Holy Simplicity: The Little Way of Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day & Therese of Lisieux [Paperback]

Joel Schorn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2008

Embrace the present moment as an ever-flowing source of holiness. Jean Pierre de Caussade, from Chapter Three.


Seeing God in every moment is it possible? Does God really walk among the pots and pans, as Saint Teresa of Avila once said? Do we ignore the seemingly forgettable moments of life to our own spiritual peril?

Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day and Thérèse of Lisieux started small and stayed small, even though their works and heroism have since earned them worldwide acclaim.

Holy Simplicity reveals how these three modern Catholic women found holiness in letting God's love flow into the most ordinary tasks Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day among the poor and Thérèse within the confines of the cloister. Their stories will inspire you to seek God in the challenges of ordinary life, a little way to holiness that, as Dorothy Day pointed out, unleashes forces that help to overcome evil in the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Thérèse of Lisieux, Dorothy Day and Mother Teresa became great saints by doing the little everyday things with love and prayer. Using their wise words and inspiring example, Schorn persuades us that we too can be saints. This is a book about what matters most responding to God s call to a life of unselfish love. --Bert Ghezzi, author, The Heart of a Saint

About the Author

JOEL SCHORN is a writer and editor in Chicago. He is the author of God's Doorkeepers: Padre Pio, Solanus Casey and André Bessette and coauthor with Alice Camille of A Faith Interrupted: An Honest Conversation with Alienated Catholics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 134 pages
• Publisher: St. Anthony Messenger Press (February 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867168153
• ISBN-13: 978-0867168150
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( D ) > Day, Dorothy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Connecting Ordinary Life to the Presence of God, October 12, 2008

By 

Carol Blank (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Holy Simplicity: The Little Way of Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day & Therese of Lisieux (Paperback)

Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, and Thérèse of Lisieux were Catholic women whose lives demonstrate the "little way" to sanctity. "Little things, even the least, hold the power of big things, for in them God reveals his presence," writes Schorn. Practices underlying the holiness of Mother Teresa, Dorothy, and Thérèse include doing small things with love; responding with love to the ordinary activities and encounters of everyday life; redefining success and failure; and coping with suffering and sacrifices in daily life.

The book is divided into 12 chapters, each focusing on a particular aspect of the faith and work of all three women. The author elaborates on the saints' personal stories to help readers understand ways we might emulate their holiness. All began their ministries in "hidden places," a convent for Thérèse, slums for Mother Teresa, and inner-city store fronts for Dorothy Day. All relied on prayer for strength and inspiration. All rejected wealth, possession, and status, and all embraced suffering as they worked to alleviate it in others. Their vocations were made up of serving little ones, Schorn writes. "Doing small everyday acts of faith, hope and love over and over again; pouring love and devotion in everything they did...seeing the connection between the ordinary activities of life and the presence of God."