This book gives a great insight into the thoughts and struggles Mother Teresa had in hearing the call from God and trying to carry it out. Her generosity is incredible.

Canadian born Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, MC, PH.D, one of the founding priests of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers and now director of the Mother Teresa Foundation, has provided us with an outstanding book. The book is a chronological compilation of Mother Teresa's private letters, revealing her inspiration (the vow, the call, the locutions and the visions) for the Missionaries of Charity and her remarkable inner spiritual life. The writings have had minimal editing and almost all were written initially in English. These are the personal communications to her spiritual advisors and close friends, and were never intended for publication. Fr. Koloiejchuk adds excellent commentary throughout providing valuable insights and context. The appendix includes the rule of the Society and a diary from a retreat she made in 1959. Both are worth reading.

Jesus asked Mother Teresa to "Come be My Light" and she responded by dedicating her life to be that light of God's love in the lives of those experiencing darkness. But the fruitfulness of her apostolate came at a steep price of many years of sacrifice. Not only did she live as a "woman of sorrows, familiar with suffering, bearing the suffering and burdens of the Society and the poorest of the poor." But she also lived in "spiritual darkness - the absence of God." This "darkness" would become the greatest trial of her life. She felt, if she ever became a saint, she would be called the "Saint of Darkness." Despite this, she held fast to the promise God made to her - "Do not fear - I shall be with you always...Trust me lovingly - Trust me blindly." She considered herself "a pencil in God's hand" and was convinced God was using her "nothingness" to show His greatness.

The secret of abundant light and love that Mother Teresa displayed is the essence of this book. The reader will learn that the secret lies in the depth and intimacy of her relationship to God throughout her heroic life - living the mission of being a "light to those in darkness." "Come Be My Light" is filled with passages that inspire, and passages to meditate on. It should be read slowly and integrated into one's own call and possibilities.

"Mother Teresa was a fearless missionary all her life. She had heard the voice of God calling her to serve the poor. Armed with the weapon of faith, she was not afraid to face and challenge the world to protect the interests of the most vulnerable members of human society." She was able to lift up those who had fallen, to encourage the faint, to rekindle hope in the disheartened. And most importantly, she showed us how holiness can be reached by simple means - always doing a little more than we feel ready to do for the unloved and unwanted in our society, our community, and in our homes.

Mother Teresa taught us that we each have a chance to radiate God's love to each person we meet throughout each day, thus transforming, little by little, the darkness of the world into His light.

Even having taken a few months to read this book, I am in a state of awe. Mother Teresa's journey in faith has brought me to question just what is faith? Do we have faith when we have an intimacy with God? Do we have faith when we can intellectually agree with a belief in God? In reading this book, it seems that Mother Teresa had a deep belief and intimacy with God. All sense of that was stripped away, and she was left with having to trust God. At one point, I was reminded of the poem and picture of "Footprints in the Sand." God does not seem to be present; do we have the faith to trust that He is there anyway?

Many have commented on the fact that Mother Teresa had asked for her letters to be destroyed. That was a part of her humility, her 'I am nothing-He is everything.' I think that she would have assented if she had known that those too are a tool bringing people to Jesus.

First it is important to realize what this book is. It is a compilation of Mother Theresa's correspondence and advice she was given by her closest personal confidants.It was compiled as part of the process of declaring her a saint. We don't know much about what was happening in her world at the time the letters were written. For that we would need to read an autobiography of which there are a number of good ones.There are chronological gaps.

This book is carefully compiled and referenced. It gives a very different perspective of Mother Theresa. The previously available works are authorized biographies and teachings.It is an excellent compilation of the process of spiritual growth.

She truly was a Bodhisattva one who remained in the world to further others spiritual progress and relieve suffering. Through these letters one can can appreciate the depth of her humility, the immensity of her persistence in the face of her person crisis of faith and external obstacles. It is long and not light reading, but reaches to a depth no other work has.

I would recommend this for the serious spiritual student or scholar. It may be too deep and repetitive for the casual reader.

I was inspired, not scandalized, that Mother Teresa underwent a protracted dark night of the soul. The book may not have the impact it now has on those who knew her media image in another decade or so; one reason the book surprised me so much was that it presented a hidden and totally different portrait from her public persona.

A Walk Through LifeCome be my light is a great book on how she battled through her darkness and helped many people in all corners of the world. This book has been translated from her original writings and gives you a good insight into Mother Teresa.

This book was picked up on a whim, it was on sale and I, frankly, had never read a book on Mother Teresa. The movie "Madre Teresa" is dynamic and full of hope, but it looked more at the movement than the "pencil in the hand of God" as she called herself. After about one chapter I was hooked. This is a book of sharp contrasts--Mother Teresa knows God is there, she sees His hand, she knows His love, but He seems so silent to her. It was hard to read at times as we walked with her through the "Dark Soul of the Night" (taken from her own letters and the reading by St John of the Cross). You almost wanted to reach into the book and tell her "God is there!" but then you are awakened to the very fact that many of us live the same walk with God. God's silence is so loud, yet we know He is there, even in the darkest corners of our life.

The amazing parts were her "spunk." While she took every answer as a "Yes" or "No" from God, she was not one to let others decide the answer without her sending volumes of letters explaining her rationale for every project, every idea...she almost pestered her superiors, but pester is not the right word. She exhibited passion--a trait not as evident today.

