Edith Stein – Blessed by the Cross

At the time of prayer, we should allow the soul undisturbed rest and put all our knowledge off to the side. Scholars will have plenty of time afterwards to serve the Lord with what they know. They will truly appreciate it then – so much so that nothing in the world will make them part with it, since they are using it in God’s service where it really is quite helpful. But before God himself, believe me, a little training in humility . . . means more than all the learning in the world. Instead of establishing proofs and drawing conclusions, we will get to see ourselves honestly for what we are and to remain in simplicity before God.      Teresa von Avila

Edith Stein was born into a devout Jewish family in Breslau, Germany, on October 12, 1891. She was precocious as a child, but she was blessed with incredible intelligence. Unfortunately for her she did not live in a relatively free country as Dorothy Sayers, who was her contemporary, did. Like Dorothy, Edith would move around in the intellectual circles that were usually filled with men, but unlike Miss Sayers, she would not be able to enjoy all of the fruits of her labor. They lived in very different circumstances.

Edith was born into a large family. Her father died when she was not quite two years old, leaving her mother to care for her and her many siblings. Her mother was able to provide for them by running the family lumber business. Edith was mostly raised by an older sister, but was very close to her mother, who was very devout in her Jewish faith. This would always have an effect on Edith.

Around age thirteen, Edith became an atheist, but did not confide this to her mother because of her great love for her. Edith went through a dark time, but eventually decided to work towards becoming a teacher. At the same time, she questioned the meaning and purpose of life.

Edith entered the University of Breslau when she was twenty years old. She hoped that studying psychology would give her the answers to her deep questions about life. At this time, psychological studies mostly involved research, statistics, and answers to questions that were strictly quantifiable. The “modern” German scholars of that day did not believe in spiritual things. Edith believed that there must be another dimension to life that was not just biological or chemical. She began to search for answers and came across the writings of Edmund Husserl.

Husserl believed that spiritual and mental events were real phenomena. He started the philosophical school called “phenomenology”. Edith entered the University of Guttingen in 1913 so that she could study with him. When he realized how brilliant she was, he took her on as his first assistant. Edith went on to make important contributions of her own to this field of study. Her doctrinal dissertation was on “empathy”, the study of how people establish community with each other.

In the meantime, Edith made friends with other student philosophers. They spent a lot of time together, and one of them, Max Schlerer, converted to Christianity from Judaism. He explained to Edith that the purpose in life was to know God. Much humility would be needed. One cannot just depend on his own fallible reason. Edith came to realize that there was something else missing in philosophy – the whole realm of values. Schlerer was teaching classes on religious values and students, including Edith were flocking to them.

Though not completely converted at this point, Edith admitted, “It was my first contact with a world that until then had been completely unfamiliar. I can’t say that it led me directly to faith. But it did open up a whole new realm of ‘phenomena’ that I wouldn’t’ be able to pass by blindly anymore.”

Complete conversion would take place later. Edith’s friend, Anna Reinach, asked her to come and help her sort through the philosophical papers of her husband Adolph, who had passed away. Edith discovered many references to Christ in his papers, and in order to understand them she decided she needed to read the New Testament. While studying the Scriptures, the Spirit awakened her mind to the fact that Jesus is divine. She knew now that Christianity was the true religion, holding all of the answers to the deep questions of life.

At this point, she had to decide which Christian church to join. After reading the writings of Teresa of Avila, she knew that she wanted to lead a life of prayer and so she joined the Catholic Church in order to become a nun. Teresa of Avila was also an intellectual who had experienced the freedom that comes with conversion to Christ. Edith had undergone the same intellectual struggles as Teresa who came to the conclusion that intellect, memory, and the essence of the soul were all real objects of experience, real phenomena. Furthermore, the experience of knowing the Lord was as real as any other experience, and “means more than all the learning in the world.” This was wonderful news for Edith, and she freely gave herself to God.

If we only talked about the incredible conversion of this remarkable woman, it would still be an amazing story of God’s goodness and mercy. But there is much more about Edith Stein that we can admire.

Though she converted to Christianity, she always felt a connection to “her people”, the Jews. Because of the love that she had for her mother, she did not take her vows in the convent until a few years had passed and her family could come to terms with her conversion. In the mean time, good friends convinced her to keep up with her work in philosophy.

Edith would have liked to spend most of her time in prayer, but she obligingly worked on things such as a translation of St. Thomas Aquinas’ “On Truth”. She was well able to add her own commentary. She went on to actually synthesize Aquinas’ philosophy with the philosophy of phenomenology, breaking new ground. She impressed others with her brilliance and was asked to deliver lectures many times.

Because she was a Jew, Edith found it difficult to get a position at a German university in the 1930’s. She had a position at the German Institute for Scientific Pedagogy until 1932, when the Nazi’s came to power. She was fired. What a great loss that was so needless.

Edith decided to go ahead and pursue her vows, and became a Carmelite nun in 1933. She had a chance to teach in South America, escaping the anti-Semitism that was rampant by then, but she refused. When studying the works of Thomas Aquinas, Edith developed a new attitude about faith. One should not keep it to themselves but “The deeper one is drawn into God, the more he needs to go out of himself – out into the world, that is, to carry the divine life into it.” She believed that the Jewish people needed her help. She decided to remain in Germany and fight for an end to their persecution. She was very open about her beliefs and came to the attention of the Nazi’s.

Eventually, after “Crystal Night” on November 9, 1938, Edith realized that she was a danger to her convent and so she went to a convent in Holland. A few years later, 1942, the Nazi’s began deporting the Jews from Holland to concentration camps. By this time, Edith’s sister Rose, who had converted to Christianity, had joined her. Edith had a chance to go to a convent in Switzerland, but she would not leave Rose behind when the Swiss convent said they had no place for Rose.

One Sunday night, August 2, 1942, the Nazi’s came looking for Edith. The mother superior who answered the door thought it was someone who came with information about Edith’s papers. She sent for Edith, who upon entering the visiting room was told by the Nazi’s that she had five minutes to pack and be ready to leave.

Though the sisters and a large crowd of angry people on the street tried to protest, Edith and her sister Rose were driven away. They went through several agonizing days and were eventually put on a train for Auschwitz.

Edith knew that this was the end of her life, but she spent every minute serving others. When young mothers fainted from the stress, she took care of their children. Her calmness amazed others and one survivor later wrote of her, “It was Edith Stein’s complete calm and self-possession that marked her out form the rest of the prisoners. …Edith Stein went among the women like an angel, comforting, helping, and consoling them.”

There is no complete account of Edith’s death, but she was very probably gassed in one of the windowless cottages that the Nazi’s used for the purpose of exterminating Jews on or around August 9, 1942. The horrible, wasteful, destructive symbol of human hatred, Auschwitz, became her end. The fact that Hitler and his Nazi’s were killing even Christian converts shows the irrationality of hatred and lust for power.

But Edith believed that love is stronger than hate, and the life of Edith Stein will go on being an inspiration to many. Her love for family, friends, and her people and her courage in defending them will be an encouragement for generations to come. In October of 1998, Pope John Paul II granted her the canonization of Sainthood.

When Edith joined the convent she took the name, Teresa Benedicta a Cruce, “Teresa, Blessed by the Cross”. Truly she took up her cross and followed her Savior to the end.