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t. eresa enedicta
of the Cross (Edith Stein)
‘God Himself teaches us to
go foward with our hand in His
by means of the Church’s liturgy’
ST. TERESA BENEDICTA
n Chri
s
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M
aint
eresa
enedicta
BORN
October 12, 1891 in Germany
DIED:
August 9, 1942 at Auschwitz
FEAST DAY
August 9
VOCATION
Carmelite Religious
CANONIZED
October 11, 1998
by Pope John Paul II
PATRONAGES
Patron of Europe
(Co-Patroness),
Jewish Converts,
World Youth Day
Supported by
Aid to the Church in Need
t. eresa enedicta
of the Cross (Edith Stein)
T
he twentieth century
saw more people live
than all other centuries of
human history combined. It
should be no surprise then
that there were a large
number of Christian saints
and Christian martyrs in that
century, most of whom have
been canonized by Pope John
Paul II, many of whom are
yet to be raised to sainthood
by the Church. The twentieth
century saw the madness of
World War II, the Spanish Civil
War, the Mexican Revolution,
and atheist superpowers of
the Soviet Union and China.
The power of the state was
brought to bear against the
Roman Catholic Church in
more ways and places than
we appreciate. Genocides
were recorded in Europe,
Cambodia, Eastern Europe
and Africa. It was a century
filled with martyrs for the
faith. We know some. Some
are only named in groups
of martyrs. Others remain
completely anonymous to
history, the power of their
sacrifice known only to God.
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BIOGRAPHY
E
dith Stein was born on October
12, 1891, the Day of Atonement,
the youngest of eleven children of a
devout and practicing Jewish family.
Her mother was exceptionally hard
working and assisted her father in
a lumber business. Her father died
suddenly at age forty-eight, leaving
Frau Stein to raise their now seven
children. After a precocious childhood
she inexplicably became withdrawn and
an introvert at age seven, experiencing
a great isolation and loneliness.
S
he became very sensitive to the
sufferings of others, at times even
exhibiting bodily illness, such as fevers,
as a reaction to situations in her life.
The young Edith kept these sufferings
brought on by her gift of extreme
empathy to herself, not even confiding
in her mother with whom she remained
very close.
Quest for Truth
I
nterestingly, this strong willed,
sensitive and brilliant girl did not
believe in God. She continued her
education and her intellect continued
to shine brilliantly. Her family wanted
her to become a doctor, but she
wanted to teach and so declined the
opportunity to attend medical school.
2 | Saint Teresa Benedicta
She had a clear sense that she would
serve others, but had not yet chosen
her path.
Her studies led her from psychology
to philosophy at the University of
Breslau. She read Edmund Husserl’s
Logical Investigations and transferred
to Gottingen in order to study with
the man who would become known
as the father of phenomenology.
Phenomenology would be the school
of thought which gave rise to the
theological work of Pope John Paul II.
D
uring these years Edith Stein
worked as something of a feminist,
promoting the rights of women to work
in careers that had been reserved to
men and working to promote the right
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of women to vote. She was among
the first women to be admitted to
Gottingen University. Edith was drawn
to Husserl’s conviction that truth could
really be known and became one of his
closest co-workers as a student.
It was in Gottingen that Edith first
met Max Scheler, a Jewish convert
to Catholicism and a professor of
phenomenology. His lectures were filled
with the spiritual beauty of Catholicism.
This caused her to question her own
spiritual poverty, wondering if there
might be an “Eternal”.
I
n addition to these lectures, the
experiences of deep suffering during
World War I continued to lead her to
faith in Christ. Edith joined her friends
who had been drafted by volunteering
to serve as a battlefield nurse. Her
mother’s habits of hard work had
become Edith’s as she labored to assist
sick and injured soldiers.
She was awarded a medal of valor for
her selfless service at the end of her
term. The death of one of her teachers
in the war and the hope displayed by his
widow combined with her service on
the battlefield cause Edith to consider
the power of the cross of Jesus Christ
as well as its mystery.
S
he began reading the New
Testament and was eventually
baptized a Roman Catholic. One
evening, while staying at a friend’s
home, she picked up a copy of Saint
Teresa of Avila’s autobiography. She
could not put it down and read it in one
sitting through the course of the night.