The one thing that I walked away with comes very late in the book and it will really change your life. It deals with a passage she hears read during a sermon or presentation from Psalm 68.21 (or Psalm 69.20 in the Protestant version). Read it in the NRSV...it is a powerful essay in one verse on the state of (or lack of) caring in our world. Her answer to all the sisters (and to the reader) is "Be The One." Be the one for the hurting, be the one who stands in the gap (Ezekiel), be the one for the poor man (Eccl.) and more.

As Mother Teresa reaches the end of her life the book quietly winds down to one simple story at the end. It takes place in a simple village and a simple home (I won't spoil it) but it sums up the entire book and it gives the reader a challenge for a changed life to be lived among the poorest of the poor. Every page is rich in detail. It is amazing so many people ignored her admonition to burn her letters and they kept all the correspondence...which now gives us a legacy. As a non-Catholic myself, I had heard so much rumor of her faith being more Hindu than Christian, more secular than sacred. This book sets the story straight as it takes the very words from the very letters she wrote and she received. An amazing book to have our kids read, too.

Saint John of the Cross initiated the term 'Dark Night of the Soul.' It essentially refers to an arrid period in our spiritual journey - one whereby we feel somewhat abandoned by God. God is always there however; we just feel as though He has left us to our own devices.

Many of the great saints and mystics experienced this dark night and Blessed Mother Teresa was no exception. She has been unfairly criticized by many, especially some media sources. They paint a picture of someone who actually did not believe but simply went through the motions - a kind of faith facade. Nothing could be further from the truth. Read this book and see for yourself what she really experienced and how she managed to overcome her anxieties. The Lord Whom she loved and served saw her through it all until the end.

One has to ask themselves logically why a woman of her age and length of service to humanity years would even go into the areas she did. What drives someone to leave a relatively comfortable life and embark into areas totally foreign to them being subject to all manner of inconvenience and potential dangers? Why would anyone ever 'volunteer' for such work as Mother Teresa chose picking up and carrying maggot-infested people from the gutters and taking them to a shelter, albeit a warehouse she was able to obtain, and clean the maggots from them, give them food and drink, comfort and assurance so they could die with dignity?

Critics abound everywhere and do so from the comfort of their air-conditioned dwellings sipping a latte' and knowing that their next meal is in their grasp. They shower with imported soaps, get facials and manicures...yet, they are able to criticize an elderly Nun who is out in the world remaining free of its attractions so as to see in all men and women the Christ she so loved and served. Dark night's incidentally are actually a sign that God has favored someone. It is a test of sorts and in my judgment and that of millions of others, Blessed Mother Teresa passed that test with flying colors.

Read this book and see for yourself the strength and character that was Mother Teresa.

If you are looking for light or inspirational reading you will not find it here. This is a story of a remarkable women, who despite her doubts and fears, was driven by a love for God to do good in this world. Even her detractors must admit we all face doubt in one form or another, but how many of us overcome that because we have a love for someone or something? Not many, in my observation. For those of us who profess to be Christians this is what it means to love Jesus. This is faith in action, not wearing a WWJD rubber bracelet or singing praise songs. This is an intimate look into one person's "Dark Night Of The Soul." This book needs to be read by all people seeking to define their own faith in a faithless world. A great book!

Had read this book twice and passed it on to friends. Mother is an inspiration even more now. that i have read this book

Insight into the private life of Mother Teresa. It can be a help to those who struggle with their faith. That you are not alone.

I had not read these reviews before opening this book because it was given to me by a friend. It was obvious from the opening pages that Mother Theresa was a saintly person whose life in the world and her interior life were a spiritual path she was called to by God. Her willingness to sacrifice and devote everything for her beloved Jesus brings tears to one's eyes. As I read on it brought a different kind of tears to realize how deeply she was betrayed by her trusted advisors and confessors. Her letters begging to be allowed to serve the poor are bad enough-- but then the letters begging to have her private thoughts destroyed and burned only to be denied are even more distressing. It is clear that her whole life, every thought, every word, every deed was about Jesus and glorifying God-- she wanted to remain an anonymous no one -- and here is a book that glorifies her in spite of her objections. I could not finish it and felt such remorse having even read the part I did read. It is unfathomable how anyone could contravene the wishes of this saintly woman in this way and make money doing so. I cried indeed when I realized the final indignity perpetrated in her name. I strongly recommend that others respect her wishes and not buy this book.

I have to apologise to Mother Teresa one more time, that i read her private letters without her permission. Please forgive me.

I had to take many breaks from the book, from her words, because while reading them, I could visualize her visuals, the slums, her experiences, her darkness. She was a very strong lady with very strong words. It is with no doubt her words could touch lives.

Since I am not a christian, it will be inappropriate for me to judge her experiences. but for sure, I know, they are real to her. her life.

By reading her letters, having a glimpse of what was going on in her mind, i learnt a couple of things that is applicable to myself:
1) Difference between NO SELF and NON SELF
2) Difference between SUFFERING and DISSATISFACTION
3) Difference between NOTHINGNESS and EMPTINESS

If she had seen things differently, many more hearts may have been reached.

She also made me realised, that I have chosen a path, rather different from her. If I encounter SUFFERING, I will acknowledge it, understand it, and find ways to eliminate it and eventually, be free from it.

A quote from the book: "The joy of loving Jesus comes from the joy of sharing in His suffering - Mother Teresa".

I can never do what she did.

And she was right, if she is to become a saint, she will be the darkest. For she chose to be blind. And she made it through, with faith.

May she be comfortable wherever she is, be free from suffering, free from ill-will. May she be well, be happy and be at peace.

This is a remarkable story about a remarkable woman who became a remarkable nun who provided a remarkable service to the poorest of the poor and who will make a remarkable saint, hopefully in my lifetime.

