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To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa
From a trusted advisor and devoted friend of Mother Teresa comes a “powerful” ( The Washington Free Beacon ) firsthand account of the miraculous woman behind the saint and a book that is “rich in reflection on contemporary sanctity” (George Weigel).
Mother Teresa was one of the most admired women of the 20th century, and her memory continues to inspire charitable work around the world. She believed the greatest need of a human being is to love and be loved. In 1948, she founded the Missionaries of Charity to work directly with the very poorest of Calcutta. From the efforts of one woman entering the slums of Entally, the Missionaries of Charity grew into an organization operating soup kitchens, health clinics, hospices, and shelters in 139 countries, at no cost to any government or to those who served. In 2016, she became Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
Author Jim Towey had been a high-flying Congressional staffer and lawyer in the 1980s until a brief meeting with Mother Teresa illuminated the emptiness of his life. He began volunteering at one of her soup kitchens and using his legal skills and political connections to help the Missionaries of Charity. When Mother Teresa suggested he take up shifts at her AIDS hospice, Towey realized he was all in. Soon, he gave up his job and possessions and became a full-time volunteer for Mother Teresa. He traveled with her frequently, arranged her meetings with politicians, and handled many of her legal affairs.
To Love and Be Loved is an “inspiring and joyful” ( Kirkus Reviews ) firsthand account of Mother Teresa’s last years, and the first book ever to detail her dealings with worldly matters. We see her gracefully navigate the opportunities and challenges to leadership, the perils of celebrity, and the humiliations and triumphs of aging. We also catch her indulging in chocolate ice cream, making jokes about mini-skirts, and telling the President of the United States he’s wrong. Above all, we see her extraordinary devotion to God and to the very poorest of His children. Mother Teresa taught Towey to be more prayerful, less selfish, more humble, less worldly, move in love with God, and less in love with himself. Her lessons are here for all to share.
Mother Teresa was one of the most admired women of the 20th century, and her memory continues to inspire charitable work around the world. She believed the greatest need of a human being is to love and be loved. In 1948, she founded the Missionaries of Charity to work directly with the very poorest of Calcutta. From the efforts of one woman entering the slums of Entally, the Missionaries of Charity grew into an organization operating soup kitchens, health clinics, hospices, and shelters in 139 countries, at no cost to any government or to those who served. In 2016, she became Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
Author Jim Towey had been a high-flying Congressional staffer and lawyer in the 1980s until a brief meeting with Mother Teresa illuminated the emptiness of his life. He began volunteering at one of her soup kitchens and using his legal skills and political connections to help the Missionaries of Charity. When Mother Teresa suggested he take up shifts at her AIDS hospice, Towey realized he was all in. Soon, he gave up his job and possessions and became a full-time volunteer for Mother Teresa. He traveled with her frequently, arranged her meetings with politicians, and handled many of her legal affairs.
To Love and Be Loved is an “inspiring and joyful” ( Kirkus Reviews ) firsthand account of Mother Teresa’s last years, and the first book ever to detail her dealings with worldly matters. We see her gracefully navigate the opportunities and challenges to leadership, the perils of celebrity, and the humiliations and triumphs of aging. We also catch her indulging in chocolate ice cream, making jokes about mini-skirts, and telling the President of the United States he’s wrong. Above all, we see her extraordinary devotion to God and to the very poorest of His children. Mother Teresa taught Towey to be more prayerful, less selfish, more humble, less worldly, move in love with God, and less in love with himself. Her lessons are here for all to share.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published September 6, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
July 28, 2022
I decided to read this particular offering about Mother Teresa because of who authored it. I had no idea who Jim Towey was before I read the book synopsis. He founded the non-profit organization "Aging with Dignity" and is the co-author of the document "Five Wishes", an advance directive. He worked in the US government for a Senator, and after his fateful visit to Calcutta to meet Mother Teresa, his life was changed forever. He had an extremely close relationship with Mother Teresa that lasted decades, and she had an enormous impact on his life.
Jim Towey's first visit to Calcutta was one of my favorite parts in the book because of the profound lessons he learned after this experience. He observed pathetic poor people laying around in the streets, some face down in the sweltering heat. There was incessant begging from both children and adults as he walked to his destination. Once he reached his hotel, despite the lack of air conditioning and the presence of roaches- he felt incredibly grateful after what he saw on the way there. When Jim first met Mother Teresa it was very brief, but she greeted him energetically and sent him to the hospice run by her fellow nuns. Once he introduced himself to Sister Luke at the hospice and said that Mother Teresa sent him, she smiled and immediately assigned him to "bed 46" with some gauze and medicinal lotion to treat a man's scabies ridden backside. As you can imagine he was startled, repulsed, and felt inadequate, but with some guidance performed the job...and then was tasked with washing and feeding some others! Mr. Towey was in dress clothing and not expecting to volunteer with hands-on care of these dying, suffering patients. In fact, he thought a monetary donation alone would fulfill his duty. When Jim left Calcutta, his next destination was a five-day stopover in Hawaii. However, instead of being relieved at the splendour of his cushy surroundings, he felt guilty after remembering the poor he had just left in Calcutta, and in fact missed being around them.
From this point forward Jim was deeply involved with Mother Teresa's charitable organizations, to such a degree that he seriously considered entering the priesthood. Mother Teresa ultimately talked him out of it and encouraged him to continue working in government where he could often help her. She also talked a young lady out of becoming a nun, and ultimately encouraged the two to marry and have children, which they did. Jim handled all legal issues pro bono for the organization, including when unauthorised entities tried to monetize Mother Teresa's likeness. One very publicized incidence of this was the "NunBun" where a Nashville coffee shop found that a baked cinnamon bun resembled Mother Teresa.
I was very moved by the selflessness of Mother Teresa, with her passionate message that a person's most important need was to love and be loved. She and the order she founded ran hospices, soup kitchens, adoption centers and woman shelters. They had hundreds of centers all over the world. Mother Teresa had a very close and loving relationship with Pope John Paul II, and he put her on a fast track to becoming a saint after she died. He also became a saint himself when he passed away several years later. She had a lot of health problems such as a bad back (she used to say her "old friend" was back when it would flare up), but kept a good sense of humor, embraced suffering, and had great inner strength. This is a very worthwhile and inspiring book to read about an amazing woman from Albania who sacrificed so much to help the poorest of the poor.
Thank you to the publisher Simon & Schuster for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
Jim Towey's first visit to Calcutta was one of my favorite parts in the book because of the profound lessons he learned after this experience. He observed pathetic poor people laying around in the streets, some face down in the sweltering heat. There was incessant begging from both children and adults as he walked to his destination. Once he reached his hotel, despite the lack of air conditioning and the presence of roaches- he felt incredibly grateful after what he saw on the way there. When Jim first met Mother Teresa it was very brief, but she greeted him energetically and sent him to the hospice run by her fellow nuns. Once he introduced himself to Sister Luke at the hospice and said that Mother Teresa sent him, she smiled and immediately assigned him to "bed 46" with some gauze and medicinal lotion to treat a man's scabies ridden backside. As you can imagine he was startled, repulsed, and felt inadequate, but with some guidance performed the job...and then was tasked with washing and feeding some others! Mr. Towey was in dress clothing and not expecting to volunteer with hands-on care of these dying, suffering patients. In fact, he thought a monetary donation alone would fulfill his duty. When Jim left Calcutta, his next destination was a five-day stopover in Hawaii. However, instead of being relieved at the splendour of his cushy surroundings, he felt guilty after remembering the poor he had just left in Calcutta, and in fact missed being around them.
