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A Revolution of Love: The Meaning of Mother Teresa, by David Scott: A Review
Riddle: What do you get when you cross pragmatism with love?
Answer: Mother Teresa
That’s one angle a reader can take after reading this impressive little volume. A Revolution of Love is a combination of interesting biography and stimulating devotional. It meditates on the life of a woman who wallowed in the dirtiest parts of creation, performing highly practical work with love.
Scott’s is the first book about Mother Teresa to use newly-discovered letters that she wrote to her spiritual advisors. The book is full of her words, and her words highlight the spirit of her mission.
“Each time people come into contact with us, they must become different and better people because of having met us.” “Live life beautifully.” “A smile is the beginning of love.” “Proclaiming is not preaching — it is being.”
Scott recounts her childhood, her early years as a nun apparently disinterested in the poor and dying, the revelations she received from God, the awkwardness she caused the secular VIPs she met as part of her fame.
He also tells the reader how she got started. Her first location was an abandoned building that Calcutta officials gave her near a crematorium. It was quite practical: the patients…
