St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stien)

Feast Day August 9

Born: October 12, 1891

(the Day of Atonement)

in Germany

Died: August 9, 1942 in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Canonized October 11, 1998 by Pope John Paul II

Who are you, sweet light, that fills me

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!¹

Scripture Reading

Teaching Outline

• 
  Intro
  
• 
  The Carmelites
  
• 
  Edith's Early Years
  
• 
  Quest for Truth
  
• 
  Called by God
  
• 
  Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
  

• Sr. Theresa Benedicata Takes up Her Cross

• Applied To Us

Challenge of the Week

(See after teaching.)

The 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. Some are known to us. Some are only named in groups of martyrs. Others remain completely anonymous to history, the power of their sacrifice known only to God.

• 
  The power of contemplative prayer and the unique place of Carmel in the Church;
  
• 
  Goodness and love as stronger than hatred;
  
• 
  Passion for the splendor of the truth;
  
• 
  Dignity and holiness of intellectual pursuits;
  
• 
  Importance of fidelity in the face of unfaithful culture;
  
• 
  Martyrdom as an effective proclamation and destroyer of evil designs.
  

Two 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.

Edith 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.

She 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

Interestingly, 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. 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. During 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 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.

In 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. She 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 Theresa 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.”²

Edith 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.”³

Sr. 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, “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.”⁵

Sr. Theresa Benedicata Takes up Her Cross

Applied to us