From this point forward Jim was deeply involved with Mother Teresa's charitable organizations, to such a degree that he seriously considered entering the priesthood. Mother Teresa ultimately talked him out of it and encouraged him to continue working in government where he could often help her. She also talked a young lady out of becoming a nun, and ultimately encouraged the two to marry and have children, which they did. Jim handled all legal issues pro bono for the organization, including when unauthorised entities tried to monetize Mother Teresa's likeness. One very publicized incidence of this was the "NunBun" where a Nashville coffee shop found that a baked cinnamon bun resembled Mother Teresa.
I was very moved by the selflessness of Mother Teresa, with her passionate message that a person's most important need was to love and be loved. She and the order she founded ran hospices, soup kitchens, adoption centers and woman shelters. They had hundreds of centers all over the world. Mother Teresa had a very close and loving relationship with Pope John Paul II, and he put her on a fast track to becoming a saint after she died. He also became a saint himself when he passed away several years later. She had a lot of health problems such as a bad back (she used to say her "old friend" was back when it would flare up), but kept a good sense of humor, embraced suffering, and had great inner strength. This is a very worthwhile and inspiring book to read about an amazing woman from Albania who sacrificed so much to help the poorest of the poor.
Thank you to the publisher Simon & Schuster for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
February 27, 2023
A sort of dual biography as the author writes about his perspective of Mother Teresa's life as it intertwined with his own life. He writes about the impact that Mother Teresa had on his own spiritual life.
September 17, 2022
I stumbled upon "To Love and Be Loved" perchance at Barnes and Noble. As soon as I saw the beautifully designed cover, the energy from the photo and the title caused my compulsive self to automatically place it in my basket without a second thought.
This is perhaps the most beautiful book I have read about Mother Teresa. It is an expository of who she really was, her mission, her commitment to God (regardless of the cost), and her love for the poor. The story is part memoir, coming to the reader through the lens of Jim Towey.
How fortunate Jim was to have gotten so close to Mother. I appreciated his intimate sharing of his personal relationship, as well as (finally) a book that provides Mother's perspective in light of the criticism she has received. He explains it all with class, dignity, grace, and style. Our ailing world needs books like Jim's at the moment, and how grateful I am to have spotted it - but God has his reasons for everything. I was tearful at times but mostly smiled through most of it.
Thank you, Jim, for putting yourself "out there" and for doing something beautiful for God ... and Mother!
This is perhaps the most beautiful book I have read about Mother Teresa. It is an expository of who she really was, her mission, her commitment to God (regardless of the cost), and her love for the poor. The story is part memoir, coming to the reader through the lens of Jim Towey.
How fortunate Jim was to have gotten so close to Mother. I appreciated his intimate sharing of his personal relationship, as well as (finally) a book that provides Mother's perspective in light of the criticism she has received. He explains it all with class, dignity, grace, and style. Our ailing world needs books like Jim's at the moment, and how grateful I am to have spotted it - but God has his reasons for everything. I was tearful at times but mostly smiled through most of it.
Thank you, Jim, for putting yourself "out there" and for doing something beautiful for God ... and Mother!
December 24, 2025
This was a great book!! A good use of time. If you asked me “Jane, should I read this book?” I’d say “Yes, of course you should learn about Mother Teresa.” How can you become more like this Saint without knowing her? I often laughed and cried, out of joy and wonder at the stories told about Mother.
June 28, 2025
I really enjoyed this book!! It was a quick read and yet I found myself reflecting on many parts of it. I always enjoy a “spiritual” read that doesn’t take me forever to get through. I liked how Jim wove his testimony and friendship with Mother Teresa into the story of Mother’s life. His perspective as her legal counsel in the US provided many interesting and sometimes comical anecdotes.
Mother Teresa is my patron saint and this time last year I was serving with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. Reading this book brought back many memories from the trip and helped reminded me of all the graces and joy of working with the MCs and serving the poor. I look forward to attempting to minister to the Body of Christ as Mother did as I start my nursing career this week.
Mother Teresa is my patron saint and this time last year I was serving with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. Reading this book brought back many memories from the trip and helped reminded me of all the graces and joy of working with the MCs and serving the poor. I look forward to attempting to minister to the Body of Christ as Mother did as I start my nursing career this week.
June 23, 2023
This book was such a quick, engaging read and I loved every bit of it. I learned so much about Mother, and the personal anecdotes served to emphasize her saintliness in relation to her humanity. An amazing woman.
September 7, 2022
This is an obscene hagiography. And Love is pretty much what a Sadist would consider love, which is what characterizes her whole life: the ”hospital” was pretty much a house of the dead, her poverty meant dining with the rich.
March 3, 2023
I picked up this book because I was drawn to the pure joy of the photo. I enjoyed learning more about Mother Teresa through one of her close advisors and friends in the later years of her life. Although the author was a bit boastful at times, the beauty of Mother overshadowed that. Her humor and stubbornness were fun to read about as well as her business sense and pure love and compassion for the forgotten.
January 6, 2024
5 stars for Mother Teresa, +3 stars for the writing. Mother Teresa was not perfect but she served selflessly and tirelessly her whole life to those who others would not help. I really appreciated learning more about her life.
As for the writing, sometimes I felt the author was focused more on his story than hers. There is also a chapter that felt more preaching than informative about Catholic ideology.
As for the writing, sometimes I felt the author was focused more on his story than hers. There is also a chapter that felt more preaching than informative about Catholic ideology.
February 2, 2023
Not a quick read and slightly boastful by the author, but the story and legacy of Mother Teresa is worth reading about!
She was steadfast in her faith and her will to help and love others (understatement!). She was also quite a business woman, growing a ministry from absolutely nothing to a worldwide endeavor that is still expanding. Just an amazingly inspiring human.
She was steadfast in her faith and her will to help and love others (understatement!). She was also quite a business woman, growing a ministry from absolutely nothing to a worldwide endeavor that is still expanding. Just an amazingly inspiring human.
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October 23, 2024This book was given to me by a Benedictine priest who is known to Jim Towey, who in turn, as this book lays out, was known to Mother Teresa. There you have it: I am three degrees of separation away from Mother Teresa. Wow.
I never thought my life would take this turn where I would encounter such people who would change the shape of my life.
And now, having finished this book, an encounter with a man who shared a lifelong friendship with this modern saint, I am challenged to shift my focus. To change the very foundation of my being. To reprioritise. To lay down my life for my friends, out of love, just like this lady did.
It is encouraging to learn that she too struggled with the darkness. She knew the deep loneliness and fear and pain which descends on one, which no human voice seems to be able to assuage, but which seems to be healed when you hear the voice of the still, small one who whispers gently in the silence of your own heart. Who longs to be seen and known within you. He who was before you came into being. And this encounter transforms you and it is slowly transforming me.
As Mother Teresa was apt to put it, God speaks in the silence of the heart. Now it is my challenge to go through these burning fires of inner conversion and allow my external life to follow suit, so that in my actions, in my words, in my thoughts, in my countenance, it is no longer I who live, but Christ in me.
