IP#303 – Susan Conroy – Praying with Mother Teresa on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor – Discerning Hearts Podcast

0:00TheSurningHearts.com presents Inside Pages, Insights from Today's Most Compelling Authors. I'm your host, Chris McGregor, and I'm delighted to be joined by Susan Conroy, who in the summer of 1986 at the age of 21, journey took hell cut out alone to help the missionaries of charity. She developed a personal friendship with Mother Teresa that lasted throughout the course of 11 years. Susan is the author of nine books, including the best-selling Mother Teresa's Lessons of Love and Secrets of Saint-Dewing. She has also been the host of Speaking of Saints, a 13-part mini-series, seen on EWTN. With Susan Conroy, we go inside the pages of, praying with Mother Teresa, prayers, insights, and wisdom of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, published by Mary and Press.

1:01Susan, thank you so much for joining me. I'm thrilled to be with you, Chris. Thank you. Talk to us about your experience with Mother Teresa. It's funny. I could write a book about it. Thank you so much to share. And it's so exciting. I actually have published two books about Mother Teresa. I've published 10 books in all, but two of them about Mother Teresa. And there's so many places to go when you ask a question like that. Some people want to know what was she like? What was Calcutta like? Or how did you even dream of going to India? Because that's not usually a normal dream people have to go work in a home for the dying with a living saint. Like I said, there are many directions to go in, but let me start with what Mother Teresa was like. We'll cut right to the chase. We'll cut right to what was the saint like? What was it like to be in her presence? And I would say for starters, to actually be standing there with Mother Teresa, or to be kneeling beside her in the chapel at Holy Mass, or kneeling beside her during the Holy Hour of Adoration,

2:02or conversing with her, or just watching her in the home for the dying as she was shining her love on others, my first reaction was Heavenly Joy. I mean, Joy, the Joy. We were filled with joy. And I shared in my first book, which is called Mother Teresa's Lessons of Love and Secrets of Sanctity, that being in Mother Teresa's presence was like receiving a spiritual injection. We were filled with joy and filled with peace and filled with love. And after being with Mother Teresa, we could go out into the worst forms of India, face the worst human misery, and we couldn't hold back the joy. We were spilling our love and our smiles onto every person we met. And that was gorgeous to experience. That was beautiful to experience. And I ponder that. Like, what was happening? How was that possible to be filled with joy when you're walking through a place that's like hell on earth, with misery and destitution and suffering and death and disease? Like, how do you keep smiling? And I ponder this a lot. You know, Mother Teresa is canonized as saint by Pope Francis.

3:05And I ponder what is a saint? And it's an important thing for all of us to ponder because every single one of us who are listening to this interview, who are participating in this interview, we are called to be saints. It's this universal call to holiness. So this is relevant to all of us. What is a saint? And I love to ponder that. A saint is someone filled with the fullness of God, a saint is someone who's brought to the fullness of charity, someone who's led by God, a saint is a friend of God, someone filled with the Holy Spirit. And that now explains why we were filled with joy when we were in the presence of saintly mother Teresa of Calcutta, because she was so filled with God, so filled with charity, so overflowing with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is contagious. And the fruit of the Holy Spirit is very contagious. You know, to be within the presence of someone who's overflowing with love, and joy, and peace, and patience, and kindness, and goodness, that spirit comes into you. Saint Teresa of Adelaide said, in the presence of the saints, we will become saints. You know, that people rub off on us for better or for worse. You know, that who we spend our time with, who we keep company with,

4:11you know, we become more like them. They rub off on us. And so when we were with her, like I said, we could then go forth to the home for the dying, to the orphanages, to visit lepers, and we were filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit, filled with, like I said, joy, peace, love. And I remember there were young people from all different countries around the world that came to Calcutta to help mother Teresa serve the poorest of the poor. We were all brought together with the same simple purpose of love and serve. And so it was like the family of mankind, young people from all different countries. And there was a young man, Paul from Sweden, that I worked alongside of during my time, my first summer in India. And I remember Paul and I visited with mother Teresa one day. And then we went off through the streets of Calcutta to the home for the dying, to serve the sick and dying destitute in that mother Teresa's shelter there. And Paul looked over at me as we were traveling through the city of Calcutta and he said, Susan, you're shining again. And it was because of being with the same, because we were with mother Teresa. And then we start shining.

