Though it is only a weekday sermon, I have posted my homily
for St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She has long been for me a dear spiritual
friend and guide. [see
the Vatican press release about this great saint]
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August 9th, Feast of St.
Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
[Moses said to the children of Israel:]
It is the Lord who marches before you; he will be with you, he will not fail
you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
The portion of the Lord is his people. (Response for today’s responsorial)
[Jesus said:] What is your opinion? If a
man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the
ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? (Matthew 18:12)
Edith Stein, who lived from 1891-1942,
was a woman of Jewish descent who first became an atheist and then a great
philosopher. Together
with Heidegger, she was the greatest student of Edmund Husserl – the founder of
the philosophical school called “phenomenology”. Edith Stein was quickly
recognized for her talent and insights, and her philosophical writings were influential on the thought of Bl. John
Paul II – in fact, it was our great hope that he would make her a Doctor of
the Church, but alas it looks like we will have to wait and see.
Again, Edith Stein was a German of Jewish descent
and, when she eventually converted to Catholicism, she saw this very much in
line with her heritage as an Israelite. John Paul II said of her, “She was a true daughter of Abraham, and a
daughter of the Church.” Indeed, on a personal note, I can say that Edith Stein
had a particularly strong influence on my own understanding of the relation of
the Jews to the Church – perhaps some
day the world will come to understand what our Savior meant when he said, Salvation is from the Jews.
Not only did
Edith Stein become Catholic, but she
entered the order of the Discalced Carmelites and took the religious name, “Teresa
Benedicta of the Cross”. Her spiritual writings are particularly inspiring.
During the
persecution under Hitler, Teresa Benedicta was arrested and taken to Auschwitz
where she died in the gas chambers in the year 1942.
Thus, she
remained united to her people, the Jews, and through her death gave witness to
the love of Christ.
As we think of
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, we are particularly mindful of the special role which the Jews have in the
history of salvation. How can we not be moved when we hear the words of
Moses in the first reading from Deuteronomy: It is the Lord who marches before you; he will be with you, he will not
fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.
Indeed, even in the horrible atrocities of the
Holocaust, the good Lord did not fail or forsake his chosen people. St.
Teresa Benedicta knew this well, for the Cross is the only means of union with
the Messiah of the Jews.
Likewise, when
we consider the parable of the lost sheep and hear how the Lord will leave the ninety-nine
to go in search of the one, do we not think of the Jews and the Gentiles.
Indeed, we Gentiles who have entered the household of the faith are far more
numerous than the Jews – we are those ninety-nine. But Jesus will surely go out
in search of the one sheep which has gone astray and, when he brings the Jewish
people into his flock, then will be accomplished the redemption of the whole
world.
All of history rests on the Jews – they are the chosen people of God, and
he will never forsake them.
Finally, just a word about the circumstances of St.
Teresa Benedicta’s death. She was in the convent and she knew that her life
was in grave danger – for Hitler had a
particular hatred for Catholics as well as for Jews, and she was both. And
I should mention that, although most of her family remained Jewish, Edith’s
sister Rosa did convert to Catholicism and also entered the Carmelite Order as
a nun.
At the time of her death, Teresa was
writing her autobiography,
and she probably knew that this would be the last book she would write. As we read the autobiography, it ends very
abruptly, almost mid-sentence. There is just a “…”, and that is it.
Teresa Benedicta
had been working on her book in the morning, but then the bell rang for the
mid-day prayers. So, she put down her pen and went to the chapel to join the
sisters in the recitation of the Breviary.
It was while they were gathered in prayer
that the Nazis came to the door
of the convent and forced their way in. They
took both Teresa and her sister. And, when Rosa (Edith’s sister) was
fearful, our Saint said: “Come, we are
going for our people.”
“Come, we are
going for our people.” These were the last words that St. Teresa Benedicta
would utter in the convent. Do we not
hear Christ himself, speaking through her? Is this not the very Spirit of
the Messiah who speaks? He who offered himself up to death for the sake of us
all – we who had become “his people”, when he deigned to take on our human
nature.
The arrest occurred on August 2nd, and little more is known of St. Teresa.
She was taken to Auschwitz and died in
the gas chambers, probably on August 9th. She simply disappeared, completely hidden and obscured by the
inhumanity, the brutality, the sin of the Holocaust.
But, I say, do not feel pity for St.
Teresa Benedicta! No, do
not weep for her! She was not defeated, she is the victor. Again, I say, if you
must shed a tear, weep before this most wondrous example of love! Be moved to tears, not of sorrow but of joy
– for this little Jewish woman, this great Carmelite Saint has today defeated
Hitler!
You know that,
don’t you? Edith Stein is the victor.
Together with St. Maximilian Kolbe, she
is the conqueror who triumphed over the Nazis, who triumphed over the world,
through Christ who strengthened her.
This was not the day of her death – no, I
tell you, it was the day of her birth!
For through her great victory, she was born this day into the glory of life
everlasting.