When this book was published, the media crowed about "the would-be modern saint who doubted God." However, the "Dark Night of the Soul" is a well-known phenomenon, particularly among holy souls far advanced in their faith journey.

What greater testimony to faith in God than one who perseveres in that faith despite long periods of feeling a complete absence of God's presence, or even any positive reinforcement of any kind? Mother Teresa of Calcutta persevered in this state for DECADES. Now that this persistent state of her "Dark Night" has become known, her intense answer to God's call and her constant, unwavering and undaunted choices to say "Yes," to God at every turn become an heroic example of virtue with truly awesome proportions.

What struck me the most about her was her vow, taken voluntarily and with guidance and permission from her confessor and spiritual director, to " . . . always say "yes" to God, under pain of mortal sin."

Under Roman Catholic teaching, all sin falls into one of two broad categories. The first is Venial Sin, which only wounds and lessens our relationship to God, but does not completely break our relationship with God and therefore is not capable of leading to the death of the soul. The second is Mortal Sin, which does kill the life of Grace in the soul, breaks our relationship with God, and if one dies unrepentant of such sin, does lead to the death of the soul. (For Scriptural underpinnings of this teaching, see 1John 5:16-17. There are others, but in this passage it is quite plainly stated.)

Mother Teresa loved Jesus SO much, and she wished to bind herself so fully to His will, that she was willing to voluntarily risk death of her soul if she ever refused Him the slightest thing. Now THAT'S serious commitment! Although I'm not ready for such a vow, I do hope that she will pray for me, that I too, will refuse Jesus nothing.

I love this book. However, it is not lightly read. It has some real meat to it and takes some "chewing" to fully understand and appreciate.

This is one of the most beautiful, moving, and inspired books that I have read in a long time. Father Brian Kolodiejchuk has done an excellent job in editing these letters together and in providing commentary to this work. This book can be thought of as a spiritual biography of Mother Teresea. Readers are given an intimate look at the her life, her work, and her holiness.

The book is easy to read, and readers (both Catholic and Protestant) will be inspired by the way she lived her life and by her devotion to Christ. I never really understood before what an extraordinary person Mother Teresea was before reading this book. Now I know how special she was, and I will go out of my way to recommend this book to others.

Truly no one knew more of suffering than Mother who gave of herself to the poorest of the poor with true love and care. Mother is known for her heroic faith and selfeless service to the poor but few have met the real Mother behind the publicity and reputation. She struggled with her faith as we come to know in this book that reveals her inner darkness, loneliness, and, trimph over her struggle in faith. Don't miss it, read for yourself and know that we all struggle with our faith now and then even the most imporant saints like Mother. Oh! Mother, pray for us in Heaven.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds followers of Christ that though faith and hope are important if we are to follow Christ, love is even more important. Christ himself explains to the Pharisees that the two greatest commandments are to LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and to LOVE your neighbor as yourself. In his epistle, James explains to followers that faith without love is dead.

Too many times as Christians we want the easy way out. We want to be wealthy and enjoy the fruits of this world and still spend eternity with the Creator and His Son, and yet it is the ultimate selfishness to hoard wealth while so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer needlessly. The type of love Christ describes to the Pharisees demands that we do more, so much more, and in Mother Teresa we have an example of just how much more is possible.

Mother Teresa understood that Christ's call to pick up one's cross and follow was not a suggestion but a command. She understood that Christ did not suffer so that we didn't have to, but rather Christ suffered because this is what His Father, our Father, demanded of Him, just as He demands it of each and every one of us. Our suffering alone could not save us from sin, but when modeled after Christ's suffering at Calvary, it is the ultimate expression of love for the Father, and such love is the path of true salvation.

In his first letter to the followers of Christ in Corinth, Paul explains that while faith, hope and love are all important, that love is the greatest of these.

The life of Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta was a life of faith. More though, it was a life of faith working through love. She loved the people she served in the slums of Calcutta, but more, she loved her Heavenly Father and His Only Son, Christ Jesus with all her heart, soul and mind, just as Jesus told the Pharisees that we all must if we are to join Him in eternity.

As I've read and reread the Bible, I have slowly come to the realization that Jesus Christ meant every word He said while on earth. He expects us to do really amazing things as manifestations of our faith. I suspect that He wonders why so many of us are lukewarm towards Him. We claim to believe. We claim to love. We do so little to show that we believe what we say we believe. Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta lived her faith. She believed the message of Christ. She lived the message of Christ.

She is an inspiration. May God abundantly bless those she worked so tirelessly on behalf of.

I feel that Mother Teresa's private confessions may show us an example of how the deepest doubt may still illuminate the path, if we have even that small seed of faith. To have doubts and questions will still allow the door of our minds and hearts to remain open for the light, not closed in preconceived and predigested dogma. Although I am sad that her wish to have her materials destroyed upon her death was not carried out... I am also overjoyed to be able to have them available.

I bought this book for my wife, because we both believe that Mother Teresa was a great Servant of God and we heard so many good things about this book. So my wife started to read it very enthused and was captivated by what was written but she said that once you get towards the middle of the book she lost complete interest in the book, it sort of got a little bit boring.

On the on hand this book shows how one person devoted themselves totally to helping others and doing good in the world. It also, to me, seemed to show an unhealthy relationship between a woman and her god.
She seemed to have no true joy in her life. She was so focused on god loving her and her loving god that I did not get the sense that she enjoyed one day on this earth. The book is well worth the time to read it !

This is one of the most powerful spiritual books I have ever read. It is the spiritual journey of a person, who was the closest thing in our lifetime to a living saint.