5:15And so it was really an extraordinary experience of like I said, the joy of being in her presence, the other thing that I always like to highlight, when people say what was mother Teresa like, what was it like? I was shocked when I first met her and started having a conversation with her. My very first day with mother Teresa at her house at the mother house in Calcutta. We had been at Mass that morning. I was kneeling right beside her during Holy Mass. And after Mass ended, the sisters stay in the chapel to say extra prayers of Thanksgiving and extra prayers after receiving Holy Communion and after Mass ended. And then Mother Teresa stepped outside the chapel onto the balcony on the second floor of the mother house. And I was with her that very first day listening to her speak and watching her. And I was struck by her profound humility. I couldn't believe how humble she was. And I think it's kind of funny now looking back and saying, Susan, why were you so shocked by that? And I think the reason why I was stunned by this beautiful profound humility is because I knew at the time I met her that she was a living saint. She was world famous. She was celebrity. She was world famous. When I met her, I first met her in 1986.

6:21And she had already won the Nobel Peace Prize. She had already won all the top awards and honors from all different kings and queens and princes and popes and presidents all over the world. So she was already world famous. And I just as a young woman, I was just turned 21 years old when I first met Mother Teresa. And I guess I never imagined that a famous person would be a humble person. I never equated fame and humility. You think of all the most famous people in the world today. Like, you know, presidents or movie stars or athletes, professional athletes. And usually the most famous people aren't the most humble people, you know, just, you know, humanly speaking. And so I'm just so surprised. She was so humble as if she was totally unaware of her fame. And I almost at times during that first summer in India, I felt like tapping her on the children saying, don't you realize how important you are? Don't you realize how significant you are? She seemed completely unaware of herself and of how well known she is. It was gorgeous to behold. And I during that first summer in India, as I witnessed this gorgeous, profound humility, it was like I was seeing humility for the first time in my life, genuine humility for the first time in my life. She was as humble as the poor and dying people whom he lifted out of the gutters of Calcutta. They were humble. They had hit rock bottom in life.

7:37They were deeply humble. We would lift them up and bring them to the home for the dying and bathe them and feed them and serve them. They were weak and helpless. Very humble. Mother Teresa was that degree of humility, that deep humility. And it occurred to me as I was witnessing her during that first summer in India. It just was clear as day in my mind and heart, humility is a sign of true greatness. Humility is a sign of true greatness. And humility is one of those rare pearls, those rare virtues that make us most Christ like. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, said to us clearly what his own heart is like. He said, learn from me from gentle and humble of heart. He described his own heart to us and saints follow Jesus. All of us listening were to follow Jesus. He is gentle. He is humble. He said so. And so saints who truly are one with Christ and who are filled with the spirit of Christ have this beautiful, beautiful humility. That was one of the most shocking things to me when I interacted with Mother Teresa because, again, she was famous, but wow, she beautifully humble like Jesus. And it's just an honor to be in her presence and serve with her and pray with her and speak with her and hold her hand.

8:50How beautiful. I mean, it's a real lesson, isn't it about the difference between the pride and humility because those who are proud, they don't have any problem letting you know. Even if they say, well, I'm humble, as opposed to what true humility is, it's shown. It's lived out. It's never the person who may say, well, I'm being humbled today. Well, then it's not really humility, is it? You know, St. Teresa of Avile used to say, and again, I love these choruses. I love the little flower st. Teresa and St. Teresa of Avile and Mother Teresa. We have some great St. Teresa in our church. And St. Teresa of Avile used to say that humility is nothing but truth. And what that means is, and the Teresa of Avile taught this very much to her sisters, her caramelized sisters, the vital importance in the spiritual life of knowing by self and knowing God.

