A Gift for God: Prayers and Meditations

by Mother Teresa

Vintage book

Genres: Biography, Christianity, Religion

78 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu[6] (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, Albanian: [aˈɲɛzə ˈɡɔndʒɛ bɔjaˈdʒiu]; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), honoured in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta,[7] was an Albanian-Indian[4] Roman Catholic nun and missionary.[8] She was born in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia), then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. After living in Skopje for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life.

In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that had over 4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries in 2012. The congregation manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counselling programmes, as well as orphanages and schools. Members take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and also profess a fourth vow – to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor."[9]

Following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Francis.

Reviews

[Sarah Bagent]

4.5 only because it’s not as full with substance as I was expecting - more so loose commentary!

“In the Mass we have Jesus in the appearance of bread, while in the slums we see Christ and touch him in the broken bodies, in the abandoned children.”

“We know now that being unwanted is the greatest disease of all.”

“I believe in person to person; every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is the one person in the world at that moment.” (on individual vs. institutional charity)

[Karl]

This book is a series of short quotes (a sentence or paragraph in length), in large print, uttered by Mother Teresa and pertaining to: “Suffering”, “Riches”, “Joy”, “Love Begins at Home” and several other similar themes.

Most of the quotes are understandably from the perspective of the Christian faith, yet there are still numerous others that are more universal and pertinent for people from any faith. For example, “Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.” Or “We know that if we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.”

I think that the majority of people recognize the work Mother Teresa was involved in and the fact that she made life better for many people, and her words can also be healing and powerful for anyone reading this book – if they take the time to listen with their heart.

The book itself, because of the limited amount of content (my version is 78 pages with large sized font, which would likely make it 50 pages with regular sized font) is a little lacking in my mind, and personally I think that this material could easily be part of a larger book, especially if one takes into account that the price in Canada, for a new copy, is over $15.

[Jordan Stephens]

A collection of brief essays on different topics by Mother Teresa. The part of the book that connected with me were moments when she talked about the reason why people do "Social work." Her message was that we have to be clear with ourselves that the reason for serving the poor is for the individuals, not for a specific "cause." The driving force behind compassion is our shared humanity/divinity. It shows that we are not doing it for something, but for Somebody.

She also talks about not only giving our time and care to the people we are with, but our heart as well. In this way, service is spreading of love above all else. Another recurring theme is how she talks about knowledge leading love leading to service.

"For knowledge can only lead to love, and love to service. And so, if they are not touched by the poor, it's because they do not know them."

[Lori Kresse]

Not really a book but a series of quotes and musings. Mother Teresa gives you a beautiful way to think about service to others as an expression of God's love. She makes it clear through her lifetime of experience that your loving presence in helping those in need is more precious than just giving money.

[Lori]

I love Mother T! Kind heart and very loving and caring. I have read so many books about her and they all confirm how wonderful she is, even into sainthood ♥️

[Catherine Greene]

The priest at my local parish, Fr. Dominic, has lended me this book since February 2018 but I have always put off the reading as I thought it would be just another inspirational book. At the end of the year, I chose to read it. Now that I come to write the review, I would like everyone who comes across this book to watch a movie on Netflix, Letters From Mother Teresa first before proceeding to read this book as I have done so. It would help you to understand this book better as after watching the movie, you’ll get the idea of her life, her reason to start the Congregation of The Missionaries of Charities and then you will understand the meaning of each of every short paragraphs written in this book. I find every word of her very meaningful as it’s based on her actual experience of encountering God in the poor, the sick, the unwanted & the vulnerable ones in the community. She has restored faith in humanity despite the difference in religion. I remember the scene when one Hindu man, who was abandoned on the street with his sickness and left to die alone, was rescued by Mother Teresa and he asked her why would she help him as he’s a Hindu. She replied that she saw Jesus in him. He died surrounded by care and love. This is so touching as everything Mother Teresa did was dedicated to God. God Bless.

[Shaun Mathew]

Of all the theology books I’ve read and likely will ever read, this is the most elementary and yet the most profound. I grieve that we no longer have St. Theresa, but am filled with joy that she is with Christ - though as I have seen from this book she always had Christ in her heart and was surrounded by him with every poor, lonely, and sick person she loved.

[Stinger]

Easy and encouraging reading - inspirational quotations of Mother Teresa

[Toni Marcheva]

Lovely, deep book of quotes. It makes me want to know a lot more about Mother Teresa, and it leaves me with a lot to think about and actually want to change about the way I live my life.

[Chelsea]

i have to be honest. i didn't read it all the way through. this would be a great book for reading a paragraph a day to help you focus or pray or meditate.

it's mostly just a collection of quotes from mother theresa on different topics. each quote is beautiful and challenging... but the book as a whole is choppy.

[Julie]

My first book written by Mother Teresa. She explains well how we love & serve Christ by ministering to the poor. I love her simple teaching. I was struck at her definition of the poorest are the poor in spirit - those who are friendless, who are more often those with material possessions.

[Meghan]

Simple, brief, and good.

[Cheryl]

A great reminder of how we can choose to live our lives in ways that make us truly content and happy. Easy to read in small increments to savor and think.

[Justin]

This is a great old book of quotes from Mother Teresa. There are many thought provoking quotes and they are challening in my own life. It is a very simple, but very good
read.

[Sarah]

A great meditational book for social workers

[Maria Therese]

Beautiful!!

[Maria]

Wonderful for quick meditations.

[Karen]

Brief prayers and thoughts by Mother Teresa.

[Jamey]

This gives you a good idea of the theology and motivation behind mother Teresa’s work.