Mother Theresa was outwardly a tireless servant of the poor, the sick, the outcast - a living testament to the Gospel Message and the personification of a true disciple. One would think that she, in the grace of her person, would have lived in the joy and peace of one in full communion with Christ. Yet in her own writings, she describes the ongoing dark night of the soul, a journey of faith characterized by desolation and emptiness. Despite her personal despair, she acted in faith and commitment to say "yes" to the call of the Lord to minister to those abandoned and neglected by society. Yet she did not receive consolation from her ministry; rather, she experienced an ongoing struggle with doubts and insecurities.

As evidence of her deep and abiding faith, she persisted in the call to ministry despite her own darkness, appearing to others as cheerful, accepting and loving, even as she struggled to understand her relationship with God. COME BE MY LIGHT is an exploration of selfless faith, love and devotion - the complete giving of one person to her God without expectation of reward. How many of us would persist in a path that would bring us no apparent joy? Yet, her own darkness became, in a sense, the vessel through which the light of Christ shone brilliantly to those who experienced her healing presence.

The book contains much of the correspondence between Mother Theresa and her spiritual directors and closest confidants, structured with a thoughtful narrative by Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, a close associate of Mother Theresa. The book is at once down-to-earth, inspirational, uplifting and sad. It is beautifully written! It is a character study of amazing depth and insight and draws the reader to a closer relationship with God. One prays that Mother Theresa, in the light of heaven, now knows the complete and utter joy that eluded her as she lived the life of a true saint on earth. She is the epitome of selfless love and a light and inspiration to all.

i recently purchased twenty mother teresa come be my light books from you for our book club
the books were an excellent price & all new so the book club was delighted
the book itself is a wonderful story - very inspiring
thanks to amazon for a great experience

Come Be My Light was Incredible! I have bought 3 more copies for friends and family. The pain of her life inspired me because she continued to OBEY God even when she couldn't HEAR him. Obviously, we all know the outcome. Thank you to the church heirarchy for choosing to keep her correspondence even though she begged them NOT to.

I had always admired Mother Teresa when she was alive, but reading about her lifetime of perservance in spite of spiritual darkness was fantastic. She will go down as one of the great saints of the Church! I highly recommend this book, especially for those who think God has turned His face from them.

I probably would not have purchased this book had it not been for the cover story in a major news magazine. This story made me very curious to read more and to "see for myself". I'm so happy that I did.

Not being Catholic, there was much in the book that does not seem relevant to me, especially the bureaucracy of the church. However, there is so much more that is relevant to anyone who has searched and not found a faith that is sustaining. The book speaks to the need of humanity to touch something larger than ourselves and the need to be touched by something larger than ourselves by whatever name we may call God.

This is an inspiring book. I recommended it highly for anyone who has ever questioned their faith.

An amazing collection of Mother Teresa's correspondence, with commentary. I read it over the space of about a month, 15 to 20 pages, four or five days a week.

The book received quite a lot of publicity about six months ago, when it first came out. It is selected letters from Mother Teresa, mostly to her spiritual directors, but also to other friends and Sisters, and to the Archbishop of Calcutta.

The publicity was because many of her letters reveal and illuminate the spiritual darkness or dryness which she endured from shortly after she received the one year of inner promptings to found the Missionary Sisters of Charity (the Society), until her death fifty years later.

The spritual dryness, how Mother Teresa dealt with it, and eventually came to terms with it, is a vital component of the book, but it is far from the only component.

The early years of her vocation to the Loreto Sisters, her one year of private revelations in the form of "interior imaginative locutions" (see note 12 on page 367 of the book for an explanation), the growth of the Society, and how Mother became a beloved figure worldwide, figure significantly. It becomes clear that Mother Teresa was what we would commonly call a "mystic" at an early age. Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., who is the postulator for her cause for canonization, edited her correspondence and wrote the commentary.

The spiritual dryness or darkness which Mother endured from the late 1940's until her death in 1996, with only brief periods of respite, first came to be known by the public several years ago. It was revealed as her cause for beatification was pursued through the normal Roman Catholic channels.

With the aid of her spiritual directors, especially a Jesuit, Fr. Joseph Neuner, Mother Teresa was able to make some sense of her spiritual turmoil. Fr. Neuner pointed out that earlier in her life, Mother Teresa had asked to share in the sufferings of Jesus, both in his life and in the sufferings of the poor. In a very real way, Mother Teresa received what she asked for. Nevertheless, while she gained an intellectual understanding, she received little emotional or affective relief. And of course in the eyes of the Catholic Church, her spiritual aridity make her achievements even a more powerful witness to Holiness.

So, a wonderful work, skillfully edited by Fr. Kolodiejchuk. We are fortunate to be able to peer into the inner life of one of the great persons of the 20th century - or any century.

The book was in perfect condition and shipped very fast. I would recommend this seller.

I absolutely love this semi-autobiography of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta! I have been reading a few pages before going to bed each evening and each time, without fail, there is something that is said that my soul needs to hear. My soul is caught up to Heaven through this book and I could not recommend it more! If you suffer from the "Dark Night of the Soul," want to read the personal correspondence of a soul who is perfectly conformed to the will of God and has a strong relationship with Our Lord and Saviour, or just want to get to know the "Saint of Calcutta" a little better, please, I urge you-- get this book. It just may change your life forever! :)

To anyone familiar with religious autobiography, there's nothing unfamiliar nor scandalous about Mother Teresa's spiritual dryness documented in Come Be My Light. The experience of being abandoned by God, which sometimes leads to agonizing despair and at other times to a paralyzing indifference, can be traced all the way back to Jesus' cry of horror from the cross. The desert hermits called it acedia, the noontide demon. St. John of the Cross famously called it the dark night of the soul. Another Teresa, the Little Flower, died in spiritual dryness. It's not an uncommon phenomenon, especially when a believer is under intense and steady psychological and/or physical pressure. Can there really be any Christian who's never experienced it to one degree or another?