9:51Know who God is and know who you are. Meaning he's God and you are not, you know, he's almighty. You are not. You know, he's all knowing, all powerful, all loving, all pure. We are. He's creator. We are creature. And once you get that basic relationship in place, then you know your place. And then humility is nothing but truth. You know God and you know where you stand or where you kneel before him and serve him and love him. And we're all in love. And love him and worship him and so it's very, very basic. So knowing God, but also knowing yourself. So it cultivates humility. When you truly know yourself, St. Teresa of Avile used to say self knowledge puts us on our knees. And Mother Teresa did know herself as she knew her own weaknesses. You know, she knew her own struggles. And that helps cultivate a deeply humble heart. And she used to Mother Teresa used to refer to herself as nothing but a little pencil in the hand of God. And I always just touched by that because she wasn't even a ballpoint pen.

10:55She wasn't even fancy. I mean, a pencil is more humble instrument, you know, than a pen, a lovely pen. But so not only was she a pencil that she also sometimes referred to herself as a broken pencil in the hand of God. But so if you like the story of her life, if you like the way her life unfolded, you don't think the pencil for the story. Like they say to saying goes beauty lies in the touch of the master's hand. And God can even use the most humble pencil. God can use a broken paintbrush, an old paintbrush and paint a masterpiece and paint something gorgeous and beautiful because God is doing it. God is writing the story. God is painting the masterpiece. And so when you just leave yourself in the hands of God, keep stay in his arms, stay in his loving arms. Let him do it. Let him write the story of your life. Do his will. Mother Teresa used to say if we only let him do it, you know, basically meaning let God have his way with you. Surrender to his holy will. And she said if we only let Jesus do it, he does it in a beautiful way.

11:55So that beautiful surrender to God's will, no matter what kind of instrument you are, whether you're a ballpoint pen or a humble pencil, whether you're broken, whether you're not broken, you know, whether you're little, whether you're great. If you're in the hand of God, wow, he can do beautiful things. And I always thought that was very helpful to understanding that dynamic between us and our Lord God, you know, that even if he uses you to do great things in this world. We don't take credit any more than a pencil takes the credit, you know, and I just like understanding that we're just as intimate where his little children, he may have his way with us. Let us be guided by God, let us be led by him, let us be carried by him and let him do beautiful things with our lives, you know, and then you can say with the bliss mother Mary, you know, on the hand made of the Lord, but he was mighty has done great things for me and only his name, you know, she was just a humble hand. She was just a humble hand made of the Lord doing the Lord's bidding, serving the Lord with gladness, with joy, with humility, but wow, we look at her story, bless the mother Mary's story, look what the Lord did with her and even she who is humble, this humble hand made had to exclaim, wow, he's done great things for me and not only uses his name. So I think, you know, if we could follow our blessed mother and follow Mother Teresa's lesson and be the Lord's true children and be at his disposal and let him have his way with us.

13:21And we can say with our heavenly mother, the Lord has done great things for me and holy is his name. Well Susan, I, you know, I just thank you and I just praise the work that God is doing through you and your yes. And particularly to be that wonderful, how do I want to say it? It's almost like a glass to let all this wisdom pass through you to all of us in your book, praying with Mother Teresa prayers insights and wisdom of St. Teresa of Calcutta, we can pretty much say that now. Amen.

14:26So, I think you have to respond or you like the hand made with that goes in haste, you know, to do whatever he tells you to do. And I think you've given us portals and beautiful ways to be able to engage to learn and to seek that out. So thank you to you and to Mary and press for bringing this book forward right now. Thank you. That's very kind of you. You know, I, that is a very precious book in the sense that it's filled with Mother Teresa's own prayers that she prayed every day and that the missionaries of charity pray every day. And as a friend of mine said, and I wrote this in the beginning pages of the book, a friend of mine said, if those prayers were good enough for Mother Teresa, there are a hundred times better for me and more important for me to be praying these prayers. And, and that gentleman who said that and started praying these prayers, he's a Catholic priest now. He's giving his life. He's pouring out his heart for God and his people to serve God and his people as a Catholic priest. And so, and also Mother Teresa herself gave me permission to share these prayers. And she said, she said to share them with others to give them peace and joy too.

