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Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work And Service (2008)

by Mary Poplin(Favorite Author)

4.03 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0830834729 (ISBN13: 9780830834723)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

IVP Books

review 1: I should start by saying I see Mother Teresa as one of the most extraordinary and influential role models of our time, especially in my own life. Poplin gives a short account in a quick read about her time spent in Calcutta with "Mother" (as she is referred to) and the other Missionaries of Charity. She gives an interesting perspective, coming from a secular world and entering into a purely religious one, as she learns to adjust to live with the missionaries in their utterly distinct lifestyle, and the questions she faces about everything she once thought was "true." This book serves as a great reminder for Christians of all denominations that the road with Christ is both full of grace and darkness. I thought Poplin could have delved into each of the 30 chapters a bit ... moredeeper, giving more background or contemplation rather than the expected "lesson learned" fluff that coated the book. However, she does keep the reader's attention with tearful examples and even nonchalantly and unexpectedly revealing her past history of abortions. As someone who is always looking for books to help encourage or strengthen my relationship with Christ, I found this book to be extremely helpful in looking at ways I can change and better this relationship, and my life.For example, these following passages really struck a chord with me and made me question how I approach certain people and situations on a everyday basis, and made me reflect on ways I can change this: "I began to think how different I would work if I truly saw each person I met as a hungry, hurting Christ. What if every time someone came to me with a problem, I responded as though Christ himself had approached me? What if I saw everyone all day long as in need of a touch from God, and what if I were yielded enough that God could actually use me to give his touch?" (p. 40) "Driving in Los Angeles, I often think of drivers on the two-lane roads where I grew up in Texas who would pull over to the side to let a faster car by and how the recipient of the grace would give a big wave. We could use a lot more grace and friendly waves of gratitude on the freeways...We have so many opportunities to leave things better every day." (p. 113)"Forgiveness frees us. Unforgiveness is a relentless enemy to all who hold onto it....until we can pray in earnest that God will bless the person who hurt us, we have not fully forgiven." (p. 115)This last one just personally interested me in how true it is:"Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost twenty centuries...It is from his birthday that most of the human race dates its calendars, by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray." (p. 161)
review 2: Dr. Poplin gave me her book when in Moscow last month. Three years after her dramatic conversion to Christ, she used part of her sabbatical helping with the missionaries in (then called) Calcutta, learning to give as Jesus does, to the least and poorest, work that not everyone is called to do. She will continue to teach in a university setting, but is no longer apologetic about her Christianity; her work in India helped her understand her work in a University. less

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