The Four Theresas

One of the things I love about the Catholic Church is it's diversity.  If you don't like a particular devotion then then you can keep looking looking for a devotion that works for you.  You are sure to find one out there for you.  And saints--boy do we have them.  There is a saint out there for anything and everything that you can think of---police officers to bee keepers.   And there are a bunch of books about saints out there too.  They usually have half a page to a full page talking about each saint.  They give you just enough to want to explore more.   I read "The Four Teresas" by Gina Loehr and published by St. Anthony Messenger Press that gives an interesting took into four saints.

In "The Four Theresas," Ms. Loehr lets us look into the lives of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.   The four women are as different and as diverse as four people can be but are similar in their love for Jesus and the ways that they can all be models for us.   Maybe Therese of Lisieux doesn't touch you Teresa of Avila calls you to deepen your spiritual life.  Maybe thinking philisophically like Teresa Benedicta of the Cross did isn't for you but giving aid to the poor and less fortunate is something you are passionate about.   We can explore each of their lives and learn from it.


Each of the Teresas is given a whole chapter in the book.   The chapter explores their biography and then talks about each of their lessons.  Finally, it delves into how we can each live each of the lessons.   I find this is a good layout.  We are able to understand why each one teaches what they do because of their personal history and background.  We then are able to look at what each Teresa teaches and finally, how to apply that in our personal life.


Overall, I liked the book.  I like reading about spirituality and I find it very interesting how each of these saintly women got to where they were in life.   We are all called to be saints and if I can get some tips and tricks of the trade from actual saints, you can bet I'm going to take it.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Four Teresas . They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible.