Mother Teresa: Her Legacy of Joy
by mansii
On September 4th Pope Francis canonized beloved Mother Teresa as a saint. Founder of the Missionaries of Charity organization, Teresa sought out the most destitute individuals she could find in the slums of Calcutta and lived to meet their physical and spiritual needs. Teresa died in 1997, but her society continues on in 133 countries, caring for those with various ghastly diseases.
AADL’s collection maintains many resources to learn about this selfless woman (click here to find them!), but one of the most tender and moving accounts is Father Paul Murray’s I Loved Jesus In the Night which follows her internal journey of both joy and darkness. He bases his account on his own meetings with Teresa, as well as her journal entries and letters. A vibrant woman, full of humor, and blessing all those who met her with contagious joy, Teresa yet experienced a ten year season of internal darkness where she felt abandoned by God. Despite this harrowing period, Teresa saw herself as God's dear one, and received the darkness as a gift: a refining outpouring of God's presence, and an opportunity to understand the poverty of spirit of those she was serving in Calcutta. A woman of humble faith, and joy sourced deeper than her trials, she provides great perspective and hope to any who have struggled with a crisis of faith or emotional darkness.
In honor of Mother Teresa's canonization, a brand new book to hit the shelves this month is A call to mercy: hearts to love, hands to serve. Rather than being biographical, these previously unpublished excerpts from Teresa's writings revolve around the theme of what mercy looks like in our day to day lives. Compiled by Brian Kolodiejckuk, M.C, who has been in charge of advocating Mother Teresa's canonization, this theme is not only central to Teresa's mission, but corresponds with the current Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis. This book gives the opportunity to honor St. Teresa's legacy by putting into practice, in small ways, the compassion that she demonstrated.
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