I pray for opportunities to serve as she served. I long to serve as she served, here in my local community of Croydon. I pray that Croydon can be my Calcutta. It is surely a place just as desperately in need of God's redeeming love as Calcutta was in Mother Teresa's day, and continues to be.
"The poor will always be with you," told us our saviour many years ago. And when we meet the poor in our own communities, he tells us that we meet him. Whatever we do to them, we do to him.
And the greatest poverty? Not lack of material wealth, not suffering under a supposed cost-of-living crisis. The real poverty is lack of love, lack of friendship, lack of community, nobody to speak to, nobody who listens to you, nobody who sees you for who you are. Nobody who knows you.
And isn't this the great poverty of our time?
I pray for a revival in this nation, that this wellspring of love which drove Mother Teresa can well up in the hearts of the nation's faithful and bring about a change in our own communities.
And may this change start with me. In what I do. In what I do to the least of these. In what I do to Him.
God bless you.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
I never thought my life would take this turn where I would encounter such people who would change the shape of my life.
And now, having finished this book, an encounter with a man who shared a lifelong friendship with this modern saint, I am challenged to shift my focus. To change the very foundation of my being. To reprioritise. To lay down my life for my friends, out of love, just like this lady did.
It is encouraging to learn that she too struggled with the darkness. She knew the deep loneliness and fear and pain which descends on one, which no human voice seems to be able to assuage, but which seems to be healed when you hear the voice of the still, small one who whispers gently in the silence of your own heart. Who longs to be seen and known within you. He who was before you came into being. And this encounter transforms you and it is slowly transforming me.
As Mother Teresa was apt to put it, God speaks in the silence of the heart. Now it is my challenge to go through these burning fires of inner conversion and allow my external life to follow suit, so that in my actions, in my words, in my thoughts, in my countenance, it is no longer I who live, but Christ in me.
I pray for opportunities to serve as she served. I long to serve as she served, here in my local community of Croydon. I pray that Croydon can be my Calcutta. It is surely a place just as desperately in need of God's redeeming love as Calcutta was in Mother Teresa's day, and continues to be.
"The poor will always be with you," told us our saviour many years ago. And when we meet the poor in our own communities, he tells us that we meet him. Whatever we do to them, we do to him.
And the greatest poverty? Not lack of material wealth, not suffering under a supposed cost-of-living crisis. The real poverty is lack of love, lack of friendship, lack of community, nobody to speak to, nobody who listens to you, nobody who sees you for who you are. Nobody who knows you.
And isn't this the great poverty of our time?
I pray for a revival in this nation, that this wellspring of love which drove Mother Teresa can well up in the hearts of the nation's faithful and bring about a change in our own communities.
And may this change start with me. In what I do. In what I do to the least of these. In what I do to Him.
God bless you.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
December 26, 2024
The writer and his story is ok. Where this book shines are the stories and sayings of Mother Teresa that he brings to light. Lots of extremely inspiring anecdotes and sayings of Mother Teresa. Probably the most impressive story, in addition to those of patients at the AIDS clinic of the MC's that he took care of in DC, is the story of Mother Teresa's and Hillary Clinton's deep and sincere friendship, despite their complete disagreement on abortion.
March 10, 2024
What a beautiful story this was! I loved how the author mixed his own life story with the life of Mother Teresa. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and specifically only read a chapter a day to force myself to digest all that it had to say.
“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love"
“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love"
November 13, 2025
I’ve had a deep admiration of St. Mother Teresa since the 2010’s, so tend to love anything I read about her life, work and spirituality. I enjoyed learning about her influence on author Jim Towey’s life—how it truly transformed and inevitably directed the course of his life as a lay person. Inspirational read.
February 15, 2024
Describes perfectly the process of growing in Holiness and the people who help us get there. Humanizes St. Mother Teresa and the work that she did. Extremely inspiring and sets your heart on fire for mission!
March 28, 2024
I really enjoyed this book, not a normal read for me. It was different but the way it was written was easy to follow and interesting. I would not say a super religious book but has ties to it which makes sense. Overall I would recommend the book, a good life story of Mother Teresa.
April 14, 2025
An excellent personal account of Mother Teresa through the eyes of her American lawyer and friend, Jim Towey. As a Protestant Christian, I learned a lot about the Catholic Church’s teachings, but more importantly how Christ’s love can radically change the world through one person. Fantastic!
March 3, 2024
A lovely book about a lovely, truly inspiring woman. How blessed Jim Towey is to have known her.
May 8, 2024
A very personal account of the life of Mother Teresa- both inspiring and humbling to read. It helps to gain insight into the life of a modern Saint.
June 3, 2025
Wanted to read something a lil religious after pope Leo was chosen ☺️ so cool to learn more about Mother Teresa from one of the people that knew her as a person as well as the saint I’ve come to love. The one thing I didn’t love was how the author kinda equated the trajectory of his life to the time spent with her, and in so doing put himself directly in league with Mother Teresa in a way that sometimes felt weird. But I can’t imagine how else he woulda framed the book so idk
July 15, 2025
The wonderful Mary Kate lent me this book MONTHS ago and it sat on my bedside table while I looked at it guiltily for so long since I hadn't started it. When I FINALLY forced myself to just start it, it was such a quick read and a real gem of a book. It was written by the man who became Mother Theresa's lawyer and had a very close relationship with her that spanned decades. It told a beautiful story of her personality and relationship with people, both famous (Princess Diana, Hillary Clinton, George W Bush) and the poorest of the poor. I also loved learning about her personality and leadership style. Would highly recommend to learn more about this amazing woman!
September 26, 2025
Absolutely beautiful portrait of an incredible woman and the ripple effect holiness can have on all those around them.
November 21, 2023
**INTRODUCTION: THE MOTHER I KNEW**
- She showed me that everyday moments offer the greatest opportunity to serve God by doing “small things with great love.” It is no exaggeration to say that she taught me how to live and love.
- Matthew’s Gospel: For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink…sick and you visited me…In so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.
- “The work is only the expression of the love we have for God. We have to pour our love on someone. And the people are the means of expressing our love.”
**CHAPTER 1: CALCUTTA**
- “Put your hand in Jesus’ hand, and walk alone with Him. Walk ahead, because if you look back you will go back.”
**CHAPTER 2: MEETING MOTHER**
- Accept whatever He gives, and give whatever He takes, with a big smile. - Mother Teresa
**CHAPTER 3: TO CHOOSE ALWAYS THE HARDEST**
- If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. - Mother Teresa
- The work the sisters performed was based purely on the needs in their community: “In the choice of works, there was neither planning nor preconceived ideas,” Mother Teresa once explained. “We started our work as the suffering of the people called us. God showed us what to do.”
- And they did it all with ready smiles, secure in the knowledge they were truly serving God.
**CHAPTER 4: SPIRITUAL POVERTY**
- We must free ourselves to be filled by God. Even God cannot fill what is full. - Mother Teresa
- She knew that beyond food, shelter, and clothing every person has the fundamental need to love and be loved.
- The loving care which is shown here bears witness to the truth that the worth of a human being is not measured by usefulness or talents, by health or sickness, by age or creed or race. Our human dignity comes from God our Creator. No amount of privation or suffering can remove this dignity, for we are precious in the eyes of God.