15:31So this book praying with Mother Teresa, I feel she's smiling on each one who receives it. And I, I will ask I, I am asking Mother Teresa to bless each person who receives a copy of that book that they will feel Mother Teresa praying for them and with them and leading them closer to Christ because that is leading each soul closer to eternal happiness and to salvation. Jesus is heaven. And so this book may bring every single reader closer to Christ, closer to heaven. And we return to inside the pages in just a moment. Did you know that Deserning Hearts has a free app where you can find all your favorite Deserning Hearts programming, Father Timothy Gallagher, Dr. Anthony Lillus, Senior John S of Deacon James Keating, Father Donald Haggerty, Mike Aqualina, Dr. Matthew Bunsen and so many more. They're all available on the free Deserning Hearts app. Over 3000 spiritual formation programs and prayers all available to you with no hidden fees or subscriptions.

16:36You also know that you can listen to Deserning Hearts programming wherever you download your favorite podcast, like Apple Podcasts, Google Play, I Heart Radio Spotify, even on Audible, as well as numerous other, work-wide, podcast streaming platforms. And did you know that Deserning Hearts also has a YouTube channel? Be sure to check out all these different places where you can find Deserning Hearts Catholic Podcasts dedicated to those on the spiritual journey. Show your support for Deserning Hearts by liking and leaving positive reviews on your favorite streaming platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and more. With a collection of insightful podcasts led by renowned Catholic spiritual guides such as Father Timothy Gallagher, Monsignor John S.F., Dr. Anthony Lilis and more. Deserning Hearts is your gateway to a deeper understanding of Deserning Life's mysteries and growing deeper in your relationship with Christ. Your likes and reviews not only affirm the value these podcasts bring to your spiritual journey, but also help others discover the guidance and inspiration they seek.

17:40Share your thoughts, spread the word, and be part of a community that's committed to elevating hearts and minds through meaningful conversations. Your feedback fuels our mission to help others climb higher and go deeper in their spiritual growth. Like, review, and let your voice be a beacon of life for fellow seekers on this spiritual journey. We now return to inside the pages. The true mission. Wasn't that really her mission? Yes, to help the poorest of the poor, but aren't really in some ways Susan, all of us, the poorest of the poor? Oh, we are. Mother Teresa herself used to say that we're all poor in some way or another. We're all handicapped in some way or another. That's so true. I'd love to be a concept to the reality. The real concept saying that we were all weak and helpless once, and we will all be weak and helpless again. When I was born, my mom had to do everything for me. I had to carry me, feed me, dress me, everything.

18:41When I am infirm and near the end of my life, I will be weak and helpless again. It is beautiful to realize we all have this mission of love. While we can, while we have hands to serve and a heart to love, let's do it. Let's fulfill our mission. Mother Teresa welcomed anyone with hands to serve and a heart to love to join her in her work for the poor, the sick and dying, including those in her own family and in our own home. You said many things that are beautiful. Mother Teresa would want us, first of all, Mother Teresa used to tell her own sisters that her primary vocation, the primary vocation of the missionaries of charity, was not to serve the poor, that was not their primary vocation. The primary vocation was to belong to Jesus Christ. The primary vocation was to belong to our Lord, to cling to Christ, to belong to God. Their secondary vocation to express that union with God, union with Christ, was then to go forth and serve the poor, that was secondary.

