Advent with St. Teresa of Calcutta: Daily Meditations



The word Advent comes from the Latin word advenio, which means "to come to," and denotes the coming of Christ. Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and souls for the Savior’s three comings: (1) the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love at Christmas, (2) Christ’s coming in Holy Communion and through grace, and (3) His final coming as judge, at death and at the end of the world.

In her inspirational book, Advent with St. Teresa of Calcutta: Daily Meditations, author Heidi Hess Saxton presents twenty-eight daily meditations based on the wisdom of St. Teresa of Calcutta as it relates to each day’s Scripture readings. With an Introduction written by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle and a Foreword by Bishop Robert Barron, this beautiful devotional assists us in entering into the peace, joy, and love of this liturgical season. The book is divided into six sections: each of the four weeks of Advent, the Christmas week through Epiphany, and the feasts days and other special days during Advent and Christmas. Each daily meditation contains: a list of the Mass readings for the day, a Scripture excerpt, a meditation which incorporates Mother Teresa’s spiritual ideas, virtues, and advice, questions for reflection, and a prayer.

Saxton’s meditations include interesting anecdotes and astute insights that teach us how to love more deeply, drawing us into a more intimate relationship with Our Savior. As I read each meditation, I felt as if I were having an intimate conversation with a close friend, who was encouraging me to enter into a deeper level of sanctity and to surrender my heart to the Lord, in order for him to fill it with the gifts that He desires to give me this Christmas. Advent with St. Teresa of Calcutta: Daily Meditations is a book that you will treasure for many Advent and Christmas seasons to come, as it can used year after year.


Heidi Hess Saxton is a Catholic editor, wife, and mother, and is author of several books. A convert to the Catholic faith since 1995, Saxton holds a master’s in theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. As part of her undergraduate studies at Bethany College of Missions in Minneapolis, she spent an internship in Senegal that sparked a lifelong interest in missions—an interest that connected her in a very personal way with the life and work of St. Teresa of Calcutta. Heidi is now editorial director of Servant, an imprint of Franciscan Media. She writes for adoptive, foster, and special-needs families at her blog, A Mother on the Road Less Traveled.

Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle is a bestselling author whose friendship with Mother Teresa has been the subject of several books including Mother Teresa and Me and Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa.
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