When she finished she declared, “This
is the truth.”
Called by God
E
dith Stein began a career as a
teacher. She deepened her
spiritual journey (especially by
reading the translated the works of
Thomas Aquinas) and continually grew
in humility and grace. Edith made
friends with everyone who knew her.
Her tranquility was a trait noticed
by many. Even as a speaker on the
role of woman in society, she was
not fiery. One person commented,
“within her penetrating eyes lay
something mysterious and solemn,
and the contrast between this and her
simplicity created a certain awe.”
A
s she witnessed to the truths of
our faith and all that it demands,
she became increasingly convinced that
the only real source of change and
conversion was prayer and sacrifice. It
would not be through argumentation
and logic that hearts were won, but
by the offering of oneself for others in
imitation of the cross. This would be
her weapon against the new insidious
evil beginning to rise around her, the
Nazi persecution of the Jewish people.
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E
dith had always been proud of
her Jewish heritage and declared
upon becoming a Catholic Christian
that “now I am living two covenants,
one of the flesh and one of the spirit.”
Her deep empathy for others caused
her to suffer deeply at the beatings
and injustices, which Germans were
now visiting upon Jews, some of which
she witnessed herself. She saw the
persecution as the cross of Christ being
laid upon the Jewish people.
Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
S
r. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross’
new name was most prophetically
fitting to her life. Her life of prayer was
a living sacrifice for the redemption of
the violence which was the holocaust.
Pope John Paul II would write as he
proclaimed her co-patroness of Europe
along with Catherine of Siena and
Bridgette of Sweden,
Her own vocation was becoming
clearer as the anti-Semitic persecution
increased. She would root herself more
deeply in the source of truth and power
which she had discovered. She would
continue to change herself, and the world
around her by offering herself to God in
a life of prayer. Edith Stein decided that
she would join the Carmelite Order. She
took the religious name of Saint Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross.
“With Edith Stein - Saint Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross - we enter
a very different historical and
cultural context. For she brings
us to the heart of this tormented
century, pointing to the hopes
which it has stirred, but also the
contradictions and failures which
have disfigured it. Unlike Bridget
and Catherine, Edith was not from
a Christian family. What we see in
her is the anguish of the search
and the struggle of an existential
‘pilgrimage’. Even after she found
the truth in the peace of the
contemplative life, she was to live
to the full the mystery of the Cross.”
W
ith Jews being deported to the
east to be held, apparently,
in labor camps, Sr. Teresa Benedicta
attempted to stay a step ahead of the
Nazis together with her sister, also a
Carmelite nun, Rosa. She landed in
a monastery in Holland, but when
the Nazis easily overtook Holland she
attempted to emigrate to Switzerland.
4 | Saint Teresa Benedicta
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H
owever, the Catholic bishops of
Holland had spoken out in one
voice in objection to the way in which
Jews were being treated. In retaliation
for that protest, Jewish Catholics in
Holland and France were rounded up
and sent to the concentration camps,
and these included Edith and Rosa Stein.
Sr. Teresa Benedicata Takes up
Her Cross
T
here was talk of a rescue at
the convent shortly before her
deportation. She shunned the thought
of that. “Do not do it!” she said, “Why
should I be spared? Is it not right that
I should gain no advantage from my
Baptism? If I cannot share the lot of my
brothers and sisters, my life, in a certain
sense, is destroyed.”
Always caring for her sister, Sr. Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross said to her as
they were being herded away from
the convent by the SS, “Come, Rosa,
we go for our people.” Better than
most, Edith Stein understood well
what was happening, what their fate
was to be and the deeper meaning of
this sacrifice.
them. They were kept in boxcars for
the three-day trip and treated poorly
by the Nazis.
O
ne witness wrote, “What
distinguished Edith Stein from
the rest of the sisters was her silence.
Rather than seeming fearful, to me she
appeared deeply oppressed. Maybe the
best way I can explain it is to say that
she carried so much pain that it hurt
to see her smile. She hardly ever spoke;
but often she would look at her sister
Rosa with a sorrow beyond words. As I
write, it occurs to me that she probably
understood what was awaiting them.