19:43When I heard Mother Teresa say that I was like, that's so beautiful, because that's exactly all of our primary vocation. It's your vocation, Chris, it's my vocation, it's the vocation of every single listener, our primary vocation is to belong to God, to be one with Him, have a close, loving relationship with God, to belong to Jesus Christ. And then we all have a special mission, a unique mission secondary to that, but our primary mission, our primary goal is to be one with Him, to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, with all our strength, and then also to love others in our unique way, in our special way, according to our own personal ministry or mission, whether it's as a husband and father, a wife and mother, a nurse, a teacher, whatever your ministry is, but to go forth and love and serve. But we're all in a mission of love, and it was a real luxury for me when I was in Calcutta, my different volunteer trips. I would wake up every morning and I realized what a luxury to have my only purpose to love. Every day I wake up, I'm here to love.

20:48I go forth on the streets of Calcutta, to the orphanages, to the home for the dying, to visit the lepers, to the people on the streets. Love, love, love. And I'm like, oh, it's so beautiful, that's my only purpose. And then I realized, Susan, even when you go home to the United States of America, don't you ever forget you have the same simple purpose. And all of us listening here today, we have the same purpose and we should wake up every single morning saying, I'm on a mission of love. I'm on a mission of love. God first, you should love the Lord, you God, with all you've got, with every fiber of your being, and then go forth every day. Love, love, love. And I used to love how Mother Teresa used to say, be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. And I was just thinking of that today, what a beautiful way to go about every day. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Every interaction you have, let them leave, feeling cared about, feeling love, being inspired, feeling helped, feeling, you know, I don't know, it's just, it's a beautiful way to live.

21:51You know, as Mother Teresa taught us, and the other thing I'd love to share is the little flower, Mother Teresa's name's sake, in the name of Treza of Leisure. When Mother Teresa was 18 years old, she entered the religious life and she had to choose a new name based on the same. And she chose Teresa. That's why she's Mother Teresa today. And people used to ask her, which Teresa did you choose that name from? Which saint, the great saint Teresa of Abla, or the little saint Teresa of Leisure? And Mother Teresa would always smile and say, the little one. And some other trees was profoundly inspired by Saint Teresa of Leisure. Well, the little flower said these words about the Blessed Virgin Mary. She said, she prefers imitation to admiration. You know, because Blessed Mother doesn't want us to put her up on a pedestal and just admire our Blessed Mother Mary. Blessed Mother wants us to imitate Blessed Mother Mary's virtues, her humility, her love, her charity, her purity, her love of God and obedience to God. So, Blessed Mother wants us to follow in her footsteps and do what she did and be as she is to really be imbued with the spirit of Mary, you know, all of her gorgeous virtues and graces.

22:55And so, again, that line is she prefers imitation to admiration. And I feel we can say that about Mother Teresa too. Don't just admire Mother Teresa. Follow our footsteps of love. Love everybody. Every single day, starting in your own home, starting in your own family. Do you know of anybody depressed? Do you know of anybody lonely? Do you know of anybody who's just been diagnosed with cancer? Find them, love them, put your love for them into living action, become a channel of God's peace right where you are in the world. That's exactly what Mother Teresa said. Find them, love them, put your love for them into living action. You know, stay where you are. Find your own Kelcutta, she said. Find a sick, the suffering, the lonely, the poor right in your own community. Kelcutta is in your own backyard. Kelcutta is in your own backyard. And if you have eyes that see, you can find people lonely and suffering in your own family. And your own family. And Mother Teresa used to always say, love begins at home, family first. Love begins at home. Look around in your own family first, then in your neighborhood, in your church community, your parish community.

23:55But start right where you are. Blossom where God has planted you. And I just love that. I love that. Well Susan, do you think it's hard, particularly in our culture? And I don't want to just make it seem like you in the United States, but I mean in more, maybe the first world countries that the those whom we look around, the ones who need the most love are the ones that are filled with the most fear. Or even sometimes the most anger or the most as opposed to those who may be experiencing physical illnesses, yes, there are those. But it's harder for us to in our own homes to experience those who are suffering because of such heavy, heavy experiences of their own lives. Am I making any sense on that? Yes, you are. And Mother Teresa deeply understood what you're saying as well. And she used to say it's easier to give a cup of rice to someone who's hungry in India than it is to be patient and kind and charitable to someone in your own home.

