The Four Teresas

by Gina Loehr

An out-of-the-box look at four of the greatest women of the Church, and what their example can mean for you.

Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and Mother Teresa—who wouldn't want these women as friends and guides? Lively, determined, devout but never passive, they were all straight-shooters with an abundance of common sense. They were also deeply in love with God, clinging to him with a tenacity that freed them to do the impossible.

Using the Great Commandment as her guide, Gina Loehr focuses on how each of these women lived out one particular aspect of the command to love God with heart, mind, and soul and neighbor as self. Practical tips offer suggestions on how to be like the Teresas and points for reflection drive the lessons home.

These friends of God will help you become, as they were, expert in living out Christ's perfect law of love

The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2010

Reviews

[Jen]

I made my way through this one during Adoration each week and it served as a great book for reflection. I loved the structure: loving God with heart, mind, and soul and neighbor as self, concrete suggestions for incorporating each woman's spirituality, and points for consideration after each section. Enjoyed the background information even though I was familiar with the Four already.

[Lana]

Great read about FOUR St. Teresas!!!

[Kris]

Short and well written biographies of these amazing women saints who devoted their lives to God in different ways.

[Gina Ulicny]

4.7 A wonderful book to get a deeper glimpse into the lives of four female Saints from different centuries. Four women I want to emulate - we should all want to emulate. They are the antithesis of self-involved; their lives were about finding, knowing, and living truth in a manner that allowed them to preach the love of God and the sacrifice of Christ with their actions in different ways.

Oh my glory. 4 of my favorites. This is the book to give anyone wanting to gain a bit of knowledge of the lives and legacy of four of our most prominent female saints. All different in the journey and the path they served God ands man, yet all with the same heart.
St Teresa of Avila. Her words inspire.
St Teresa of Calcutta. Her actions inspire.
St Teresa of the Cross (Elizabeth Stein). Her strength inspires.
St Therese de Lisieux. Her simplicity inspired.

Highly highly recommend.

[Celia]

This is a beautiful book on four very special women of faith. Of course, St. Therese, The Little Flower, is probably my favorite saint, having read The Story of a Soul. And over the past few years, I have read some of Blessed Mother Teresa's writings, and have come to appreciate her life' s work and devotion. This book introduced me to Edith Stein, an intellectual Jewish woman, who finds her way into the Catholic faith, a truly remarkable story. I also did not know much about Teresa of Avila, and came to appreciate her, too.
A beautifully written book, comparing these four remarkable, holy and very human women.

[Carol]

In this book the author compared and contrasted the lives and beliefs of the four holy Teresas of the Catholic Church: Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and Mother Teresa. Each was an ordinary woman who, in spite of everyday challenges and personal frustrations, made major life changes for others by following the first commandment to its logical conclusion.

[Marina Turner]

The four Teresas

This goes over Teresa of Avila, Terese of Lisieaux, Theresa Benedicta, and mother Theresa. Grouping them together is an interesting concept and I enjoyed learning about mother Theresa in particular. Some parts read a bit like a book report, but the content is great.

[Paula Yerke]

I would have given this at least 4 stars just based on the idea. The author looks at the Great Commandment - to love God with heart, soul, mind and neighbor as self and connects each of these with a St. Teresa that exemplifies that kind of love. I wish I would have come up with that idea. It so works for the 4 great St. Teresas. Lovely!

[Latisha]

This was gifted to me after my Confirmation- having chosen Teresa as my Saint name. I think of it as the gift that keeps on giving 'cause I return to it often to read marked pages. It's short but thought provoking...well worth your time.

[Rachel]

Read this for a book club. I liked the structure and there were some nice connections made between these four women. But it was a little short and seemed a bit lacking. It didn't really do anything for me outside of the book club discussions.

[Pam]

This is a short but excellent study on 4 women of faith and an encouragement to follow their godly example.

[Ann Warren]

Easy read, read it in one day, but profound insights into four of my favorites! Highly recommend!

[Rachel Vryhof]

Excellent overview of four great saints and how we can apply their wisdom and advice to our own life. I knew quite a bit about each of the saints already, but the biographies were written in such a way that anyone might learn something new about each of them. My favorite thing about this book was the list of actions to take based on the saint's advice and lived example, all of it doable in our modern age. (No suggestions for using a rock as a pillow here!) I can definitely see myself re-reading this book to remind myself of new actions to take.

[Deborah Pugh]

4 Teresas

This is a good introduction to 4 of my favorite Saints. I used it during my morning quiet time. Thanks for such a lovely book.

[Sarah Winslow]

Nice biographical introduction to four fascinating saints. Writing didn't knock my socks off. I appreciated the suggestions and questions at the end of each section.

[Sara]

All my favorite Teresa’s and practical examples of how to follow their lead.

[Casertalaura]

I loved this book! It tells the life stories and lessons we can learn from four different St. Teresas. Highly recommend for any Christian, especially Christian women, to read.

[Kelsey]

A nice quick intro to saints I was not familiar with