St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Seeking the Truth

In her unrelenting search for Truth Edith’s reading led her to the Life of St Teresa of Avila written by herself.  She was so immersed in the thick volume that she read through the night and at the end she “was convinced that this was the truth.”  The light Edith had been searching for was Truth which only God can reveal and in finding God she found herself.

“God is Truth.  All who seek truth seek God, whether this is clear to them or not.” (Letter to Sr Adelgundis, L 259)

She lost no time in approaching a spiritual guide and asking for Baptism, meanwhile studying all the Christian literature she could find.  Had it been possible Edith would have liked to enter Carmel without delay, but she was directed to continue her work, writing, lecturing and teaching.  Her workload was intense, but she learnt it was possible to live a full life and not lose touch with the divine.

“The only essential is that one finds a quiet corner in which one can communicate with God as though there were nothing else, and that must be done daily.”
(Letter to Sr Callista, L. 45)

It is hard to surrender to God completely, but Edith found ‘What did not lay in my plans lay in God’s plans,’ and she tried to be available to all, ready to listen, docile and open.  Resting in His hands – such was the secret of her perfect trust.

Carmel in Cologne

Eventually the way was clear for her to enter Carmel in Cologne, only the biggest difficulty was how to tell her beloved Mother, Auguste, a faithful and devout Jewess.  In Carmel she became a learner again though she was soon encouraged to cultivate her talent for writing and produced many articles on liturgical seasons, on the Carmelite heritage and her longest work, Finite and Eternal Being.

The Science of the Cross where Love Conquered Evil

From Cologne she and her sister Rosa crossed to the Carmel of Echt in Holland for the safety of the community and here she wrote her final work on St John of the Cross for his fourth centenary.  This was to become The Science of the Cross and the manuscript pages were on her desk when she went to prayer on that evening when she and her sister, Rosa, were roughly taken away without warning in the Nazi SS van.  In the darkness they were taken to Auschwitz which meant the gas chambers.

When that fateful day came on 9th August 1942, her offering was consummated, her sacrifice for her people and for peace was accepted – from death to life, transformed by love.  Those most terrible times issued in blessings because love conquered hatred and evil.

Books by Edith Stein are available from the Carmelite Monastery