25:00She understood that that dynamic that sometimes it's harder to be patient and charitable and kind and merciful to someone you live with in your own family. And it is to just go and serve the poor in India in the home for the dying, for example. But it reminds me of something my grandmother used to say when I was a little girl that sent shivers down my spine, my grandmother used to say, you're no greater than you are within the four walls of your own home. Wow. You know, it's easy to go to church and be kind to the people in the pubes side you. It's easy to go to work each day and be polite and courteous to people in the office next to you and your co-workers. Or to stand in the grocery store line and be charitable and let someone go ahead of you. That's easy. But once you step through your own kitchen doors and you're in your own home, that's when you let down your guard. And that's when you show your true colors. And if you want to know what I tell people and I believe it, if you want to know how you stand before God, how your soul appears before God, am I doing okay? You know, and how am I doing Lord? Look at how you treat your own family when no one else is watching. When you're in the privacy of your own home, again, that's when you let down your guard and that's when you show your true colors.

26:08And sometimes badly, we give our own loved ones at home our most grumpy behavior, our worst complaints are, you know, we don't smile at them as we do to people at church or at work. You know, sometimes we give our most loved family members our worst behavior. And I just think, again, love begins at home. And if you can start being more kind, loving and gentle to your own loved ones at home, being more patient with your spouse or more, more forgiving of your children, that's heroic holiness now. That's where it's hard. That's where it's hardest at home with your own family. And that's where it has to begin. That God is watching God is watching you within the four walls of your own home. And that's where we have to work on ourselves. And, you know, and sometimes, you know, if you have someone in your family who comes to you to vent, it's all negative or whatever it's difficult. You know, and you can listen and be there for that person, even though it's painful to you to listen to the monies. Or you just want it to end.

27:10It's a suffering. That's a holy hour. Isn't that a suffering in a very, very way that is our own suffering that we can offer up. I had an experience recently where I was with a loved one who, you know, it was going on and on and it was not easy to endure. And I thought, you know, Lord, I love this person. This is a family member in front of me that, that, and I'm offering up what I'm enduring right now for that family member. I love that person. That's someone in my family. And even though I'd rather be someone else right now, I'm going to offer this up and be patient. I'm going to be patient. You know, don't ever forget, I always feel I need to remind myself. I feel that St. Paul wrote the book of love. You know, people know, 1 Corinthians 13, that a lot of people headed at their own weddings. St. Paul in Sacred Scripture wrote to us what love is. And he started his adjectives and definition of love by saying, love is patient, love is kind. And so when somebody is pushing your buttons or churning you up inside or testing your patients or aggravating you, including in your own family, bridal your tongue.

28:16Don't, don't blow up. Don't get angry. Don't become impatient. But tell yourself love is patient. Love is patient. Love is patient. Love is patient. Love is kind and practice it and look at those opportunities as a golden opportunity to practice true love towards that person where it's difficult to practice love. Because again now you're practicing heroic charity. Now it's heroic love when it's not easy. When it's like I said with someone in your own home, again remind yourself during those difficult moments. Love is patient. And then practice it as they say. Practice makes perfect. And look at these opportunities not as painful, crucifixions be yourself, but as golden opportunities to practice the most sublime virtues, the most beautiful virtues. God is love. And we are each of us to be brought to the fullness of charity, be brought to the fullness of love and we get there by practicing it, let it flow. But see these change your mindset, change your attitude towards these experiences. Look at them as golden opportunities to practice true charity, true love, patience, kindness, you know, instead of, you know, torment.

29:26Well, and you know, I just have to say season on just on a personal note, I've had the opportunity and it's been a great blessing to talk to many people that have attempted to share with us their experiences with mother trees are to tell us about her life of the way she would instruct her sisters. But there's very rare that you can find people who are great communicators and I mean in the deepest sense, out of that sense of communion. That's what I think marks a great communicator, someone who is actually experienced that you see it, you know, they take it into their heart and then they give it out and it touches those who are listening in such a way that it's not even so much that person anymore that you're hearing, but you're hearing a truth that's so profound that it's you're hearing Christ and in a very real way what you've done even in this short amount of time I hear that coming from you you are a great communicator of that communion.

