No Greater Love

by Mother Teresa

A collection of inspirational writings includes reflections on love, prayer, giving, service, poverty, forgiveness, and Jesus

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Christian, Catholic, Spirituality, Biography, Faith

206 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu[6] (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, Albanian: [aˈɲɛzə ˈɡɔndʒɛ bɔjaˈdʒiu]; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), honoured in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta,[7] was an Albanian-Indian[4] Roman Catholic nun and missionary.[8] She was born in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia), then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. After living in Skopje for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life.

In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that had over 4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries in 2012. The congregation manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counselling programmes, as well as orphanages and schools. Members take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and also profess a fourth vow – to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor."[9]

Following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Francis.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fruit of silence is prayer.
The fruit of prayer is faith.
The fruit of faith is love.
The fruit of love is service.
The fruit of service is peace.

-Mother Teresa

Words to remember. And live by, if you can remember them.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I randomly bought off a clearance shelf while in college and I just got around to reading it thanks to my book club. It is set up as a series of quotes and stories from Mother Teresa divided by topic (Prayer, Love, Giving, etc) which makes it easy to find just what you may be looking for. At the end of the book is an interview with her and then a time line of her life, both of which I found very interesting. I really enjoyed looking through her thoughts and learned a lot about her from our book club discussion (we all read different books and information on her).
Here are a few of my favorite quotes...
"Have you ever experienced the joy of giving? I do not want you to give to me from your abundance. I never allow people to have fund-raisers for me. I don't want that. I want you to give of yourself. The love you put into the giving is the most important thing."
"I think a person who is attached to riches, who lives with the worry of rices, is actually very poor. However, if such a person puts her money at the service of others, then she is rich, very rich. Kindness has converted more people than zeal, science, or eloquence. Holiness grows so fast where there is kindness. The world is lost for want of sweetness and kindness. Do not forget we need each other."
"It seems to me that this great poverty of suffering in the West is much harder to solve. When I pick up some starving person off the street and offer him a bowl of rice or a piece of bread, I can satisfy his hunger. But a person that has been beaten or feels unwanted or unloved or fearful or rejected by society experiences a kind of poverty that is much more painful and deep. The cure is much more difficult to find."
"We are here to be witnesses of love and to celebrate life, because life has been created in the image of God. Life is to love and to be loved. That is why we all have to take a strong stand so that no child, boy or girl, will be rejected or unloved. Every child is a sign of God's love, that has to be extended over all the earth."

[Christopher Lewis Kozoriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Jesus gives me the opportunity to feed Him by feeding those who are hungry, to clothe Him by clothing those who are naked, to heal Him by caring for those who are sick, and to offer Him shelter by housing those who are homeless and unwanted." (Mother Teresa, No Greater Love, Page 100)

This book covers the words of Mother Teresa on everything from her view of prayer, love, giving, being holy, work and service, poverty, forgiveness, suffering and death, etc.

Truly Mother Teresa was a gift to the world and her work was self-sacrificing as she served "the poorest of the poor." She often says throughout this book that when she was serving the poor, diseased, sick, lame, homeless, that she wasn't serving them, but Jesus in them. She quotes Jesus often and His words,

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

(Matthew 25:35)

At the end of this book, there is a biographical sketch of her life and ministry from her birth in 1910 to 1996.

A great woman of God worth time to study and imitate.

[Mary Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that much of this book is made up of Mother Teresa's own words and also contains many stories from those who worked with or knew her well or encountered her when they were in need themselves.