- “If Jesus puts you in the palace, be all for Jesus in the palace. And if He takes you life and cuts it up into twenty pieces, all of those pieces are His.”
**CHAPTER 5: A BORN ENTREPRENEUR**
- How else could an obscure Albanian teenager grow up to accomplish all of this and become a **universally recognized symbol of God’s love on earth?**
**CHAPTER 6: A CALLING**
- What I can do, you cannot do. What you can do, I cannot do. But together we can do something beautiful for God. - Mother Teresa
- And she helped her spiritual children discern their vocations, be they in religious life or not, and surrender totally, as she did, to the will of God.
**CHAPTER 7: MOTHER OF OUTCASTS**
- The biggest disease is not leprosy or TB. It is loneliness. It is being rejected. It is forgetting joy, love and the human touch. - Mother Teresa
- Mother Teresa taught me that the deepest wounds of humanity could best be healed by love and compassion, one person at a time.
- This was Mother Teresa’s success. Her life’s work sent out ripples of compassion that could transform an AIDS hospice into a place of healing, reconciliation, and acceptance.
- The sisters loved them all and cared for them, and never asked for a penny from the state, local, or federal governments.
**CHAPTER 8: A HUMAN HEART**
- Mother Teresa was the most human of women. She shared God’s grace with the world through her tremendous maternal love and by her example. She used all her gifts to bring Him glory and complete the tasks He assigned her, and she asked for forgiveness for her mistakes and weaknesses. It was not miracles but her humanity and humility that made Mother Teresa so lovable and so exceptional.
- Mother put her every talent to work in God’s service.
- Learn to pray the work. Do it with Jesus, for Jesus, to Jesus and in the midst of all gov work do it all for Jesus.
- Do not be afraid to accept an even higher position on condition that be His love, His presence —that they look up and see only Jesus in you. The greatest love you can show me is that you love Jesus with all the tenderness of your love and keep your heart pure.
- Mother was shockingly blunt: “If you can’t be cheerful with the poor, then leave now. Go home.” She said the poor had enough problems without a “helper” dragging them further down.
- Mother made a habit of giving away belongings that were precious to her, such as her private prayer book, the crucifix she wore around her neck, her rosary, and the religious icons she loved.
- She delighted in letting go of such prized possessions. She knew the liberating influence of detachment and had frequently exhorted her sisters, “Let nothing and no one separate you from the love of Christ.”
- She believed “suffering can become a means to greater love, and greater generosity,” and she freely chose a penitential life.
- If she could get angry, she was always quick to apologise or forgive. Mercy was her greatest trait — and her principal response to the call of Christ. “Be kind to each other,” “I prefer you make mistakes in kindness — than that you work miracles in unkindness.” This gentleness of spirit flowed from her merciful heart. “For Mother Teresa, mercy was the ‘salt’ that flavored her work.” “Mother always forgave so generously.”
- “My favourite thing about Mother was how she would forgive and forget. Mother saying, “If I judge you, I have no time to love you.” “Mercy,” she said, “had become second nature for Mother, and her whole attitude was putting herself into the shoes of other people, loving them and accepting them as they are.”
- Mother not only dispensed mercy — she sought it. She routinely asked forgiveness from God and whomever she offended. “Mother patiently and humbly stood in line for confession every week, as nobody else, to receive God’s mercy,”
- She didn’t hesitate to apologize: “Ooh, I shouldn’t have done that. I was wrong. I won’t do that again.”
**CHAPTER 9: A JOYFUL CHRISTIAN**
- The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it. - Mother Teresa
- “Joy is the net by which we catch souls.”
- Mother knew the importance of laughter in the midst of suffering. Unexpected moments of joy were reminders to her that God’s faithfulness had the last word, not our own imperfection.
- Saint Paul wrote, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same attitude toward all. Put away ambitious thoughts and associate with those who are lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”
- Her **firm faith** told her that suffering did not have the final word.
- She often prayed in thanksgiving in advance for something she was about to request from divine providence. Sometimes, if her prayer wasn’t answered promptly, she would stop herself and say to her sisters, “Well, we don’t want to go faster than Jesus.” And if her petition wasn’t granted, she would remark, “If Jesus doesn’t want it, then we don’t want it.”
**CHAPTER 10: IN THE PALACE**
- Never seek the esteem of the worldly. - Mother Teresa
- “We needs must love the highest when we see it.” Mother personified this; everyone was simply drawn to her. In our troubled world, they were desperate to touch something better. Prominent people flocked to Mother.
- “To meet her is to feel utterly humble, to sense the power of tenderness and the strength of love.”
- Mother’s love brightened their lives and was a balm to their souls.
- Mothe told him that all he had suffered had brought him closer to Jesus and the poor.
- “The presence of nuclear [arms] in the world has created fear and distrust among nations, as it is one more weapon to destroy human life — God’s beautiful presence in the world. This new weapon will become a means to eliminate the Poor of the World.”
- Keep the joy of loving in your hearts and share this joy with all you meet especially your family.
**CHAPTER 11: ANSWERING THE CRITICS**
- Don’t let his sin make you sin. - Mother Teresa
- In all the years I represented her, she never defended herself publicly against the false claims or disparagement levelled at her. She felt God would protect her name if He had need of it.
- He simply misunderstood Mother’s motives —or could conceive of no others. She knew that if Jesus could associate with prostitutes, eat with sinners, and peaceably interact with Roman oppressors, then she could be seen with corrupt leaders if that is what it took to serve the poor.
- Mother understood authority and power. She never sought either, but she did seek to place these forces in the service of the powerless.
- If He did not condemn a woman found under Mosaic law to be deserving of death, then Mother must have felt she could plead on her fallen friend’s behalf.
- She was quick to respond that this was not her mission. “We all have a duty to serve God where we feel called,” she wrote.
- There is a Spanish proverb that says, “It is not the same thing to talk of bulbs as to be in the bullring.” These critics assiduously avoided the bullring. Had they actually undertaken hands-on work with the poor, they would have seen the immerse challenges Mother Teresa — and all those caring for the hungry, sick, and dying —faced.
- The Missionaries of Charity shepherded what they received for current or future needs. It is true that Mother was frugal. She and her sisters wasted nothing. They knew the difference a few dollars would make among the penniless and sought to honour such poverty through careful stewardship.
- Mother did not see the world as comprised of the rich and poor and everyone in between. She did not judge those well-off, but she did make them feel that she could put their money to good use.
- The account balances the missionaries maintain aren’t nearly as large as in the late nineties, but the MCs are unconcerned. They depend on divine providence, and God continues to provide.
- She never sought the special treatment she received. Had it been up to her, she gladly would have remained in Calcutta and never travelled.
- But it bears repeating that those quickest to criticize Mother were seldom inclined to do the work she did, even for a day.
- This is not to say Mother Teresa was indifferent toward the eternal destinies of others. She was a Christian missionary and longed for people to come closer to the God she loved. But she respected the individual faiths of all the people she and the MCs served. “I love all religions, but I am in love with my own,” she once said. “There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.
- She often stressed that she converted no one and that only God could.
