Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
A call came on a train
The book gathers Mother Teresa's private letters, which describe how, on a train to Darjeeling in 1946, she felt a call within a call.
She believed she was being asked to leave her convent and serve the poorest of the poor in Kolkata.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
She left a secure life
Mother Teresa was a teacher with the Loreto Sisters.
She sought permission from church authorities to leave and begin a new mission, which took time to obtain. The letters show that this was a hard step that came after long prayer and waiting.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
She founded the Missionaries of Charity
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity to serve the poor, sick and dying.
The order grew to work around the world. The letters show that she believed she was called to give her life to the people nobody cared for.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
She served the poorest
The letters describe her work with people living on the streets of Kolkata, including the dying and lepers.
She saw Christ in them. The letters show that she believed serving them was a way of serving God.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
She felt spiritual darkness
The letters reveal that for decades Mother Teresa felt God was absent and experienced deep inner darkness.
This surprised many readers. The letters show a person who was honest about pain that she mostly kept from the public.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Faith continued without feeling
Despite this darkness, she continued her work and prayer.
The letters show faith that persisted without emotional comfort. The letters present her loyalty to her work as stronger than her feelings on any given day.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
She thought of Christ's thirst
Mother Teresa often spoke of satisfying the thirst of Jesus for love and souls.
This idea guided her mission. The letters show that this image gave her a deep reason for caring for the people she served.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
Her letters reveal a human saint
The letters show her struggles and doubts, making her seem more human.
They offer insight into her inner life. The letters show that she was a person of deep faith who also knew doubt.
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