A Simple Path [Hardcover]

Mother Teresa Mother Teresa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1995

Known around the globe for her indefatigable work on behalf of the poor, the sick, and the dying, Mother Teresa has devoted her life to giving hope to the hopeless in more than one hundred and twenty countries. She inspires us all to find a way to translate our spiritual beliefs into action in the world. How has one woman accomplished so much? And what are the guiding principles that have enabled this humble nun to so profoundly effect the lives of millions?
Now, in her own words, Mother Teresa shares the thoughts and experiences that have led her to do her extraordinary charitable work. A candid look at her everyday life--at the very simplicity and self-sacrifice that give her the strength to move mountains--A Simple Path gives voice to the remarkable spirit who has dedicated her life to the poorest among us.
Just as important as her beliefs are how they are put into action in the world, and A Simple Path also tells the story of the founding of the Missionaries of Charity, their purpose and practice, and the results of their tireless work. Through faith, surrender, and prayer, the missionaries live to serve others; they have improved the lives of countless souls and given dignity to the dying. Their mission has also produced a ripple effect, spreading human compassion to communities where there is need.
Through these examples, as well as the uplifting words and guiding prayers of Mother Teresa and those who work with her, everyone can learn how to walk the simple path that Mother Teresa has laid out for us, to help create a truly kinder world for the future.
A Simple Path is a unique spiritual guide for Catholics and non-Catholics alike: full of wisdom and hope from the one person who has given us the greatest model of love in action in our time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

We have all been created for greater things -- to love and to be loved. Love is love -- to love a person without any conditions, without any expectations. Works of love are works of peace and purity. Works of love are always a means of Becoming closer to God, so the more we help each other, the more we really love God better by loving each other. Jesus very clearly said, 'Love one another as I have loved you,' Love in action is what gives us grace. We pray and, if we are able to love with a whole heart, then we will see the need. Those who are unwanted, unloved, and uncared for become just a throwaway of society -that's why we must really make everybody feel wanted.

"There is something else to remember -- that this kind of love begins at home. We cannot give to the outside what we don't have on the inside. This is very important. If I can't see God's love in my brother and sister then how can I see that love in somebody else? How can I give it to somebody else? Everybody has got some good. Some hide it, some neglect it, but it is there." --New York times Book Review

We have all been created for greater things -- to love and to be loved. Love is love -- to love a person without any conditions, without any expectations. Works of love are works of peace and purity. Works of love are always a means of Becoming closer to God, so the more we help each other, the more we really love God better by loving each other. Jesus very clearly said, 'Love one another as I have loved you,' Love in action is what gives us grace. We pray and, if we are able to love with a whole heart, then we will see the need. Those who are unwanted, unloved, and uncared for become just a throwaway of society -that's why we must really make everybody feel wanted.

"There is something else to remember --Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

This book is simply priceless. It's Mother Teresa's autobiography, which she crafted with writer Lucinda Vardey, a few years before she passed away. This book gives voice to a remarkable spirit who has dedicated her life to the poorest among us and given us the greatest model of love in action in our time.

A SIMPLE PATH not only offers a candid look at Mother Teresa's everyday life, but collects her spiritual wisdom. What we find is a simple path for us to follow so that we, too, can create a truly kinder world for the future. Mother Teresa may no longer be here on earth, but her spirit is alive today, in her works of goodness and kindness, and in each of us. --E. Zack, Senior Editor

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345397452
• ISBN-13: 978-0345397454
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To understand, rather than be understood., September 30, 2003

By 

Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Simple Path (Hardcover)

The book is perfectly titled. Mother Teresa's biographical information is minimal and the book does not canonize her. Apart from introducing the thoughts of volunteers who work with the Missionaries of Charity, her own words are few. What we find are simple views of a simple path, and beauty in simplicity. This is not the story of a famous nun, it is the story of a way of seeing ones world and of living without self-focus. Mother Teresa, and those who work in the missions that she and others have established and conducted, convey an attractive invitation to service to others. The path has been set before us in the Gospels of Matthew (25:34-40) and Luke (10:30-37). This small volume contains no rancorous sectarian, philosophical, or theological arguments. The themes are peace, love, joy, and fearless devotion to the welfare of others. The simple path is well summarized in the words of St Francis of Assisi:
"Lord grant that I seek rather to comfort than to be comforted,
To understand than to be understood;
To love than to be loved . . ."
The book makes little mention of the opposing worldview, but I briefly will. The opposite worldview is the ever-popular celebration of slavery to self. There are, of course, many variations on this theme. One notices how offended, even angered, the culture of self can be when it is rejected, in this case by Mother Teresa. Articles and books have been published which denigrate her, and she has been called a hypocrite. I doubt she terribly cared. A sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan children's home in Calcutta reads in part:
"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered,
Love them anyway
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives,
Do good anyway . . .
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,
Do good anyway . . ."

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed my life., February 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Simple Path (Hardcover)

I read this book at a time when I was very broke and feeling very sorry for myself about it. It made me realize how much I really did have - my health, my education, my personal, political and religious freedom - and totally changed my attitude forever about what is important in life. I have since recovered from my economic crisis and have dedicated my life to understanding poverty and doing whatever I can to help the poor break the cycle of poverty in their lives. I am continuously challenged by the example Mother Theresa set with her relationship with God. This book is so easy to read, so uplifting, so inspiring, so much about what's real and true, you've just got to read it. You can't read it and not be affected in a positive way.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a 5 + star book., May 21, 2001

By 

Soudamini M. Nath (Murrieta, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Simple Path (Hardcover)

I have read a few of Mother Teresa's books. This is the best. I read it cover to cover all in one sitting...as soon as I got the book. Mother Teresa made me humble. It is a shame how most of us are frantically running around, to find happiness (which we think is in how much money we make, what big house we built, what type of car we drive around)and yet at the end of the day, we are still not there yet. This book reveals how we can find that happiness by following a very simple path. If all of us can follow that simple path, the world would be lot more peaceful. But can we?? This question makes me think, that this woman, Mother Teresa, is no ordinary human, she is beyond human. Reading this book time and time again daily, may help us all to bring peace and happiness to the world! It is a wonderful book, very meaningful and thought-provoking. If only we can follow her path - a very simple path.