Everything Starts from Prayer

Mother Teresa's Meditations on Spiritual Life for People of All Faiths

Edited by Anthony Stern, M.D.
Foreword by Rev. Diane Berke
Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis for Mother Teresa's Canonization

Paperback
9781958972144
US $14.95 Indiepubs Bookshop Amazon
eBook available
December 2023

Mother Teresa was one of the great spiritual servants of our era, whose simple wisdom expressed untold depths of devotion. In this treasury of her thoughts on prayer, she offers the world another blessing.”—President Jimmy Carter, author of Living Faith

Mother Teresa’s collected writings offer inspiration and guidance for all spiritual seekers.

St. Teresa of Calcutta, the woman we all knew as Mother Teresa, was a devout Catholic nun, deeply devoted to Jesus. She expressed her ceaseless devotion in many ways, central among them her well-known work with the poor and the sick. Her lesser-known expressions of faith included her deep respect for all religions and her burning wish for all people to grow closer to God. With a longing to reach as many souls as possible, she wrote, “I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.”

This carefully arranged collection of Mother Teresa’s writings promises to both inspire and guide all people, from any or no faith tradition, who are seeking to find and walk a spiritual path.

Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in what is now North Macedonia. As a child, she was fascinated by the missionaries in Bengal and decided at age 12 to become a nun. In 1928, at age 18, she joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland. She began her novitiate in Darjeeling, India, in 1929, taking religious vows in 1931 and choosing to be named after St. Thérèse de Lisieux, patron saint of missionaries. In 1950, after hearing God’s voice on the way to Calcutta, she founded the Missionaries of Charity. Devoted to giving "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor,” the order helps people dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis and runs soup kitchens, medical dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counseling programs, orphanages, and schools. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, the year she died. In 2016, she was canonized as St. Teresa of Calcutta. 

“Saint Teresa was one of the great spiritual servants of our era, whose simple wisdom expressed untold depths of devotion. In this treasury of her thoughts on prayer, she offers the world another blessing.” —President Jimmy Carter, author of Living Faith

“Using this book on prayer, please remember that Saint Teresa always prayed with her actions, her life. Mind, speech, and body in perfect oneness, that is the solid ground of authentic meditation. The moment you start praying that way, peace, love, and transformation begin to take place, within yourself and around you. You do not have to wait for the result in the future. Saint Teresa says: “the fruit of prayer is faith, love, service, and peace. All of these take place in the present moment.” Enjoy praying with her.” —Thich Nhat Hanh, author of Living Buddha, Living Christ

“Mother Teresa’s life was a living prayer. Her words remind us of her connection with God and how all of us can reach Him as she did.” —Marianne Williamson, author of Illuminated Prayers

“With the publication of Everything Starts from Prayer, Mother Teresa continues to bless us from beyond the grave. These kernels of truth from the nun in Calcutta provide food for the soul. Her messages, though short on words, are deep in wisdom and spiritual insight, and hold meaning for people of all faiths.” —Most Reverend Anthony M. Pilla, Bishop of Cleveland, Past President, National Conference of Catholic Bishops

“Dr. Stern’s editorial hand is sure and judicious; the selection of material reveals the mystical realization behind Mother Teresa’s powerful encomium to prayer in an all-inclusive sense. Thus, the passages are not only spiritually inspiring (as one would, of course, expect), but intellectually compelling as well. Well done.” —Lou Nordstrom, American Zen Teacher, White Plum lineage

“Dr. Stern deserves to be congratulated for Everything Starts from Prayer, an inspiring book intended to foster the spiritual life of people of all faiths or none. We hope and pray that many readers will find it an invitation to pray.” —Father Edward Le Joly, Mother Teresa’s spiritual advisor

“Dr. Stern has very sensitively and carefully given us the essence of a truly spiritual person, and in the process helped make prayer in our own lives more rewarding.” —Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Director, The Center for Interreligious Understanding at Ramapo College

“Mother Teresa is a holy mother to us all. She always has been an inspiration and reminder to me of what love can do in the world. She is the epitome of a Bodhisattva, the altruistic enlightenment-activist serving those suffering in this world.” —Lama Surya Das, Tibetan Buddhist master and author of Awakening the Buddha Within

“How do we start praying? Anthony Stern gives us a great gift. In this magnificent collection of Mother Teresa’s words, we are shown how to cultivate our inner lives and bring forth the prayers that live within us.” —Prof. Susannah Heschel, author of Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus

“These beautiful prayer instructions transcend all boundaries of time and space. Here Mother Teresa is a universal figure reaching out from soul-to-soul to all those who pray or long to pray. May her words reach many and open hearts.” —Rabbi Arthur Green, co-editor of Your Word is Fire: The Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer

“This book’s contents and its title say it all. Whatever you are looking for starts with prayer. Hopefully you will read and learn that true prayer is not about personal desires, needs or religions. Mother Teresa is a role model for each of us. Pray we may became what she was, and heal the world by using prayer to lead us on the path to spirituality and God.” —Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine and Miracles