30:28And that was passed on to you and it was it was communicated to you and now you are in a very beautiful way communicating it to all of us. And so Susan Conroy, I just thank you so very much. You're so kind Chris, I really appreciate you and I appreciate this chance to share someone we all love mother Theresa and I'll just say in light of what you just shared about that communion and taking an experience into your heart or a person into your heart is keep in mind I met mother Theresa when I was 21 years old, that's when it started this 11 year friendship with mother Theresa and when you're 21 years old you're very sensitive and open-hearted and boy oh boy. I so took her to my heart and I listened to everything she said and I was there you know as a 21 year old wood to someone that 20 year old loves and admires so much so she very much she has she's dramatically changed the whole course of my life and that that's beautifully worded what you just said about.

31:30That communication relates to something that you know communion a union with someone you've taken into your heart or an experience that you've really embraced and owned and grown from well what she gave you in a very real way she gave you Christ and then you took that and now you're doing that with us and particularly with this book. Appaying with mother Theresa prayers inside and wisdom of Saint Theresa of Calcutta because in it you you give us the tools to help experience communion as opposed to just telling a good story. Right and that's the whole goal that's what mother Theresa would want because she used to say I still want to give what I have and that's Jesus the love of her life the light of her life and the love of her life and she long to be able to give Christ to others. That was her you know belonging to Christ and she letting his light shine you know he himself said to her come be my light you know come be my light and I feel like that's what Jesus says to each one of us please come be my light in this world and that's what I say to Jesus actually especially as I'm about to receive Christ and Holy Communion the precious body and blood of Jesus Christ and Holy Communion I say to him what he said to her and to us please Jesus come be my light may it be Christ shining through us you know we get the hug.

32:49Every day if we want in Holy Communion is the same say when you receive the precious body and blood of Jesus Christ and Holy Communion his precious blood is flowing through your veins his flesh is blending with yours like that is a communion that's a union and and some other treats are really taught me you know wow Holy Communion holy mass I mean that's one of the greatest ways that this experience is life changing holy holy holy. Amen. So I hope this book praying with Mother Teresa does exactly what you say gives everybody Jesus and it gives everyone a deeper union with Christ because that's our destiny that's our destiny you know no one comes to the Father except through Jesus there's no other name by which we are to be saved and Jesus Christ and this book praying with Mother Teresa please Godness bless the Mother will help everybody embrace him and love him and walk closely with him and become a saint and be everlastingly happy with him so as my brother said my oldest brother I asked him once David what do you want the most and I never forgot what he said and this was years ago he said may we serve God well and greet each other in heaven. Amen. That kind of summarizes it you know so may people take this book to heart praying with Mother Teresa live it put it into living action pray draw close to Christ and then let us serve God well and greet each other in heaven.

34:15Amen. Any final thoughts Susan? And just everything we shared love just our goal is love the way to heaven is love as St. Augustine said we go to God not by walking but by loving and that's what Mother Teresa is all about she was called the woman who loved the world and and we're all on a mission of love like I said and so let us wake up every day and throughout each day and just be loving be more kind loving and gentle throughout the day be more like Christ it's our mission. It's our destiny it's our happiness and we'll all pray for each other. Amen. Again a lot of a men's in this conversation beautiful. All right Susan Conroy thank you so very much. Thank you God bless you Chris take care. The Susan Conroy we've gone inside the pages of praying with Mother Teresa prayers insights and wisdom of St. Teresa of Calcutta. To learn more about this book or to obtain a copy go to shopmercy.org the website for its publisher Mary in press or you can find it at any fine Catholic bookstore to hear and or to download this discussion along with many others go to discerninhardts.com.

35:33This has been a production of discerninhardts.com I'm your host Chris McGregor. Join me next time for Inside the Pages insights from today's most compelling authors.