- A “contemporary and secular lens” can never see the lives of Mother and her sisters as they are —generous, fulfilling, courageous, and joyful. Goldberg is mystified that a love for God could inspire someone to leave family, forgo children of their own, and renounce the comforts of the world to serve the poorest of God’s people.
**CHAPTER 12: IN DARKNESS AS IN LIGHT**
- I am learning to want what He gives and not what I prefer. - Mother Teresa
- I came to see Mother Teresa’s darkness as a share in the agonies and passion of her Savior.
- She may have felt forsaken and forgotten by God, and struggled with doubts about God’s existence during her most trying moments, but the darkness that shrouded her life until her death did not have the last word. To the end she clung to a blind trust in a loving God.
- “For the first time in this 11 years — I have come to love the darkness. For I believe now that it is a part, a very, very small part of Jesus’ darkness and pain on earth…More than ever I surrender myself to Him.” She had learned to embrace the darkness that fell on her soul, befriend it, and offer it back to Jesus.
- “What a wonderful gift from God,” she wrote to Curlin, “to be able to offer Him the emptiness I feel. I am so happy to give Him this gift.”
- She recognized that whatever her interior state, God’s tender care was always there, manifested through the small favours others did for her or unexpected conveniences that accompanied her undertakings.”
- “Mother did not doubt God, she continued to love Him. If you doubt someone, sooner or later you stop following Him. But she continued right up to her death to love Him and to put into practice her devotion.
- Mother Teresa’s cheerfulness was rooted in her will and not in her feelings. “Cheerfulness is a sign of a generous and mortified person who forgetting all things, even herself, tries to please her God in all she does for souls. Cheerfulness is often a cloak which hides a life of sacrifice… For God loves a cheerful giver.”
- He loves us and knows what is best for us. I don’t know why all this has happened this year, but I am sure of one thing — that Jesus does not make mistakes.
- She had learned to accept and offer. “It often happens that those who spend their time giving light to others, remain in darkness themselves.” She accepted this as her lot, knowing the darkness would one day give way to eternal light, and she would be its carrier.
**CHAPTER 13: SAYING GOODBYE**
- I prefer the insecurity of Divine Providence. - Mother Teresa
- We flew on to Calcutta for a last farewell with the woman who had shown us the joy of a life lived for others.
- **To focused on the isolation and loneliness that is the curse of so many of the elderly poor and disabled.** Mother wrote an open letter of support urging people to help “defend and protect life, the most beautiful gift of God and to bring love and compassion to the elderly poor.”
- Mother had her compass — her childlike faith in God —and the certainty that she was on an uninterrupted journey from God back to God. She prepared for her definitive departure from her beloved MC community and her joyful homecoming in the Father’s house by means of a rigorous, disciplined prayer life that kept her in a perpetual state of readiness. Prayer and action were inseparable for Mother Teresa.
- “Evil,” she went on, “is a test for greater love.” Mother was unquestionably tested by it throughout her life. Her weaponry was faith, love and service.
- Mary asked her, “How can you be so cheerful when you are in such pain?” Mother replied, “I offer it all up.”
- It was filled with the joy and peace of a life lived for others. She had prayed, “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine,” and her prayer had been answered.
**CHAPTER 14: GOING HOME**
- Death is something beautiful: it means going home. - Mother Teresa
- “The Greatest Aim Of Human Life Is To Die In Peace With God — Mother.”
- “We were created by God for great things, to love and be loved,” she said regularly, both in speeches and in conversation. She felt that to love and be loved was more important than the material requirements of life; more important than food, shelter, or clothing.
- Mother saw heaven as a restoration of the perfect unity of God and man that had been established at the time of creation and was broken by the Fall of Adam and Eve. This was the home she sought her whole life.
**CHAPTER 15: SAINT TERESA OF CALCUTTA**
- By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus. - Mother Teresa
- Her entire existence was the service of the poorest of the poor, but who was always full of an inexhaustible spiritual energy, the energy of the love of Christ.”
- “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”
- It did not matter that they received no public acclaim or ceremony in Rome — God knew their lives and surely judged them worthy.
- “Always pray together and you will stay together.”
- He was reminded by Jesus that everything is possible to one who trusts;
**EPILOGUE**
- Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not come. We have only today. Let us begin. - Mother Teresa
- As Mother taught us, the MCs’ work was “for the glory of God and the good of his people,” not for the esteem of the worldly.
- Mother taught her sisters to take it all in stride, trusting God sees their needs and will provide.
- The MC’s morning prayer: **Let us preach You without preaching, Not by words, but by our example,** By the catching force, The sympathetic influence of what we do, Tblocknohe evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to You.
- It took me years to understand what Mother meant when she said that Calcutta was everywhere if you only had eyes to see. “The culture of death” that surrounds abortion and euthanasia. Spiritual and material poverty are two sides of the same coin.
- Do we know our neighbour, the poor of our own area? It is so easy for us to talk and talk about the poor of other places. Very often we have the suffering, we have the lonely, we have the people —old, unwanted, feeling miserable —and they are near us and we don’t even know them. We have no time even to smile at them. Tuberculosis and cancer [are] not the great diseases. I think a much greater disease is to be unwanted, unloved. The pain that these people suffer is very difficult to understand, to penetrate. I think this is what our people all over the world are going through, in every family, in every home. This suffering is being repeated in every man, woman and child. I think Christ is undergoing his Passion again. And it is for you and for me to help them.
- They protect and preserve what is truly human in each of us.
- Humans are today increasingly distant from one another, and rapid advances in technology and AI are accelerating this dehumanization. Mother said, “The poor are the hope and salvation of mankind.” These people who thirst for companionship and seek our time and care provide us a path toward meaningful, purposeful lives.
- Scripture says it is more blessed to give than to receive, and Mother said we must “give until it hurts.”
- We aren’t likely to change the world as Mother did, but we can change the world of those around us, starting in our own families and neighbourhoods, bringing a smile to the forlorn, hope to the despairing, and love to the unloved. The vast ocean is made up of little drops.
- “God doesn’t call me to be successful. God calls me to be faithful.”
**THE END!**
- She showed me that everyday moments offer the greatest opportunity to serve God by doing “small things with great love.” It is no exaggeration to say that she taught me how to live and love.
- Matthew’s Gospel: For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink…sick and you visited me…In so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.
- “The work is only the expression of the love we have for God. We have to pour our love on someone. And the people are the means of expressing our love.”
**CHAPTER 1: CALCUTTA**
- “Put your hand in Jesus’ hand, and walk alone with Him. Walk ahead, because if you look back you will go back.”
**CHAPTER 2: MEETING MOTHER**
- Accept whatever He gives, and give whatever He takes, with a big smile. - Mother Teresa
**CHAPTER 3: TO CHOOSE ALWAYS THE HARDEST**
- If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. - Mother Teresa
- The work the sisters performed was based purely on the needs in their community: “In the choice of works, there was neither planning nor preconceived ideas,” Mother Teresa once explained. “We started our work as the suffering of the people called us. God showed us what to do.”
- And they did it all with ready smiles, secure in the knowledge they were truly serving God.
**CHAPTER 4: SPIRITUAL POVERTY**
- We must free ourselves to be filled by God. Even God cannot fill what is full. - Mother Teresa
- She knew that beyond food, shelter, and clothing every person has the fundamental need to love and be loved.
