It’s official!  On September 4, 2016 Pope Francis will canonize Mother Teresa of Calcutta as a saint.  This extraordinary event has been proclaimed as one of the highlights of the Jubilee Year of Mercy and will take place in Rome.  You can follow the television broadcast on EWTN (or set your DVR to record as events take place as early as 4 am EST!)   Below is a the listing of dates and times you can watch the mass of canonization from the EWTN website.

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What a joyful event to see one of the most amazing woman of our time receive the title of Saint in such a short time after her death in 1997.   Mother Teresa was known for her ministry to the sick, destitute, and dying and was an inspiration to so many.  We personally have both been touched by her deep prayer life that lead her to be the face of Christ to the world.   Her meditation on the words of Jesus “I Thirst” (read the whole thing here) is one of the most powerful messages and one we both read it often.  In it Mother writes:

Hear Jesus speak to your soul:
No matter how far you may wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life; there is one thing I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change. I THIRST FOR YOU – just as you are. You don’t need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My love that will change you.

There is so much we could write about this amazing saint, what an amazing example of a living out the Works of Mercy!   We hope you are able to take some time to celebrate this special day with your family.  If you need some ideas, check out this blog post by A Slice of Smith Life

We’d also like to recommend two books on Mother Teresa for you!

Praying with Mother Teresa: Prayers, Insights, and Wisdom of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, by Susan Conroy, Marian Press, 2016

I don’t get to read as much as I would like to anymore, but this meditative book was a healing balm to my soul!  Full of the spiritual wisdom and prayers of Mother Teresa along side the quotes of other mystic saints like St. Faustina of Kowalska, St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux and others, it is a must read.  I highlighted, underlines and starred so many of the pages so I could return and re-read them!  One of my favorites is:

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If you would like to know the secrets to Mother Teresa’s prayer life, I would highly recommend this book!

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Mother Teresa’s Prescription: Finding Happiness and Peace in Service

By: Paul A. Wright, Ave Maria Press, 2006

This little book is a real gem about Mother Theresa. A famous Cardiologist named Dr. Paul Wright took a leap of faith when he headed to Mexico to meet with Mother in the 1980’s. He was able to share with her the emptiness he felt in his life despite having a beautiful family, wealth and a fulfilling career. The advice she gave him not only gave him inner peace but also changed his entire perspective on his life. We too can benefit from this advice given to the doctor and experience true healing.

I enjoyed this quick 128-page book and found it not only inspiring but also helpful, as we all desire to find true inner peace in a broken world!

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!