[James Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd have to say this is actually a 3 1/2 star book! The first few chapters are absolutely incredible! Mother Teresa puts such on strong emphasis on charity and love. In brief summary. Love someone, and you love God. Serve someone and you serve God. Care for someone, have compassion for someone, etc and you've done it until Christ.
About half way through the book started to feel and read a little more dry. She also shared some things that I strongly disagree with. Money is evil, and to be poor is good. "Christ was poor" she says. While I would agree that money and wealth can be made, can increase someone's pride and so forth, but money itself and to have a lot of it isn't at all bad if used properly. So seeking wealth is in my opinion not bad.
Anyway, that was my biggest problem with the book. The other part I struggled through was all the Catholic doctrine that she talks about. I would love to learn and understand more (I think studying other religions would be remarkable) but currently it just seemed over my head.
The final two chapters open up to a conversation or interview with Mother Teresa as well as a short biography of sorts about her. Did really enjoy those parts, and it is worth reading those chapters if nothing else just to more fully understand the incredible Saint and person she was.
I would recommend this book to just about everyone. Despite it being a bit dry for me. Service to others really is one of the most important things we can do in this life. And Mother Teresa makes that very clear in her book. I hope to become more like her, and once I do, once my prayers become more meaningful, and I humble myself more...maybe then will I be able to comprehend better the things I didn't love about this book.

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's not great writing, but i still learned much from this view into the mind, heart, and soul, of this modern saint. she was singularly focused, determined, and yet simple. sometimes we complicate our service to God unnecessarily, and look to serve those who are far away, when we are surrounded by opportunities to serve God's poor (whether materially or spiritually) every single day, right where we are. St Therese of Lisieux said her vocation is love -- St Teresa of Calcutta who chose to be named after her lived this vocation to the full.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a biography of Mother Teresa but my library only had this on audio. It's a lengthy collection of testimonies about Mother Teresa's work, either from her, people she served or served with. While I found it rather repetitive, it was much better listening to these acts of loving kindness than it was listening to anything on the news about Donald Trump (the alternative on my commute).

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a gem. It meant so much to me that I bought it for a friend, recommended it to my mom and other friends. I plan to start rereading it already.

I love how simply she lives her faith. She truly understands what it means to be both human and godlike.

[Lon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon his election, the new Pope chose to adopt the name of the legendary St. Francis, whose deep compassion for the poor inspires the new pontiff. We’ve been moved (Catholics and non-Catholics alike) by images of the Pope reminding us that spiritual leadership, first and foremost, is about showing us how to love, especially how to love the least lovable among us. (Isn’t there a story about St. Francis confronting his instinctual and conditioned repugnance at the sight of a leper and then touching and ministering to the leper until the repugnance in his heart was replaced with compassion? Help me out.)

Impressed so far with what seems to be Pope Francis’ sincere commitment to easing suffering among the downtrodden and oppressed, I thought of Mother Teresa and the collection of her teachings that had been sitting in my library shelf for a few years now, unread. Well, I’ve read the book now, and here are some of the passages I found most inspiring:

“When we all seek God in each other, we will love one another as he loves us all. That is the fulfillment of the law, to love one another. This is all Jesus came to teach us: that God loves us, and that he wants us to love one another as he loves us.” (29)

“When we handle the sick and the needy we touch the suffering body of Christ in this touch will make us heroic; it will make us forget the repugnance and the natural tendencies in us. We need the eyes of deep faith to see Christ in the broken body and dirty clothes under which the most beautiful one among the sons of man hides.” (31)

“If everyone were capable of discovering the image of God in their neighbors, do you think that we would still need tanks and generals?” (48)

“He wants us to love one another, to give ourselves to each other until it hurts. It does not matter how much we give, but how much love we put into our giving.” (29)

“Riches, both material and spiritual, can choke you if you do not use them fairly. For not even God can put anything in a heart that is already full. Let us remain as empty as possible so that God can fill us up.” (95)

“Prayer is union with God, a union as vital as that of the find the branch.” (11)

“It is difficult to pray if you don't know how to pray, but we must help ourselves to pray. The first means to use is silence. We cannot put ourselves directly in the presence of God if we do not practice internal and external silence.
The interior silence is very difficult, but we must make the effort. In silence we will find new energy and true unity. The energy of God will be ours to do all things well, and so will the unity of our thoughts with his thoughts, the unity of our prayers with his prayers, the unity of our actions with his actions, of our life and with his life. Unity is the fruit of prayer, of humility, of love.
In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you faced God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with himself. Souls of prayer our souls of great silence. (7-8)

“As missionaries, we must be carriers of God’s love.” (147)

“Our sisters and her brothers are called Missionaries of Charity. They are young people who are called to be the carriers of God's love. A missionary is one sent with a mission – a message to deliver. Just as Jesus was sent by his Father, we too are sent by Him and filled with His spirit to be witnesses of His gospel of love and compassion.” (145)

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mother Teresa epitomizes the act of giving.