- The loving care which is shown here bears witness to the truth that the worth of a human being is not measured by usefulness or talents, by health or sickness, by age or creed or race. Our human dignity comes from God our Creator. No amount of privation or suffering can remove this dignity, for we are precious in the eyes of God.
- “If Jesus puts you in the palace, be all for Jesus in the palace. And if He takes you life and cuts it up into twenty pieces, all of those pieces are His.”
**CHAPTER 5: A BORN ENTREPRENEUR**
- How else could an obscure Albanian teenager grow up to accomplish all of this and become a **universally recognized symbol of God’s love on earth?**
**CHAPTER 6: A CALLING**
- What I can do, you cannot do. What you can do, I cannot do. But together we can do something beautiful for God. - Mother Teresa
- And she helped her spiritual children discern their vocations, be they in religious life or not, and surrender totally, as she did, to the will of God.
**CHAPTER 7: MOTHER OF OUTCASTS**
- The biggest disease is not leprosy or TB. It is loneliness. It is being rejected. It is forgetting joy, love and the human touch. - Mother Teresa
- Mother Teresa taught me that the deepest wounds of humanity could best be healed by love and compassion, one person at a time.
- This was Mother Teresa’s success. Her life’s work sent out ripples of compassion that could transform an AIDS hospice into a place of healing, reconciliation, and acceptance.
- The sisters loved them all and cared for them, and never asked for a penny from the state, local, or federal governments.
**CHAPTER 8: A HUMAN HEART**
- Mother Teresa was the most human of women. She shared God’s grace with the world through her tremendous maternal love and by her example. She used all her gifts to bring Him glory and complete the tasks He assigned her, and she asked for forgiveness for her mistakes and weaknesses. It was not miracles but her humanity and humility that made Mother Teresa so lovable and so exceptional.
- Mother put her every talent to work in God’s service.
- Learn to pray the work. Do it with Jesus, for Jesus, to Jesus and in the midst of all gov work do it all for Jesus.
- Do not be afraid to accept an even higher position on condition that be His love, His presence —that they look up and see only Jesus in you. The greatest love you can show me is that you love Jesus with all the tenderness of your love and keep your heart pure.
- Mother was shockingly blunt: “If you can’t be cheerful with the poor, then leave now. Go home.” She said the poor had enough problems without a “helper” dragging them further down.
- Mother made a habit of giving away belongings that were precious to her, such as her private prayer book, the crucifix she wore around her neck, her rosary, and the religious icons she loved.
- She delighted in letting go of such prized possessions. She knew the liberating influence of detachment and had frequently exhorted her sisters, “Let nothing and no one separate you from the love of Christ.”
- She believed “suffering can become a means to greater love, and greater generosity,” and she freely chose a penitential life.
- If she could get angry, she was always quick to apologise or forgive. Mercy was her greatest trait — and her principal response to the call of Christ. “Be kind to each other,” “I prefer you make mistakes in kindness — than that you work miracles in unkindness.” This gentleness of spirit flowed from her merciful heart. “For Mother Teresa, mercy was the ‘salt’ that flavored her work.” “Mother always forgave so generously.”
- “My favourite thing about Mother was how she would forgive and forget. Mother saying, “If I judge you, I have no time to love you.” “Mercy,” she said, “had become second nature for Mother, and her whole attitude was putting herself into the shoes of other people, loving them and accepting them as they are.”
- Mother not only dispensed mercy — she sought it. She routinely asked forgiveness from God and whomever she offended. “Mother patiently and humbly stood in line for confession every week, as nobody else, to receive God’s mercy,”
- She didn’t hesitate to apologize: “Ooh, I shouldn’t have done that. I was wrong. I won’t do that again.”
**CHAPTER 9: A JOYFUL CHRISTIAN**
- The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it. - Mother Teresa
- “Joy is the net by which we catch souls.”
- Mother knew the importance of laughter in the midst of suffering. Unexpected moments of joy were reminders to her that God’s faithfulness had the last word, not our own imperfection.
- Saint Paul wrote, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same attitude toward all. Put away ambitious thoughts and associate with those who are lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”
- Her **firm faith** told her that suffering did not have the final word.
- She often prayed in thanksgiving in advance for something she was about to request from divine providence. Sometimes, if her prayer wasn’t answered promptly, she would stop herself and say to her sisters, “Well, we don’t want to go faster than Jesus.” And if her petition wasn’t granted, she would remark, “If Jesus doesn’t want it, then we don’t want it.”
**CHAPTER 10: IN THE PALACE**
- Never seek the esteem of the worldly. - Mother Teresa
- “We needs must love the highest when we see it.” Mother personified this; everyone was simply drawn to her. In our troubled world, they were desperate to touch something better. Prominent people flocked to Mother.
- “To meet her is to feel utterly humble, to sense the power of tenderness and the strength of love.”
- Mother’s love brightened their lives and was a balm to their souls.
- Mothe told him that all he had suffered had brought him closer to Jesus and the poor.
- “The presence of nuclear [arms] in the world has created fear and distrust among nations, as it is one more weapon to destroy human life — God’s beautiful presence in the world. This new weapon will become a means to eliminate the Poor of the World.”
- Keep the joy of loving in your hearts and share this joy with all you meet especially your family.
**CHAPTER 11: ANSWERING THE CRITICS**
- Don’t let his sin make you sin. - Mother Teresa
- In all the years I represented her, she never defended herself publicly against the false claims or disparagement levelled at her. She felt God would protect her name if He had need of it.
- He simply misunderstood Mother’s motives —or could conceive of no others. She knew that if Jesus could associate with prostitutes, eat with sinners, and peaceably interact with Roman oppressors, then she could be seen with corrupt leaders if that is what it took to serve the poor.
- Mother understood authority and power. She never sought either, but she did seek to place these forces in the service of the powerless.
- If He did not condemn a woman found under Mosaic law to be deserving of death, then Mother must have felt she could plead on her fallen friend’s behalf.
- She was quick to respond that this was not her mission. “We all have a duty to serve God where we feel called,” she wrote.
- There is a Spanish proverb that says, “It is not the same thing to talk of bulbs as to be in the bullring.” These critics assiduously avoided the bullring. Had they actually undertaken hands-on work with the poor, they would have seen the immerse challenges Mother Teresa — and all those caring for the hungry, sick, and dying —faced.
- The Missionaries of Charity shepherded what they received for current or future needs. It is true that Mother was frugal. She and her sisters wasted nothing. They knew the difference a few dollars would make among the penniless and sought to honour such poverty through careful stewardship.
- Mother did not see the world as comprised of the rich and poor and everyone in between. She did not judge those well-off, but she did make them feel that she could put their money to good use.
- The account balances the missionaries maintain aren’t nearly as large as in the late nineties, but the MCs are unconcerned. They depend on divine providence, and God continues to provide.
- She never sought the special treatment she received. Had it been up to her, she gladly would have remained in Calcutta and never travelled.
- But it bears repeating that those quickest to criticize Mother were seldom inclined to do the work she did, even for a day.
- This is not to say Mother Teresa was indifferent toward the eternal destinies of others. She was a Christian missionary and longed for people to come closer to the God she loved. But she respected the individual faiths of all the people she and the MCs served. “I love all religions, but I am in love with my own,” she once said. “There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.
- She often stressed that she converted no one and that only God could.