Every time I think of her sitting in the
barracks, the same picture comes to
mind: a Pieta without the Christ.”
T
he transport made its way to
Auschwitz where all of the
travelers were immediately taken to
the gas chambers and then cremated
W
itnesses on the train which
carried them east to the camps
testified that Sr. Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross was calm and cared for the
needs of others, most of whom were
in a panic at what was happening to
Edith Stein c.1920
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in the ovens of the camp. St. Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross died on August
9, 1942.
I
n the words of Pope John Paul II:
“Her voice merged with the cry of
all the victims of that appalling
tragedy, but at the same time
was joined to the cry of Christ on
the Cross which gives to human
suffering a mysterious and enduring
fruitfulness. The image of her
holiness remains forever linked to
the tragedy of her violent death,
alongside all those who with her
suffered the same fate.
And it remains as a proclamation of
the Gospel of the Cross, with which
she identified herself by the very
choice of her name in religion. Today
we look upon Teresa Benedicta of
6 | Saint Teresa Benedicta
the Cross and, in her witness as an
innocent victim; we recognize an
imitation of the Sacrificial Lamb and
a protest against every violation
of the fundamental rights of the
person. We also recognize in it the
pledge of a renewed encounter
between Jews and Christians which,
following the desire expressed by
the Second Vatican Council, is now
entering upon a time of promise
marked by openness on both sides.
Today’s proclamation of Edith Stein
as a Co-Patroness of Europe is
intended to raise on this Continent
a banner of respect, tolerance and
acceptance which invites all men
and women to understand and
appreciate each other, transcending
their ethnic, cultural and religious
differences in order to form a truly
fraternal society.”
•
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CATECHETICAL
REFLECTION
(Man’s Response to God: ‘I believe’ YOUCAT 20-29)
G
od reveals himself to us in many
ways: through nature, through his
Word, through the love of others, and
more. But what happens after God
shows himself to us? We must respond;
this response is called faith.
There are seven characteristics of faith
(YC 21). For faith to be full, it must possess these characteristics. The faith of
the saints certainly show these traits in
their faith, and St. Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross is no exception:
1
Faith is a sheer gift of God, which
we receive when we fervently ask
for it - the quest for truth is closely
related to this asking for faith. St.
Teresa sought truth in her life through
her philosophical studies in phenomenology; this philosophy champions
the idea that Truth can be known.
3
Faith is necessary for salvation St. Teresa’s faith allowed her to
face her fate calmly, because she knew
she was destined for heaven.
4
Faith requires the free will and
clear understanding of a person
- in her quest for truth, St. Teresa disappointed her family’s hopes for her.
Just as she freely chose the profession
that would lead her to the Church,
she freely chose to embrace her faith
as well.
5
Faith is incomplete unless it leads
to active love - her selfless acts
of kindness to others on the train to
Auschwitz bear witness to this fact.
The greatest love is made present on
the Cross of Christ, a reality St. Teresa
embraced wholeheartedly in her life
and death.
2
Faith is absolutely certain - what
else could allow St. Teresa to say
“This is the truth” after reading the life
of St. Teresa of Avila? Or what could
give her the conviction to calmly face
her death on the train to Auschwitz?
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6
Faith grows when we listen more
carefully to his Word and enter
into relationship with him through
prayer – St. Teresa joined the Carmelite
sisters, a cloistered order devoted to
prayer! It was this deep faith, brought
about through prayer, which allowed
her to willingly accept the plan God
had for her life.
7
Faith gives us now a foretaste of
the joy of heaven - St. Teresa knew
the joy that awaited her in heaven
while she was on earth, allowing her
to embrace her Cross, which led her
to the joys of heaven.
When we ask for faith, we receive it
as a gift from our heavenly Father.
This faith is the fullness of Truth, and
therefore cannot contradict any other
form of truth that exists, like science.
Where science lacks explanations, faith
has answers. This is the Truth that
St. Teresa came to see in her work in
philosophy, as have scores of scientists
throughout history.
