Come Be My Light

Come Be My Light presents the private correspondence of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, compiled and edited by Brian Kolodiejchuk from letters she wrote to her spiritual directors and superiors over nearly fifty years. The collection emerged from the canonization process following her death in 1997, when her spiritual writings were gathered as part of the investigation into her life and sanctity. These letters, which Teresa had requested be destroyed, reveal a profound spiritual struggle that contradicted her public image of unwavering faith and joy.

The correspondence exposes Teresa's experience of what she termed "darkness" — a prolonged period of spiritual dryness and felt absence of God that began around 1948, shortly after receiving her calling to serve the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, and continued for nearly five decades until her death. Her letters describe feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and even doubt, while simultaneously documenting her determination to continue her work despite this interior suffering. The writings reveal how she understood this darkness as participation in Christ's own experience of abandonment on the cross, and how she chose to smile and serve while experiencing what mystics have called the "dark night of the soul."

The book has profoundly shaped contemporary understanding of Mother Teresa's spirituality and contributed to broader conversations about doubt, suffering, and authentic faith within Christian spiritual formation. It offers a rare window into how sustained spiritual dryness can coexist with profound holiness and effective ministry, challenging assumptions about what mature faith looks like.

Who should read this: Those experiencing spiritual dryness or doubt who need to understand they are not alone, and spiritual directors or pastors who counsel others through dark periods of faith. This is not for those seeking inspirational platitudes or simple answers to complex spiritual struggles.