- A “contemporary and secular lens” can never see the lives of Mother and her sisters as they are —generous, fulfilling, courageous, and joyful. Goldberg is mystified that a love for God could inspire someone to leave family, forgo children of their own, and renounce the comforts of the world to serve the poorest of God’s people.
**CHAPTER 12: IN DARKNESS AS IN LIGHT**
- I am learning to want what He gives and not what I prefer. - Mother Teresa
- I came to see Mother Teresa’s darkness as a share in the agonies and passion of her Savior.
- She may have felt forsaken and forgotten by God, and struggled with doubts about God’s existence during her most trying moments, but the darkness that shrouded her life until her death did not have the last word. To the end she clung to a blind trust in a loving God.
- “For the first time in this 11 years — I have come to love the darkness. For I believe now that it is a part, a very, very small part of Jesus’ darkness and pain on earth…More than ever I surrender myself to Him.” She had learned to embrace the darkness that fell on her soul, befriend it, and offer it back to Jesus.
- “What a wonderful gift from God,” she wrote to Curlin, “to be able to offer Him the emptiness I feel. I am so happy to give Him this gift.”
- She recognized that whatever her interior state, God’s tender care was always there, manifested through the small favours others did for her or unexpected conveniences that accompanied her undertakings.”
- “Mother did not doubt God, she continued to love Him. If you doubt someone, sooner or later you stop following Him. But she continued right up to her death to love Him and to put into practice her devotion.
- Mother Teresa’s cheerfulness was rooted in her will and not in her feelings. “Cheerfulness is a sign of a generous and mortified person who forgetting all things, even herself, tries to please her God in all she does for souls. Cheerfulness is often a cloak which hides a life of sacrifice… For God loves a cheerful giver.”
- He loves us and knows what is best for us. I don’t know why all this has happened this year, but I am sure of one thing — that Jesus does not make mistakes.
- She had learned to accept and offer. “It often happens that those who spend their time giving light to others, remain in darkness themselves.” She accepted this as her lot, knowing the darkness would one day give way to eternal light, and she would be its carrier.
**CHAPTER 13: SAYING GOODBYE**
- I prefer the insecurity of Divine Providence. - Mother Teresa
- We flew on to Calcutta for a last farewell with the woman who had shown us the joy of a life lived for others.
- **To focused on the isolation and loneliness that is the curse of so many of the elderly poor and disabled.** Mother wrote an open letter of support urging people to help “defend and protect life, the most beautiful gift of God and to bring love and compassion to the elderly poor.”
- Mother had her compass — her childlike faith in God —and the certainty that she was on an uninterrupted journey from God back to God. She prepared for her definitive departure from her beloved MC community and her joyful homecoming in the Father’s house by means of a rigorous, disciplined prayer life that kept her in a perpetual state of readiness. Prayer and action were inseparable for Mother Teresa.
- “Evil,” she went on, “is a test for greater love.” Mother was unquestionably tested by it throughout her life. Her weaponry was faith, love and service.
- Mary asked her, “How can you be so cheerful when you are in such pain?” Mother replied, “I offer it all up.”
- It was filled with the joy and peace of a life lived for others. She had prayed, “Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine,” and her prayer had been answered.
**CHAPTER 14: GOING HOME**
- Death is something beautiful: it means going home. - Mother Teresa
- “The Greatest Aim Of Human Life Is To Die In Peace With God — Mother.”
- “We were created by God for great things, to love and be loved,” she said regularly, both in speeches and in conversation. She felt that to love and be loved was more important than the material requirements of life; more important than food, shelter, or clothing.
- Mother saw heaven as a restoration of the perfect unity of God and man that had been established at the time of creation and was broken by the Fall of Adam and Eve. This was the home she sought her whole life.
**CHAPTER 15: SAINT TERESA OF CALCUTTA**
- By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus. - Mother Teresa
- Her entire existence was the service of the poorest of the poor, but who was always full of an inexhaustible spiritual energy, the energy of the love of Christ.”
- “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”
- It did not matter that they received no public acclaim or ceremony in Rome — God knew their lives and surely judged them worthy.
- “Always pray together and you will stay together.”
- He was reminded by Jesus that everything is possible to one who trusts;
**EPILOGUE**
- Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not come. We have only today. Let us begin. - Mother Teresa
- As Mother taught us, the MCs’ work was “for the glory of God and the good of his people,” not for the esteem of the worldly.
- Mother taught her sisters to take it all in stride, trusting God sees their needs and will provide.
- The MC’s morning prayer: **Let us preach You without preaching, Not by words, but by our example,** By the catching force, The sympathetic influence of what we do, Tblocknohe evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to You.
- It took me years to understand what Mother meant when she said that Calcutta was everywhere if you only had eyes to see. “The culture of death” that surrounds abortion and euthanasia. Spiritual and material poverty are two sides of the same coin.
- Do we know our neighbour, the poor of our own area? It is so easy for us to talk and talk about the poor of other places. Very often we have the suffering, we have the lonely, we have the people —old, unwanted, feeling miserable —and they are near us and we don’t even know them. We have no time even to smile at them. Tuberculosis and cancer [are] not the great diseases. I think a much greater disease is to be unwanted, unloved. The pain that these people suffer is very difficult to understand, to penetrate. I think this is what our people all over the world are going through, in every family, in every home. This suffering is being repeated in every man, woman and child. I think Christ is undergoing his Passion again. And it is for you and for me to help them.
- They protect and preserve what is truly human in each of us.
- Humans are today increasingly distant from one another, and rapid advances in technology and AI are accelerating this dehumanization. Mother said, “The poor are the hope and salvation of mankind.” These people who thirst for companionship and seek our time and care provide us a path toward meaningful, purposeful lives.
- Scripture says it is more blessed to give than to receive, and Mother said we must “give until it hurts.”
- We aren’t likely to change the world as Mother did, but we can change the world of those around us, starting in our own families and neighbourhoods, bringing a smile to the forlorn, hope to the despairing, and love to the unloved. The vast ocean is made up of little drops.
- “God doesn’t call me to be successful. God calls me to be faithful.”
**THE END!**
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2023
This quote is the best quote, in my opinion from the book, “We were created by God for great things, to love and be loved”. St. Teresa of Calcutta
I really enjoyed this book, and learning more about Mother Teresa.
I really enjoyed this book, and learning more about Mother Teresa.
September 11, 2022
To Love and Be Loved is an intimate look into the life of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta as told by her personal advisor and friend Jim Towey. Mother Teresa’s life is so inspirational, and I was fascinated to learn more about her, her life and her Missionaries of Charity, and their selfless work for the impoverished. Mother Teresa is definitely one of the greatest saints of our time, and if we could all strive to be even just a little bit as compassionate as she was, this world would be a much better place. I can’t recommend this book enough; it is a must read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book.
July 26, 2024
An absolute breathtaking book. It’s forever my favorite book ever written.
St. Mother Teresa, pray for us!🩵
St. Mother Teresa, pray for us!🩵
November 1, 2022
Title: To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa
Author: Jim Towey
Narrated by: Jim Towey
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: Approximately 7 hours and 5 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster. Thank-you!
