A Revolution of Love: The Meaning of Mother Teresa [Paperback]

David Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005

In this Mother Teresa biography by David Scott, we meet the Mother Teresa that we would never have met simply from television interviews or news images. A complex figure, Mother Teresa found her life's work only after years of false starts and by overcoming great practical difficulties. Her love for the poor was accompanied by a stern critique of the rich and powerful. And she lived much of her life in an anguished dark night of the soul. Discover the real Mother Teresa in this inspiring yet unsentimental biography of her life

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Few people knew the real Mother Teresa, argues Scott in this readable, delightful volume on the complexity of this contemporary saint. Scott succeeds at painting an original picture of Teresa of Calcutta based on her own sound bites as well as statements by people who knew or interviewed her. Scott's research allows for a surprising perspective; however, sometimes his opinions seem unfounded and could use more documentation. He dares to ask some bold questions: Was she completely sincere? Did she manipulate the media? Did her powerful presence in public life add to or subtract from her mission? In simple yet poetic prose, he ambitiously covers much ground, though at times his forays become digressions. For example, his comparisons of the saint to other figures like Gandhi, Augustine and Thérèse of Lisieux and his discussion of the process of canonization are absorbing, but need more pages to contribute properly to his portrait. Overall, however, he skillfully and seamlessly guides the reader through an impressive array of topics, such as Mother Teresa's decision to start the Missionaries of Charity, her approach to scripture and her relationship to politics and media. On the whole, Scott should be applauded for thinking outside the box and adding to the intrigue of an important modern religious figure.
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From the Inside Flap

"AT A TIME WHEN WE SAVOR MOTHER TERESA'S INFLUENCE ON OUR WORLD, DAVID SCOTT'S  A Revolution of Love OFFERS A COMPREHENSIVE AND GRAND VIEW OF HER VOCATION, HER TEACHING, AND HER HERITAGE IN CHRIST. HE ALSO PROVIDES A WORTHY EXPLORATION INTO THE MAKEUP OF HOLINESS." --Lucinda Vardey, editor and compiler of the best seller A Simple Path

WHO WAS MOTHER TERESA?

In this inspiring yet unsentimental look at the life of the first truly global saint, author David Scott argues that the glitter of Mother Teresa's celebrity often obscured the full splendor of this beloved and holy woman.

Moving photogrphs and unforgetable television images showed Mother Teresa as an unflappable, single-minded advocate for the poor.  In reality, she was a complex figure. She found her life's work only after years and years of false starts and by overcoming great practical difficulties. Her love for the poor was accompanied by a stern critique of the rich and powerful.  Most amazing, she lived much of her life in an anguished dark night of the soul. David Scott's A Revolution of Love offers readers a fresh appraisal of the full meaning of Mother Teresa's life and work.  It shows her to be a saint exquisitelymatched for our times--a tiny but towering figure who wanted nothing less than to knit the world together in a revolution of love.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Loyola Press; First Edition, First edition (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0829420312
• ISBN-13: 978-0829420319
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,734,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, March 8, 2005

By 

Rosemary Fielding - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Revolution of Love: The Meaning of Mother Teresa (Paperback)

A Revolution of Love: The Meaning of Mother Teresa is a beautifully written book. In fact, it is so well written, I classify it as a devotional book, one that a person could read as part of his prayers. The book, however, would fascinate even the non-believer, since it is a biography, and one that is loaded with the significance and meaning of a life more than with a catalogue of facts. I couldn't put it down. I was deeply moved, and I kept thinking of people I could send it to--especially those outside the Church. David Scott established a daunting goal--to explain the meaning of Mother Teresa, not only her place in history or in her country, but also her place in the eternal workings of God, her place in the whole salvation history of mankind. And he succeeded beautifully and with very few words. The book is impressionistic in the best sense of the word. I am left with a picture of such illuminative beauty amid the blood-soaked, dark, twisted and brutal landscape of modern times-a landscape which Scott also brilliantly evokes. Very ably, Scott shows that God sent Mother Teresa to send a message of utmost importance to the world. I couldn't help but think that for all the publicity Divine Providence ordained she should get, the world still has not listened. Yet her life brought me much hope. I simply loved the book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Life, a Remarkable Conversion, December 7, 2005

By 

Jordan Saxony "m3812784" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Revolution of Love: The Meaning of Mother Teresa (Paperback)

Contrary to the opinion of the reviewer below, Mother Teresa's life was marked by a profound conversion and closeness to Jesus Christ --- so close, in fact, that after her initial, remarkable encounters with His presence, she found herself sharing in His passion suffering, as she experienced what St. John of the Cross called "the dark night of the soul." She was so close to Christ that unbeknownst to the world, she felt in her heart and soul the same abandonment He felt on the cross when He asked, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" What is truly remarkable about her is that while enduring this cross, she never once ceased loving Christ in the poor, and never once ceased to respond to Christ's cry on the Cross, "I thirst." David Scott tells us about letters that have been hidden for years that describe this inner journey into total abandonment to God. Her love for Him, her will to act and obey all the days of her life despite a lack of emotional "feelings" and "consolations" and fundamentalist-type "experiences" was amazing and profound.

If she isn't a saint, then no one is!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Glorious Saint Indeed-Mother Teresa's God & Her Mission Explored!, January 11, 2006

By 

Aimee Thor "Aimee Thor" (Xenia, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Revolution of Love: The Meaning of Mother Teresa (Paperback)

I love this book because David Scott delves into the motivation behind all of Mother Teresa's tireless, selfless work: LOVE for God, LOVE for people, LOVE for life. Her legacy is one of deep compassion, but tempered with consistent and devoted action on behalf of the poorest of the poor. She will never be forgotten, and even those of us in the X generation could not help but be touched by her inner spiritual glow. She had a richness in Christ that was remarkably simple and yet overwhelmingly supernatural.

What a WOMAN! What a SAINT! This book is for anyone who loved and still loves the woman behind the legend. Thanks to David Scott for writing such a powerful and inspiring little book!