'Her heart,' said Sister Nirmala, Mother Teresa's immediate successor, ' was big like the heart of God Himself, filled with love, affection, compassion, and mercy. Rich and poor, young and old, strong and weak, learned and ignorant, saints and sinners of all nations, cultures, and religions found a loving welcome in her heart, because in each of them she saw the face of her Beloved - Jesus.' "

Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, MC


It is fitting in this Year of Mercy that Mother Teresa would be canonized, for she is the exemplar of modern day mercy. She had such a sweeping impact on those around her and inspired countless more through her daily acts of charity, grace, and faith. A Call to Mercy: Mother Teresa is the most beautiful celebration of Mother Teresa's life and actions.


Each chapter is broken down into sections that emphasize her words (what she actually said or wrote) and her example (the testimonies of those close to her). Each small section is eye-opening and filled with love. Brief examples of her faithfulness, her unwavering love for the poor, and her fearlessness. She relied intensely on God's love in all she did, and it shows through in each passage. The concise lessons are humbling and comforting - Mother Teresa, like Jesus, did not call for everyone to do everything, but to do everything we can with love, dignity, cheer, and humility. One such example follows:


"I used to go out on apostolate with Mother. We used to walk a great distance to take care of a crippled boy with tuberculosis named Nicolas...He had to big bedsores; Mother used to clean and dress his wounds...The family was very poor, so Mother used to carry daily food for them. I used to be so tired and felt like crying every day, but Mother used to say, ' We have to save souls and we must do it happily.' I knew Mother was also tired, but she did not show it in any way. This we did for several years."


With moving stories of charitable acts, reflections on faith, and Catholic traditions (such as confession), this book is a wonderful way to get to now the new saint through a whole new lens. Her legacy endures because of her faith and acts of charity, and A Call to Mercy is a celebration of a life well lived.

From https://onceuponmyshelf.wordpress.com...

[Isabelle reads a book a day because she has no friends · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has touched me so very deeply—I’m pretty sure I cried at the introduction. Each chapter is a look into Mother Teresa’s incredible life and testimony, with direct quotes from her followed by story after story of those who were impacted by her.
It is divided into the following sections: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, bury the dead, instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish sinners, bare wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead.
Mother Teresa has done all of these and more. I will keep some of these stories with me forever, and feel a renewed zest for showing hospitality in my own life. The only thing that didn’t resonate with me personally was chapter 10, “admonish sinners,” as it was very heavy on the strict Catholic traditions and theology, and I don’t believe in those doctrines as a Christian. But let me tell you, that chapter was worth reading regardless, because I learned that sweet Mother Teresa was also a hardass. I love this woman so much.

Edit: I can’t stop talking about this book and my mom is probably sick of it. But if I had never read it, I wouldn’t be able to say cool things like, “Mother Teresa called her headaches a Crown of Thorns which brought her closer to Jesus” when my mom comes down with a headache of her own.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