Who is an inspiration in your life? I thought it was fitting for All Saints Day to post my review of To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa by Jim Towey. Mother Teresa is an inspirational figure in my life. I grew up watching her inspirational work with the poor through the Missionaries of Charity, which she founded in 1948. In 2016 she became St. Teresa of Calcutta.
Author Jim Towey was a lawyer and a Congressional staffer until a meeting with Mother Teresa in the 1980s changed his life forever. He began volunteering in one of her soup kitchens and helping her with legal matters. Soon he gave up his job and his possessions to become a full-time volunteer helping Mother Teresa navigate legal problems and set up meetings with world leaders. He met his wife through her ministries. Mother Teresa helped Towey to see Jesus through the poor.
I thought this was an interesting look at Mother Teresa’s works through Towey’s eyes. He gave a brief biography of her and how she set up her ministry, but most of the book were his personal experiences with her the last two decades of her life. I never thought about how Mother Theresa would need a lawyer because both people within and outside of the church sadly tried to take advantage of her.
Mother Teresa had a difficult life in trying environments, but she gave her all working to fulfill God’s purpose. I was surprised to learn that she had dark times and doubts earlier in her life. She didn’t want this to be hidden as she wanted everyone to know that you can struggle in your faith and still find your way to God. She always saw the best in people and could work with everyone. Friends included both the Reagans and Hillary Clinton, Princess Diana, etc. Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II were also good friends.
Author Jim Towey was the narrator of this audiobook and I thought he did an excellent job. I always love when an author reads their own work, in particular when it is about their own life experiences. I liked learning more about Mother Teresa and about the impact she had on the author and others.
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2022...
Author: Jim Towey
Narrated by: Jim Towey
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: Approximately 7 hours and 5 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster. Thank-you!
Who is an inspiration in your life? I thought it was fitting for All Saints Day to post my review of To Love and Be Loved: A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa by Jim Towey. Mother Teresa is an inspirational figure in my life. I grew up watching her inspirational work with the poor through the Missionaries of Charity, which she founded in 1948. In 2016 she became St. Teresa of Calcutta.
Author Jim Towey was a lawyer and a Congressional staffer until a meeting with Mother Teresa in the 1980s changed his life forever. He began volunteering in one of her soup kitchens and helping her with legal matters. Soon he gave up his job and his possessions to become a full-time volunteer helping Mother Teresa navigate legal problems and set up meetings with world leaders. He met his wife through her ministries. Mother Teresa helped Towey to see Jesus through the poor.
I thought this was an interesting look at Mother Teresa’s works through Towey’s eyes. He gave a brief biography of her and how she set up her ministry, but most of the book were his personal experiences with her the last two decades of her life. I never thought about how Mother Theresa would need a lawyer because both people within and outside of the church sadly tried to take advantage of her.
Mother Teresa had a difficult life in trying environments, but she gave her all working to fulfill God’s purpose. I was surprised to learn that she had dark times and doubts earlier in her life. She didn’t want this to be hidden as she wanted everyone to know that you can struggle in your faith and still find your way to God. She always saw the best in people and could work with everyone. Friends included both the Reagans and Hillary Clinton, Princess Diana, etc. Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II were also good friends.
Author Jim Towey was the narrator of this audiobook and I thought he did an excellent job. I always love when an author reads their own work, in particular when it is about their own life experiences. I liked learning more about Mother Teresa and about the impact she had on the author and others.
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2022...
April 3, 2025
i picked up this book as a non-religious person because while i know of Mother Teresa, i didn't know much beyond the fact that i knew she spent her whole life tending to those forgotten by society. 5 stars for Mother Teresa, without a doubt; the parts actually chronicling the work she did throughout her life were wonderful to read. but this book is half information about Mother Teresa and half the author's experiences, many of which don't actively involve Mother. i think the fault lies with me, however; i interpreted "a personal portrait of Mother Teresa" to mean a portrait of her person, rather than referring to the fact that this is Jim Towey's personal portrait of her. all in all this is a story of Jim Towey's experiences with religion and his wife and family, interspersed with stories of him interacting with or thinking about Mother and some biographical elements that he gathered from those who knew her better.
if your main goal in picking up a book is to read a biography about Mother and her work, this is not the book to read.
some of the chapters in the book felt unnecessarily preachy. a quote from Mother Teresa at the very beginning of the book shows how she cared for every single person entrusted to her, regardless of their religion or whether they subscribe to the same views as her or not. the author does not seem to truly subscribe to that idea. this book is much more suited to those who are actually Catholic than those that are non-religious or just interested in religion in general.
if your main goal in picking up a book is to read a biography about Mother and her work, this is not the book to read.
some of the chapters in the book felt unnecessarily preachy. a quote from Mother Teresa at the very beginning of the book shows how she cared for every single person entrusted to her, regardless of their religion or whether they subscribe to the same views as her or not. the author does not seem to truly subscribe to that idea. this book is much more suited to those who are actually Catholic than those that are non-religious or just interested in religion in general.
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February 24, 2023This year, I'm giving up fiction and taking on reading spiritual memoirs/biographies/autobiographies for Lent. I have never read anything specifically about Mother Theresa, so I thought this book might be an interesting place to start. I feel like I was able to develop a fuller picture of her; to see her as more than just this model of piety for 'the rest of us.' The tone of this account is definitely hagiographical. The author in fact was uniquely positioned to take on some of the critiques of her life and mission and I found his defense credible. Even as a Protestant evangelical I was able to take away much to appreciate and be convicted by in Mother's authentic walk with Jesus. I was particularly interested in the chapter that addressed her prolonged experiences of 'dark night of the soul' and the quote of hers that "God doesn't call me to be successful. He calls me to be faithful" definitely took root in me. As this is, as titled, a personal account of someone in friendship with Teresa, it is partly the author's story as well. I found the author fairly good at keeping the focus on her, even if I felt his own agenda hovered around the edges. I would definitely be interested in reading more of a comprehensive biography of her life, even if this was a decent introduction.
July 20, 2025
The most powerful and inspirational biography I have ever read! A testament to the love of Christ and His calling of Mother Theresa (who was canonized as a Saint) to help the poor, the hungry, and the sick in the forlorn streets of the ghettoes of once-bustling Calcutta. A prodoundly authentic and relatable, first-hand account of Mother Therea's personal founding and growth of a compassionate ministry to help the poorest of the poor, the sick, the disabled, the orphaned and those disconnected from society as Untouchables in the slums of Calcutta and from there, the growth of her selfless ministries to cities in the US and all over the world. Written by a man transformed by Mother Therea from a jaded, power-hungry lawyer and congressional staffer to a selfless volunteer, advocate and lawyer for her work, it describes the deep and touching friendship between her and his family as they work to change the world for the better.
I couldn't put it down and read it in literally 1 day!
Its powerful example will touch your heart, feed your soul and provide you inspiration to be a better person and to live a better life no matter what your faith or beliefs. For Christians and admirers of Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan and Princess Di, it shows the interconnectedness of these great leaders with Mother Theresa and how they together truly changed the world for the better.
I couldn't put it down and read it in literally 1 day!
Its powerful example will touch your heart, feed your soul and provide you inspiration to be a better person and to live a better life no matter what your faith or beliefs. For Christians and admirers of Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan and Princess Di, it shows the interconnectedness of these great leaders with Mother Theresa and how they together truly changed the world for the better.
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