Moreover, dryness, when understood in spiritual terms, is often a period in which one's relationship with God is deepening and enriching, even though it certainly doesn't feel like it. Mystics and "ordinary" Christians who've suffered from it attest to the need to endure the spell in the hot desert sun as best one can, recognizing that there are times when the soul just needs to lie fallow. The sense of being abandoned by God isn't a cause for abandoning one's trust in God, even though one is sorely tempted to do so.

The letters collected in this book which reveal Mother Teresa wrestling with her dryness are heartbreaking, then, but not a cause for scandal. Curiously, though, their publication has brought a charge of hypocrisy from secularists: if Mother Teresa felt abandoned by God, it was sheer hypocrisy on her part to "put up a good front." She ought to have thrown the religious thing over. That's would've been the honest thing to do.

What a strange but typically postmodern criticism. As if one throws over a lover because one is going through a period of emotional tepidity. As if a dark night of the soul is clinical and needs to be healed quickly instead of entered into deeply. As if doubts automatically entail rejection. As if there mighn't be any meritorious participation in the sorrows of God, in suffering.

This is the story of a holy woman's journey with Christ, her growth in relationship and spirit told through her letters, with narration by a man of the Roman Catholic cloth. A stunning and revealing story, "Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the `Saint of Calcutta'" edited and with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., Ph.D. tells us of Christ's thirst, his loneliness for human souls, and the same expression returned in love through need by reciprocity--a mirror of living the Cross in letters and in service to others by a Roman Catholic Nun. There is lots of light in this book.

In the chapter, "God Shows his Nothingness to Show his Greatness," Mother Teresa's spiritual experience is described:
"Her long experience of darkness, her sense of rejection, her loneliness, the terrible and unsatisfied longing for God, each sacrifice and pain had become for her as one more `drop of oil' that she readily offered to God, to keep the lamp--the life of Jesus within her--burning, radiating His love to others and so dispelling the darkness."

A sometimes apophatic experience of Christ, after years of much darkness and unknowing, Mother Teresa came to recognize and live the Christ experience as a knowing by his feeling of God's abandonment on the Cross, and his tears and need, his suffering and darkness at his time of the Cross and during his life. Mother Teresa found a union of understanding with Christ--through Christ a holiness of spirit and a gift to mankind. This is a work of religious history, through letters of intimacy; the work is a service of literary religious feeling and belief.

The book reveals her service to the poorest of the poor. Her obedience to the Church and her obedience in faith is literally a marvel of discipline and rigor. It is by the strength of God that she was given such Obedience, and to God she devoted her life in service. So this book demonstrates in words and letters. A marvelous revelation of personal letter writing, the confession of an unknowing-knowing journey and suffering which she recognized as sharing in the suffering of Christ.

Observers have claimed that her journey was a failure of faith, and a darkness of spirit that made her despair. True, she experiences despair and writes of her pain, but evidenced by her continued work and prayer, she maintained faith and journey with Christ in the most holy of ways. So I postulate based on her letters and the narrative written by Father Kolodiejchuk, a member of the Missionaries who works towards the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
A famous Nun of her time in the 20th Century, Mother Teresa's book of letters and her life as a light of Christ, will have a place in religious literature for decades to come. This book is a most interesting and fulfilling book for people interested in the religious life, and living with Christ through their own relationship and religious life as Christians. For Mother Theresa and her religious worked tirelessly for the poorest of the poor, in a special way of religious devotion.

Many of these poor lived and live on the streets of Calcutta, in a hole, or a dirt floor shack. The religious Order Mother Teresa founded, the Missionaries of Charity, provide their service in many cities in India and other parts of the world including the United States. Many or much of the poor helped by Missionaries of Charity (mostly Nuns, but a few Brothers and some Priests), are as poor or many significantly poorer than those poor described in the sociology book "Poor People," by William T. Vollmann.

From the Rules of her Order, started and led during her lifetime mostly as Mother Superior: "The General End of the Missionaries of Charity is to satiate the thirst of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the love and souls by the Sisters [through] absolute poverty, angelic charity, cheerful obedience." To do this they carry "...Christ into the homes and streets of the slums, [among] the sick, dying, the beggars and the little street children..." People all over the world admired this woman who was born in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1910 and died 1997. The Roman Catholic Church beatified her in 2003.

The dust cover quotes her famously: "If I ever become a Saint--I will surely be one of darkness. I will continually be absent from Heaven--to light the light of those in darkness on earth." A chilling note, a note enough to give one a chill, Mother Teresa lived a good life and her Order remains active today. They bring light to darkness.

This calling is a noble means of doing God's work, and in the religious life serving and connecting to Christ. The book tells of this work and its development, both the order itself as a developing group of religious, but mainly of Mother Teresa's relationship and struggles of spiritual and religious significance in her saintly life and holy connection to Jesus Christ: Letters that cast a light on Christ and his relationship with mankind.

--Peter Menkin, 4th week of Advent (Sunday) 2007

"If I ever become a Saint - I will surely be one of `darkness.' I will continually be absent from Heaven - to light the light of those in darkness on earth." - Mother Teresa

When I was growing up in the 1980s, Mother Teresa was widely proclaimed as a "living saint." An elderly woman with knarled hands and a bright smile, she was the epitome of what it meant to live a Christian life. In "Come Be My Light," we have the opportunity to get to know the spiritual life of the woman behind the smile.