so they say you can't chose a book by its cover right? i firmly believe that. No, just kidding, but in this case the book itself is just as pure and beautiful as the silky white front cover. As a missionary, a lover, a peacemaker, an ally of the poor and suffering, an icon of both the secular and church world and a tiny religious nun, just seeing the name Mother Teresa makes me smile. This book, in her own words, about the eternal Love and man's personal will of God, with a few short stories thrown in here and there about the suffering and poverty she witnessed on the streets, is definitely one that the reader will have a hard time putting down. Infact, i found myself having to slow myself when reading, as a reminder to soak it all in.
I don't know how anyone could go wrong with reading a book written by such an inspirational person such as Mother, but again it is written in a fashon easy to read, simple, straight forward yet forceful beyond all hell. It was Mother Teresa's simplicity of heart that drew people to her...it is no wonder that her book exemplifies the same: simplicity and fire. a must read.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through the quotes that compose this book, Mother Teresa lives up to her reputation as a loving, devoted Christian and fellow human. When I first picked up No Greater Love, I expected to be inspired to live like she lived, but instead I was challenged to live like God wants me to live. Mother Teresa is brilliant (and reassuring!) in her acknowledgement that her lifestyle is not for everyone and that each of us is called to serve in a different way. She uses both her enlightened thoughts and her unique experiences to encourage us to find our unique paths to Heaven. Through her words about helping the world’s poor, she supports her readers through their troubles as well. By the end of No Greater Love, I had grown into a more confident, focused, and peaceful Christian as a result of her imparted wisdom.

I recommend reading No Greater Love with a friend because there are some topics worth discussing. Why did she say this, what did she mean by that—it is not all as clear-cut as “give all of your money to the poor.” Read it slowly and allow each chapter to sink in before moving on, for everything she says is worth meditating on.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mother Teresa, we all know, was an absolutely amazing woman and had the heart of hearts. Her book displays that amazingly. Her prose is not elegant, but it was painstakingly thoughtful and heartfelt. It challenges and inspires; should be read all. If this were on everyone's bookshelf of books they've read, maybe, just maybe, our world would be a better place. The heart of this amazingly woman shines through every page and will touch the hardest of hearts in the simplest and plainest ways, just as she lived her life.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible words of wisdom from a woman who clearly had a great love for Jesus and humanity. Possibly one of the most inspiring books I've read in a long time. Her message is simple but very profound and touching.

This world would be a much better place if the rest of us could love with an ounce of the love that Mother Teresa expressed to those around her. I recommend this to everyone -- whether you are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic or of any other creed... I think we can all be inspired some way by her words of love and agree that she was special.

[Veronica Schram · Rating 2 out of 5]

The end of chapter reflections and prayers were relevant and probably the best part of the book. The fluidity of each chapter with "her words" and the testimonies were hard to follow. I think it would've been helpful to write about her and then use a few testimonials as examples rather than having each chapter made up of testimonials. Overall it was powerful to read about how much Mother Teresa accomplished in her life and how much love she had to give.

[Lauren Brown]

“God will not ask how many books you have read; how many miracles you have worked; He will ask you if you have done your best, for the love of Him.”

[Chad Leleux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mother Teresa keeps the message of Jesus Christ simple in an increasingly complicated world. To be a saint is to love simply. Thank you Mama T 🤍

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts On A Call To Mercy

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit how long it has taken me to read through A Call To Mercy (ahem, let's just say a couple months and leave it at that, 'kay!?), as I've been going through a few incredibly rough life challenges + changes that required compassion and mercy, yes, even for myself. That said, this book was just what I needed to pick up and read off and on for the last few months -- there is hope and love and compassion and mercy to be found in these pages; stories full of hope and humanity and suffering and redemption and grief and horror and sacrificial love and what it looks like to show compassion in everyday life. It was an amazing read about an amazing woman and an amazing God. And, yeah, it was a hard read, especially for those like myself who are empaths (super-feelers), but it was such an amazing, moving -- life and faith altering, truly -- and challenging read, nonetheless. This is a book I will be keeping on my bookshelf, and pulling out for when I need to intimately become reacquainted with hope and suffering and faith and mercy towards others, and myself, again and again and again.

My Favorite Lines from A Call To Mercy (so far...)

