To Love and Be Loved

A Personal Portrait of Mother Teresa

By: Jim Towey

Narrated by: Jim Towey

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

From a trusted advisor and devoted friend of Mother Teresa comes an extraordinary firsthand account of the miraculous woman behind the saint.

Mother Teresa was one of the most admired women of the 20th century, and her memory continues to inspire charitable work around the world. She believed the greatest need of a human being is to love and be loved. In 1948, she founded the Missionaries of Charity to work directly with the very poorest of Calcutta. From the efforts of one woman entering the slums of Entally, the Missionaries of Charity grew into an organization operating soup kitchens, health clinics, hospices, and shelters in 139 countries, at no cost to any government or to those served. In 2016, she became Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

Author Jim Towey had been a high-flying Congressional staffer and lawyer in the 1980s until a brief meeting with Mother Teresa illuminated the emptiness of his life. He began volunteering at one of her soup kitchens and using his legal skills and political connections to help the Missionaries of Charity. When Mother Teresa suggested he take shifts at her AIDS hospice, Towey realized he was all in. Soon, he gave up his job and possessions and became a full-time volunteer for Mother Teresa. He traveled with her frequently, arranged her meetings with politicians, and handled many of her legal affairs.

To Love and Be Loved is a firsthand account of Mother Teresa’s last years, and the first book ever to detail her dealings with worldly matters. We see her gracefully navigate the opportunities and challenges of leadership, the perils of celebrity, and the humiliations and triumphs of aging. We also catch her indulging in chocolate ice cream, making jokes about mini-skirts, and telling the president of the United States he’s wrong. Above all, we see her extraordinary devotion to God and to the very poorest of His children. Mother Teresa taught Towey to be more prayerful, less selfish, more humble, less worldly, more in love with God, and less in love with himself. Her lessons are here for all to share.

©2022 Harry James Towey II. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Jim's narration and reading of his Portrait of Mot

The book and narrative was inviting from the onset. Jim's telling of his own vulnerable path to living a life of service to the poor inspired continued reading. His portrayal of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity's journey was mesmerizing and addicting. He shows us the pictures of trials and trumphs with the intermittent humor that allowed for human interest. A profound compliment to how we all can strive for holiness.

Amazing memoir on Mother and Jim’s life

There are so many people who knew Mother, but this account of her life and a volunteer’s has been such a joy. Impeccable job on visualizing the accounts with Mother and the sisters. I will be recommending to every humanitarian and Catholic. There is no greater way to gracefully honor her legacy, and make her known to the younger generations. Thank you for this gift to the world.

I Thirst

Jim Towey reminds us what Mother Teresa said about thirsting for Jesus. As a Texas Catholic, I am deeply devoted and grateful that I learned what I could growing up before the same sex marriage nonsense and all the things that happened while I was in college in the late 2010’s, and I still thirst for Jesus every day after I graduated college in 2018. I was a baby when Mother Teresa died in 1997 and I turned 1 on August 3, 1997 before she died. My parents showed me her picture and held me in their lap to read to me about Mother Teresa in a baby book for Catholic children, and watched the TV news about Mother Teresa while I was in my Mom and Dad’s lap.

Darkness. Cheerfulness in response

I enjoyed listening to Jim’s story, written and told very honestly. I was especially moved by his description of Mother’s long period of darkness and her deliberate choice to respond with cheerfulness without burdening others with her doubts of faith.

Amazing insight to St. Mother Teresa

Towey’s story of St. Mother Theresa is a beautiful and inspiring introduction to this great saint. Both moving and challenging, I enjoyed every minute.

Best book I've read in a long time

I picked up this book as an admirer of Saint Mother Teresa, but didn't read it right away. That was a mistake. First, this boy can write. And he can read. Some great writers are simply terrible narrators. In fact, most are not great narrators. And for some other books, you can tell the narrator is not invested in the the book because they mispronounce words that should be obvious if they knew the subject matter. This is a rare find where the writer is excellent at both. The strength of the book is giving us a portrait of Mother Teresa that makes you feel that you know her. It was at times laugh out loud funny, and at others made my heart ache. Now that might be a banal description of what anyone might say about a book they liked, except that I don't do any of these things with any book that I like except this one. This is no porcelain hagiography. It is a portrait of a person. A wonderful person. A beautiful person, and this book made me want to be more like that person. So I guess in that sense it is one of the best hagiographies I've read. Good job on this one. Out of the hundred of audiobooks, this is in my top three. It's great. Saint Mother Teresa, pray for us.