Brian Kolodiejchuk is the postulator for the cause of Mother Teresa's canonization by the Catholic Church. As such, he has had unprecedented access to her writings and letters. In "Come Be My Light," he has used the writings to create a vivid portrait of this remarkable woman from the time she entered religious life in 1928 at age 18 until her death in 1997. Even in these early days of religious life, she began to experience some of the darkness that would dominant the second half of her life. She wrote to her spiritual director prior to her making her final vows in 1937: "Do not think that my spiritual life is strewn with roses . . .Quite the contrary, I have more often as my companion `darkness.' And when the night becomes very thick - and it seems to me as if I will end up in hell - then I simply offer myself to Jesus. If He wants me to go there - I am ready - but only under the condition that it really makes him happy."

In April 1942, with the permission of her spiritual director, Mother Teresa made a private vow to God "to give to God anything that He may ask, `Not to refuse Him anything.'" She trusted in God's will for her, even when she couldn't understand the reasons behind what God would ask. "It was in giving Jesus whatever He asked that she found her deepest and lasting joy; in giving Him joy she found her own joy." She followed St. Therese of Lisieux's example of doing small things out of love.

On Tuesday, September 10, 1946, Mother Teresa experienced a "decisive mystical encounter with Christ" in which Jesus called her "to give up all and follow Him into the slums - to serve Him in the poorest of the poor." She would continue hearing Jesus' voice speak to her for the next few months. "The `Voice' kept pleading, `Come, come, carry Me into the holes of the poor. Come, be My light." Yet, Mother Teresa could not do it on her own. She needed her Archbishop's approval and he responded to her request cautiously, wishing to pray about the situation. At one point, her spiritual director even requested that she put the whole idea out of her mind. This was so hard for Mother Teresa, "yet, faithful to her commitment not to refuse the Lord anything, she chose to obey" as the Voice told her to do: "you shall not be deceived if you obey for he belongs to me completely." Eventually, the Archbishop did give his permission in January, 1948. The remainder of her life would be dedicated to her work in the slums of Calcutta.

This choice cost her great personal sacrifice. It also marked the beginning of her true dark night. While God blessed the work, Mother Teresa felt abandoned by God causing her great spiritual torment. "Rather than hardening her, her correspondence shows that suffering rendered her more kindhearted. She encouraged others to smile in suffering as she herself did." She did not want others to suffer because of her suffering. She could continue to resonate joy because she trusted that God had a loving plan for her and that her darkness was part of this plan. She would eventually come to love the darkness. She came to understand that her suffering was a "very small part of Jesus' darkness and pain on earth."

"Come Be My Light" gives the reader an intimate look into the spiritual life of Mother Teresa. She has so much to teach all of us who struggle here on earth, those of us who get discouraged and feel that God has abandoned us at times. She teaches us about faith and fortitude and perseverance in the face of amazing odds. She teaches us about doing the will of God. "Come Be My Light" is an amazing book.

A lovely peaceful story of the evolution of a young nun into sainthood. The story of her life is told through her edited letters to her superiors. At times you learn how beaucratic the Roman Catholic church can be. At other times you realize that's how all large organizations operate, regardless of their purpose. Through it all, Mother Teresa is obedient. She denies her pain for the good she wants to accomplish and she succeeds. Her personal turmoil has a message for all of us: life may not be easy, but it's all we have.

Prior to my return to the Church I had been an "Evangelical" Christian for 17 years and always avoided Roman Catholic books; but throughout my Christian life I have never seen anything so powerful like this testimony of Godly Christian woman. If you really thirst for Christ so much that you long to be in love with Him and become His spouse, I beg you to grab this book; if you don't have much time, read Chapter 3.

This woman brought Jesus' salvation to the poorest of the poor not by moving sermons on the pulpit, altar calls or Bible studies, but by her non-rhetoric love through her actions and works. She was a living sermon. Her love for her Spouse did not center upon herself, but upon those whose sufferings reflected the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross. Her ministry is always in the context of Calvary, to satisfy the thirst of Him. How would He that is the Infinite Love thirst for love?

Her only prayer is never refuse Him anything. Jesus is her Spouse and she would do anything to make her Spouse happy, even going to the darkness, and she did that joyfully as if she ever saw Jesus' other spouse being said, that was probably she was refusing something from Jesus.

I know one of the reviewers (the only one who gave a bad review) was disappointed because the Church did not grant Mother Theresa's request to destroy all of her correspondence (she feared that people would look at her more than they would look at Christ, her only Beloved); but I do believe that it is God's providential plan to make His closest friend's life known to those who love Him, and He will lead and guide the Church. Her testimony belongs to Christ and the Church, not to herself.

Please read this book. This book is a lot more powerful than all other Christian books I have ever read in the past 17 years, combined! This is the figure I want to set as an example of following the radical life/footstep of Jesus rather than those megachurch leaders whose devotion in Christ center upon themselves, drive Rolls Royce, fly everywhere with luxury personal jets or live in the mansions. I think Mother Theresa's life is how a Christian life supposed to be (like); a life that reflects the humility and humbleness of Jesus.

Your other not so-worthy to call himself a "devoted" servant in J.C.

Great book! meant to be read slowly as you meditate each and every word. It makes you realize that she was just a human-being like anybody else who had her doubts and suffering. It is not a novel, but an insight into this great woman's life.

This book will stand as the definitive book about the spirituality of the woman. Well worth reading.