"The pain of hunger is terrible and that is where you and I must come and give until it hurts. I want you to give until it hurts. And this giving is love of God in action. Hunger is not only for bread, hunger is for love." [pg. 4]

"Let us not use bombs and guns to overcome the world but let us radiate the peace of God and extinguish all hatred and love of power in the world and in the hearts of men." [pg.14]

"Give whatever you can, and if you have nothing, do not worry; give your hands to serve and hearts to love. By helping others, you will be rewarded with peace and joy." [pg. 22]


Stars In The Vast Sea of Books!? FIVE WHOLE STARS! *****

[Janet Noonan · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can one not love the words of Saint Mother Teresa? They inspire, they comfort, they instruct and reassure one of God's mercy .
The author has gathered Mother's words and organized them under the spiritual and corporal
Works of mercy. After reading Mother's words there are several testimonials in each chapter by those who witnessed her acts of love followed by a short reflection of how we can apply them in our own life.
The rating is given for the subject matter and one star taken away because at times it felt a little disjointed and I would have liked the witnesses to have been somewhat identified.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think all words are important to embrace and share, to a point. (That of pain and exhaustion.)

What I found useful about this book to keep in mind was that it communicated the message if you are well-mannered in your behaviour, then it does not actually matter how many millions of dollars you possess. People will allow for you to operate.

The exact order of the place setting can always be addressed at a later point.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very inspirational book. For me, at least. There are testimonies of people who worked with or witnessed the work or were the object of Mother Teresa's work. There are also Mother's words and prayers. Each chapter is about a different ministry: the thirsty, the naked, the hungry, etc.

[Kara ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gave me much more than I anticipated. What an amazing person Mother Teresa was and what a guiding light.

[Emma Kate Gamblin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many underlines. Simple, pure and beautiful ways of bringing your heart toward seeing Jesus in the least of these. Mother Teresa was practicing “power with” instead of “power over” before social justice circles even used this phrase!

Some favorites..

"We act under the conviction that every time we feed the poor, we are offering food to Christ Himself. Whenever we clothe a naked human being, we are clothing Christ Himself. Whenever we offer shelter to the dying, we are sheltering Christ Himself."

"Grant that, even if you are hidden under the unattractive disguise of anger, of crime, or of madness, I may recognize you and say, 'Jesus, you who suffer, how sweet it is to serve you?'"

"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."

"We often say to Christ, "Make us partakers of Your suffering." But, when someone is insensitive to us, how easily we forget that this is the moment to share with Christ! It would be enough for us to remember that it is Jesus who gives us, through such a person or circumstance, the opportunity to do something beautiful for Him."

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this to anyone wishing to deepen their faith. For years I had been nudged to learn more about Mother Teresa, but avoided it because I considered her too “trendy.” Then, the nudge hit me again when I was in a desperate place in my life and I found this book. It healed me in a lot of ways. Though it doesn’t talk much about her life, the book is more about how you can learn from her examples and the stories of those who encountered her. Mother Teresa is such an inspiration for what it means to love and trust the Lord in all things. They are such simple concepts, but hearing them and seeing how she treated others shows me how much I have been slacking.

[Nathan Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

“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).

Self-sacrifice to the point of hurting. I will need to serious reflection on how I can live that out tangibly and consistently in a world that preaches the exact opposite message.

Subtracted 1 star to the editors for occasionally quoting scripture passages using the KJV Bible. I don’t think Mother Teresa would be pleased with that.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chapters are topically based and filled with relevant quotes or very short stories from Mother Teresa. Light, quick read. Nice to see some of her words on different topics, but hardly makes for an actual book.

[CozyReaderKelly]

This book is a collection of Mother Teresa’s teachings sorted by topic. It could be treated like a devotional. I did not end up giving it a star rating due to the style of book.

What I love about Mother Teresa’s teachings is that she really emphasizes how each person deserves to be treated with love and dignity regardless of race, religion, or situation. It is not a new concept, but a lesson well worth the reminder.

[J4yy · Rating 2 out of 5]

g mm pas lu celui la loll ya juste pas celui g lue thx

[Matt Daq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal and super inspiring! A book I should read every year.

Super short read too.