I
t is this faith that allows us to say
each time we recite the Creed, “I
believe.” St. Teresa did not respond in
faith, and simply believe in whatever
she felt was right. Rather, she aligned
her faith with the faith already present
in the Church – the beliefs written in
the Creed. When we do the same, our
personal “I believe” joins the rest of
the saints and faithful, becoming a “We
believe.”
•
A Prayer of
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
W
ho are you, sweet light, that fills me
And illumines the darkness of my heart?
You lead me like a mother’s hand...
You, nearer to me than I to myself
And more interior than my most interior
And still impalpable and intangible
And beyond any name:
Holy Spirit eternal love!
Amen
8 | Saint Teresa Benedicta
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ST TERESA
BENEDICTA
VOCATION
T
wo of the most important saints
of the twentieth century were
Carmelite nuns, Saint Terese of the
Child Jesus, known as the Little Flower,
and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross,
known also as Edith Stein. Both were
brilliant, holy women. Both broke
beyond normal patterns of religious
life to become universal saints for the
Church. Both are deeply important to
the Church in Europe.
Carmel can claim to be ‘Mary in the
Church’ as the contemplatives assume
Mary’s posture of acceptance of the
gift of God in prayer. One Carmelite nun
describes her life as follows:
“In Mary, we contemplate the ideal
of the Order. We strive to imitate
her in the way she humbly welcomed the Lord’s word and pondered it in her heart. We look to her
as the one who was totally open to
all the impulses of the Holy Spirit.
Like Mary, the Carmelite bears Jesus
in her heart, contemplates Him in
silence, serves Him in humility and
stands at the foot of His cross.
Each of the religious orders has a peculiar reason for its existence. Usually
that charism arises in certain historical
circumstances in which God provides
the Church with the gift of that charism
for the good of the Church. Carmel is
an order of religious men and women
whose charism it is to pray.
T
he form of that prayer is
typically solitude and known
as contemplative prayer. Because
contemplatives look to God with an
open spirit, awaiting the Word and
ready to accept God’s Word as it is
given to them to understand, they have
a special identification with Mary, the
Mother of the Lord, who was the one
who accepted the Word of God so
dramatically that she became pregnant
with His Son.
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In union with Mary, we live toward
the perfection of charity in all that
we do. Our life of prayer is lived
within an atmosphere that makes
it possible for us to best listen and
ponder God’s word in our hearts.
It is in a spirit of silence and solitude
that we live and pray. Silence nurtures a peacefulness of heart and
allows us to maintain attentiveness
to the presence and gentle voice of
God. The hermit aspect of our life
is expressed in extended times of
solitary prayer and solitary work
during our day.
Solitude is a means to detachment
and habituates us in living in the
presence of God as the source of our
meaning and fulfillment.”
T
he tradition reaches back to Elijah
of the Old Testament and to Mount
Carmel itself, where legend holds that
Mary prayed with the disciples after the
resurrection. There are many saints of
the Carmel tradition, including several
who are Doctors of the Church.
St. Teresa of Jesus (of Avila), St. John
of the Cross, St. Teresa of the Child
Jesus, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
(Edith Stein) are but a few of the
great saints of the Carmel tradition of
contemplative prayer formed in the
spirit of Our Lady.
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I
t is a principle of theology, and of
life, that what we do flows from who
we are. Knowing who we are is more
important than anything that we might
do. Pope John Paul II has asked schools
to emphasize being over functioning as
a way of grounding young Catholics in
Jesus Christ.
The contemplative is the one who simply prays, who sits before God in openness and in doing so knows who he or
she is. The contemplative also knows
that he or she has chosen “the better
part” (Luke 10:42). Faced with the terrible designs of the Nazi’s to exterminate
the Jewish population of Europe, St.
Teresa Benedicta of the Cross simply
determined to fight Hitler with prayer.
S
he knew the power of receiving
the grace of God in prayer. Only
the incarnate Jesus Christ, given to his
Church in contemplative prayer, would
beat the Nazi evil. The contemplative
constantly chooses being over
functions, relationship with Jesus Christ
over human designs. It is a radical and
dramatic choice.
•
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NOTES
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NOTES
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