The inner flap of the dust jacket of this book begins "This historic work reveals the inner spiritual life of one of the most beloved and important religious figures in history. "This book leaves no doubt as to the accuracy of this assessment of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), a Loreto Sister who left her community to change the world by founding the Missionaries of Charity (M.C.), having been called to this vocation by Jesus ("the Voice") whom she heard speak to her on a train trip in India on Sept. 10, 1946, a date forever known & celebrated as the date of "The Call" by the M.C.

Mother Teresa had wanted all of her correspondence destroyed, but thanks to Providential intervention, most of it survived & we are eternally blessed to know what she had to tell us in those letters. In 1951, when the M.C. finally began their work of caring for the poorest of the poor in the streets & "holes" of Calcutta, Mother was filled with light & consolation. Soon thereafter & for the rest of her life, she lived a life of continual interior suffering & feelings of complete abandonment by God, the silent One to Whom she had vowed never to refuse Him anything.

Consider the anguish from a 1959 letter to one of her priest spiritual advisors. "Lord, my God, who am I that You should forsake me? The child of your love - and now become as the most hated one - the one You have thrown away as unwanted - unloved. I call, I cling, I want - and there is no One to answer - no One on Whom I can cling - no, No One. - Alone...The loneliness of the heart that wants love is unbearable.

"What are You doing My God to one so small? When You asked to imprint Your Passion on my heart - is this the answer?...here I am Lord, with joy I accept all to the end of life -- and I will smile at Your Hidden Face - always." Be prepared to weep as I did when you read such lines. Her pain of feeling forsaken by God is not unlike that of most of the saints, only hers was rare in its extremeness. As the decades passed, she learned to accept her lonely inner life, & forgetful of self, surrender herself totally to God, the one Whom she forever sought & remained madly in love with, & understood that God was madly in love with her.

She became known worldwide, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, & traveling the globe, establishing what is now a M.C. order of 4,500 nuns present in 133 countries. She also founded a M.C. order of priests. Her greatest legacy was to show by her life that it is not how much we do or how big the things are that we do, but how much love we put into caring for anyone we encounter in need, rich or poor. One can only stand in utter awe of this diminutive Saint of God who followed "the Call" heroically. "Let God use you without consulting you," she would often say. Her Gospel-on-five-fingers sums it up: "You did it to me." (Matthew 25:40).

The inner flap of the dust jacket of this book begins "This historic work reveals the inner spiritual life of one of the most beloved and important religious figures in history. "This book leaves no doubt as to the accuracy of this assessment of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), a Loreto Sister who left her community to change the world by founding the Missionaries of Charity (M.C.), having been called to this vocation by Jesus ("the Voice") whom she heard speak to her on a train trip in India on Sept. 10, 1946, a date forever known & celebrated as the date of "The Call" by the M.C.

Mother Teresa had wanted all of her correspondence destroyed, but thanks to Providential intervention, most of it survived & we are eternally blessed to know what she had to tell us in those letters. In 1951, when the M.C. finally began their work of caring for the poorest of the poor in the streets & "holes" of Calcutta, Mother was filled with light & consolation. Soon thereafter & for the rest of her life, she lived a life of continual interior suffering & feelings of complete abandonment by God, the silent One to Whom she had vowed never to refuse Him anything.

Consider the anguish from a 1959 letter to one of her priest spiritual advisors. "Lord, my God, who am I that You should forsake me? The child of your love - and now become as the most hated one - the one You have thrown away as unwanted - unloved. I call, I cling, I want - and there is no One to answer - no One on Whom I can cling - no, No One. - Alone...The loneliness of the heart that wants love is unbearable.

"What are You doing My God to one so small? When You asked to imprint Your Passion on my heart - is this the answer?...here I am Lord, with joy I accept all to the end of life -- and I will smile at Your Hidden Face - always." Be prepared to weep as I did when you read such lines. Her pain of feeling forsaken by God is not unlike that of most of the saints, only hers was rare in its extremeness. As the decades passed, she learned to accept her lonely inner life, & forgetful of self, surrender herself totally to God, the one Whom she forever sought & remained madly in love with, & understood that God was madly in love with her.

She became known worldwide, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, & traveling the globe, establishing what is now a M.C. order of 4,500 nuns present in 133 countries. She also founded a M.C. order of priests. Her greatest legacy was to show by her life that it is not how much we do or how big the things are that we do, but how much love we put into caring for anyone we encounter in need, rich or poor. One can only stand in utter awe of this diminutive Saint of God who followed "the Call" heroically. "Let God use you without consulting you," she would often say. Her Gospel-on-five-fingers sums it up: "You did it to me." (Matthew 25:40).

This is very deep spiritually - just what I was looking for. I have craved writings from Mother Teresa for years. I didn't even know there were any! Now I am on Cloud 9 - I Thank God for allowing these writings to be made public!

The editing of Mother Teresa's letters allows us to see her spiritual development, immense courage, and call within a call. Most reviews have been superficial. They take no notice of the theology of suffering from a Christian point of view.The inner desolation that Mother Teresa suffered is that of the poor and abandoned of this world. Her inner suffering should make us pay more attention to human suffering all around us. That's the point !

I don't know why this says "Sorry Customer" because i'm anything but - I edited the name but "Sorry" won't go away!

This is a great book and I'd recommend it to anyone that feels they're walking in a dark spiritual place. Mother Teresa lived out her faith under extreme conditions, and most importantly, brought thousands to believe in Christ in spite of it.

