a lot more grace and friendly waves of gratitude on the freeways...We have so many opportunities to leave things better every day." (p. 113)
"Forgiveness frees us. Unforgiveness is a relentless enemy to all who hold onto it....until we can pray in earnest that God will bless the person who hurt us, we have not fully forgiven." (p. 115)
This last one just personally interested me in how true it is:
"Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost twenty centuries...It is from his birthday that most of the human race dates its calendars, by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray." (p. 161)
For example, these following passages really struck a chord with me and made me question how I approach certain people and situations on a everyday basis, and made me reflect on ways I can change this:
"I began to think how different I would work if I truly saw each person I met as a hungry, hurting Christ. What if every time someone came to me with a problem, I responded as though Christ himself had approached me? What if I saw everyone all day long as in need of a touch from God, and what if I were yielded enough that God could actually use me to give his touch?" (p. 40)
"Driving in Los Angeles, I often think of drivers on the two-lane roads where I grew up in Texas who would pull over to the side to let a faster car by and how the recipient of the grace would give a big wave. We could use a lot more grace and friendly waves of gratitude on the freeways...We have so many opportunities to leave things better every day." (p. 113)
"Forgiveness frees us. Unforgiveness is a relentless enemy to all who hold onto it....until we can pray in earnest that God will bless the person who hurt us, we have not fully forgiven." (p. 115)
This last one just personally interested me in how true it is:
"Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost twenty centuries...It is from his birthday that most of the human race dates its calendars, by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray." (p. 161)
February 8, 2015
This is a lovely, well-written book. Ms. Poplin, a highly educated Western college professor of the left-wing feminist stripe, became a Christian (which seemed to surprise the hell out of her) and went to India to work with Mother Teresa. While there, she learned a great deal about what it means to commit one's self entirely to the poor. To say that Mother Teresa and her Little Sisters of the Poor practice radical Christianity is a complete understatement. These women literally become the poorest of the poor. They own nothing. They keep nothing. They want nothing but to help those whom society has forgotten. Having read a great deal about Mother Teresa before (I love her), it was interesting to see her work through the point of view of someone with a background similar to mine: educated, suspicious of mysticism and the supernatural, steeped in left-wing thought, etc. The author's takeaway is that the sisters are the opposite of social workers, or political reformers: they are trying to be Christ to the people they serve. They have no agenda other than feeding, comforting, healing, and being companions to, the 'least, the last, and the lost.' Their humility, and their complete trust in God's promise to provide strength for the moment, is remarkable.
Having studied, and practiced, Christianity for quite some time now, I am struck again and again by how simple to understand, but how difficult to live, the teachings of Jesus actually are. We build churches, we donate to charity, we organize together to try and accomplish common goals, we pick sides, we read and study and endlessly rationalize our lives here in the wealthy West (or at least, I do these things) when really it's quite basic: pick up your cross and follow him. Give all you have to the poor. Love your enemies. See Jesus in the forgotten.
Books like this one, and like The Irresistible Revolution or The Hole in Our Gospel leave me feeling quite convicted. Mark Twain said something like, "It's not the parts of the Bible that I don't understand that scare me, it's the parts that I do!" and he was right. Mother Teresa was a living saint, and her work continues with her Little Sisters all around the world. There is this cute saying I saw on a bumper sticker once: "Jesus Will Return: Look Busy!" I think these Sisters have that covered.
Having studied, and practiced, Christianity for quite some time now, I am struck again and again by how simple to understand, but how difficult to live, the teachings of Jesus actually are. We build churches, we donate to charity, we organize together to try and accomplish common goals, we pick sides, we read and study and endlessly rationalize our lives here in the wealthy West (or at least, I do these things) when really it's quite basic: pick up your cross and follow him. Give all you have to the poor. Love your enemies. See Jesus in the forgotten.
Books like this one, and like The Irresistible Revolution or The Hole in Our Gospel leave me feeling quite convicted. Mark Twain said something like, "It's not the parts of the Bible that I don't understand that scare me, it's the parts that I do!" and he was right. Mother Teresa was a living saint, and her work continues with her Little Sisters all around the world. There is this cute saying I saw on a bumper sticker once: "Jesus Will Return: Look Busy!" I think these Sisters have that covered.
December 6, 2015
I took a shamefully long time to read this book, but what can I say? I started it shortly before school began, so it got put on the back burner for a while. I enjoyed this book. Formerly a radically anti-Christian academic, Poplin explains how she came to faith and went to Calcutta to serve with Mother Teresa for a period of time. The book is primarily composed of short chapters that detail various aspects of the Sisters of Charity's day-to-day rhythm of life, and Poplin's own stories from her time with them are sprinkled throughout. She comes to the realization that the university setting is her "Calcutta"--her place to serve and make a difference. I was a little disappointed with her final conclusions, though. I'm deeply curious about how Christian academics view their interaction with the university and how they perceive themselves as living out their faith without openly evangelizing. Poplin's final conclusions weren't very nuanced, though. As a worldview teacher, she explained her realization that she needed to teach Christianity alongside all the other world religions she was teaching rather than omitting it. A good move, but very specific to her situation. I would have been interested to hear how she saw her faith influencing her intellectual work in more subtle ways. Also, her final appendix included a call to generate internationally connected graduate universities that incorporate multicultural, orthodox believers into their communities rather than being denomination specific. Again, this is a great thought...but it was such a huge, vague idea that it seemed highly improbably that it will ever be implemented.
On the whole, though, I'm glad I read the book. I found Mother Teresa's life and ideas about vocation to be deeply compelling, and I'd like to learn more about her.
On the whole, though, I'm glad I read the book. I found Mother Teresa's life and ideas about vocation to be deeply compelling, and I'd like to learn more about her.
March 7, 2010
This was the first book from Urbana 2009 that I read. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I am glad I read it. I have always wanted to read a book about Mother Teresa. I am drawn by the mystical yet personal relationship she had with Jesus, how clearly she saw Him in the faces of the "poorest of the poor," how completely she depended on Him for the compassion she had on others. My favorite quotes from the book are below.
"Social action without prayer and conversation to the Lord lacks power and the ability to produce long-lasting change in the socio-economic conditions of the poor. Likewise prayer and evangelism without social action leads to pietistic withdrawal from the realities of the human condition and an escape from social problems rather than a confrontation and challenge to change." - Father John Bettuolucci
"I have come to understand that my lack of humility limits my life. My pride not only gives me the illusion that I am the master of my fate, but it also causes me to limit what I will attempt. Knowing my natural limitations, I narrow my work accordingly. Yet Mother saw her "nothingness" and God's greatness, and in due course established a worldwide organization." -Mary Poplin (author)
"Don't give in to discouragement... If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people's opinion. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. It is very difficult to practice because we all want to see the result of our work. Leave it to Jesus." -Mother Teresa
"Social action without prayer and conversation to the Lord lacks power and the ability to produce long-lasting change in the socio-economic conditions of the poor. Likewise prayer and evangelism without social action leads to pietistic withdrawal from the realities of the human condition and an escape from social problems rather than a confrontation and challenge to change." - Father John Bettuolucci
"I have come to understand that my lack of humility limits my life. My pride not only gives me the illusion that I am the master of my fate, but it also causes me to limit what I will attempt. Knowing my natural limitations, I narrow my work accordingly. Yet Mother saw her "nothingness" and God's greatness, and in due course established a worldwide organization." -Mary Poplin (author)
"Don't give in to discouragement... If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people's opinion. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. It is very difficult to practice because we all want to see the result of our work. Leave it to Jesus." -Mother Teresa
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