Having read the press reports about this book, I expected a writing that would undermine the public opinion of Mother Theresa's depth of faith. What I found was exactly the opposite. Mother Theresa's letters show the profound love and faith she had for Jesus. What an extraordinary woman of faith she was, and an example to all of us who follow Jesus Christ.
Holly Fox Vellekoop, author STONE HAVEN: Murder Along the River

A sick, sick disclosure of the shabby treatment of a wonderful lady. Confessional disclosures by supposed followers of Jesus. Instead of helping in her spiritual crises they further drive her into their distorted view of Jesus' life and mission. Where's the loving God Jesus disclosed?

Rarely have I read a book that has inspired me so deeply as ths one. What an example of simplicity and unconditional love of God. Her persistence in her efforts to follow what she believed to be God's will for her teaches us all a lot about her conviction. Her comitment to "utter poverty" is a resounding reminder to all of us in this materialistic age. I am sure that anybody that reads this book will be encouraged by her fidelity during her "dark night of the sou".

I did not have to get very far into this book to feel deeply touched by Mother Teresa's love of people and God. She truly was the loving bride of Jesus that she sought to be. Her writings reveal a passion, "a thirst," for God that I sincerely admire. Yet, in reading this I can understand why she never wanted these writings made public. She felt such anguish as she wrestled with darkness. It seems that she saw it as her malady and I know from experience that it is not easy to share our deepest wounds for fear of them distracting from the real point or having them misunderstood.

All in all, I believe this is a wonderful collection of her writings. However, I could have done without much of the commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk as he strung together her writings. I understand and appreciate that his agenda is to make her as saintly as possible as he is pushing vehemently for her canonization. If I where his bishop, he would deserve overtime pay. However, I am not. I am a person of faith that finds strength in people's journeys of faith. I did not need and at times did not appreciate the spin he was trying to put on her words. I believe her words stood beautifully on their own with no commentary.

Mystics speak of three progressive levels in uniting oneself to God; the purgative, the illuminative, and finally the unitive. Mother Teresa had a profound love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament from an early age and, as evidenced in the book, she entered the ecstasy of the final unitive stage remarkably early - while still with the sisters of Loreto. The so-called Dark Night of the soul typically occurs after the purgative and illuminative stages. The darkness that Mother Teresa experienced later in her life was something much more profound.

After reading this book I will never read the words that Christ spoke on the cross the same way again, specifically "I thirst" and "Eloi, Eloi lema sabachthani" (My God, My God, Why have you abandoned me). Mother Teresa united herself to this particular intense spiritual suffering that Christ endured on the alter of the Cross, for the salvation of souls. As dicussed in the book, Christ more than took our sins upon himself, he became sin, and thus in his humanity while on the cross he suffered the effects of sin - separation from God.

Mother Teresa, in her attempts to love God like none other, asked God to allow her to experience this suffering of Christ, and thus intimately unite herself to the plight of the abandoned poorest of the poor, so as to win souls for God. The fact that God had granted this wish is evidenced by the tremendous fruit of her labor as well as the numerous signs/miracles that graced her blind Faith despite her no longer obtaining consolations. (Interestingly the book mentions a one month period of intense consolation after her profound darkness began that just served to demonstrate that God was in fact in charge.) Christ's thirst for souls became her thirst for souls (I recall her striking vision in the book). She demonstrated such true self sacrificial love and such intransigent Faith that she was willing to give up all, even what she desired the most - Jesus, and thus satiate His thirst.

Mother Teresa is a true Saint. Through her I have a much deeper appreciation of Christ's love for us and the depth of His sacrifice for us. Because of this book my own petty daily sacrifices have ironically become less encumbering and yet more fruitful.

Mystics speak of three progressive levels in uniting oneself to God; the purgative, the illuminative, and finally the unitive. Mother Teresa had a profound love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament from an early age and, as evidenced in the book, she entered the ecstasy of the final unitive stage remarkably early - while still with the sisters of Loreto. The so-called Dark Night of the soul typically occurs after the purgative and illuminative stages. The darkness that Mother Teresa experienced later in her life was something much more profound.

After reading this book I will never read the words that Christ spoke on the cross the same way again, specifically "I thirst" and "Eloi, Eloi lema sabachthani" (My God, My God, Why have you abandoned me). Mother Teresa united herself to this particular intense spiritual suffering that Christ endured on the alter of the Cross, for the salvation of souls. As dicussed in the book, Christ more than took our sins upon himself, he became sin, and thus in his humanity while on the cross he suffered the effects of sin - separation from God.

Mother Teresa, in her attempts to love God like none other, asked God to allow her to experience this suffering of Christ, and thus intimately unite herself to the plight of the abandoned poorest of the poor, so as to win souls for God. The fact that God had granted this wish is evidenced by the tremendous fruit of her labor as well as the numerous signs/miracles that graced her blind Faith despite her no longer obtaining consolations. (Interestingly the book mentions a one month period of intense consolation after her profound darkness began that just served to demonstrate that God was in fact in charge.) Christ's thirst for souls became her thirst for souls (I recall her striking vision in the book). She demonstrated such true self sacrificial love and such intransigent Faith that she was willing to give up all, even what she desired the most - Jesus, and thus satiate His thirst.

Mother Teresa is a true Saint. Through her I have a much deeper appreciation of Christ's love for us and the depth of His sacrifice for us. Because of this book my own petty daily sacrifices have ironically become less encumbering and yet more fruitful.

Although there was a small amount of insightful information, this book was basically BORING. I had an extremely difficult time getting through the whole thing because it was very redundant. The whole thing could have been written in a pamphlet.

This is a gift of God's grace
It will be a classic for sure.