Edith Stein, a thinker for our time
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Edith Stein: a path to the truth
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EDITH STEIN: A tireless seeker of TRUTH
Pope John Paul II canonized on 11 October 1998 at the age of Blessed Edith Stein. Edith was born Catholic, but Jewish, in Breslau, then German city, and now Polish Wroclaw name in 1891. The youngest of a large family, and he suddenly lost his father just two years later. Her mother took over the family business with strong wood and education of their children.
Her mother instilled a high code of ethics to their children: Edith learned to never lose some virtues: honesty, work ethic of sacrifice, loyalty ... But although he was educated in a clearly Jewish faith was rather shallow. At ten he learned of the death of a beloved uncle, and ended up hearing about the cause: suicide, after the collapse of his business. Attended the funeral. "The rabbi began the eulogy. I had heard other funeral prayers. They were a summary of the life of the deceased, which highlights all the good things had for life, removing the pain of the family and without this it would receive no comfort. Finally, with solemn and pompous voice, the rabbi said: "If the body turns to dust, the spirit returns to God who is who gave it." But behind all this, there was a belief in personal survival and a return to be after death.
I had an entirely different impression when after many years attended a Catholic funeral cult, for the first time. It was the funeral of a famous scholar. But nothing is said in the eulogy of his merits, not the name that had been in the world. Only mandated the Mercy God her poor soul by the name. Certainly, that consolidates and serenantes were the words of the liturgy that accompanied the dead to eternity. "Edith knew a lot more suicides, happened when hopes were crumbling earth who until then seemed full of love for life.
The virtues learned at home, with a deep and awaken intelligence, Edith made progress in the academic world, despite the prejudices against women and Jews in Germany that rigid. excelled in school, and went to Göttingen to study philosophy. There he met Husserl, and, along with many others, was dazzled by the new phenomenology. "The Logical Investigations (Husserl) were impressed, especially because they were a radical departure from the Kantian critical idealism and neo-Kantian idealism stamp.'s Work was seen as a" new scholasticism. "(...) All young phenomenologists were determined a realistic. " Edith, in philosophy, sought the truth. But at the same time, the absorbed intensive work, and left no time for consideration of other things, in fact, had no faith.
God was preparing her head, but also other aspects that would discover, among others, contact with the pain. In 1914 war suddenly appeared. Many friends Edith went to the front. She could not keep still, and signed up as a volunteer nurse. She was sent to an Austrian hospital. Attended soldiers with typhus, with injuries and other ailments. Contact with death impressed. After he witnessed one of the first, "when I ordered the few things I noticed was the dead man had a note on your calendar. It was a prayer to ask to stay alive. This prayer had given his wife. It broke my heart. I realized, just then, which meant that death humanely. But I could not stay there. " After the formalities, it became a refuge in the ceaseless activity. Edith Medal of Valor for his work in the hospital.
After leaving the hospital, followed Husserl in Freiburg, and worked as his assistant. Ordered and collected the work of the teacher, but without a clear future in that position, decided to leave Husserl and try to aspire to a university chair. He could not get by being a woman, and had to settle with the direction of a private school.
Some conversions of friends and some scenes of faith that could see were impressed Edith. He began reading books on Christianity and the New Testament. One day she took a book at random from a friend's house converts. Proved to be the autobiography "The Life-de Santa Teresa Jesus. Completely absorbed him. When it was over, startled, said: "This is the truth!". Immediately, he bought a catechism and a missal. He soon appeared in the nearest parish asking you baptized immediately. Demonstrated good understanding of the faith, but had to run some errands, and was baptized on January 1, 1922, under the name of Teresa Edwig.
hardest thing was coming to the talks was just telling his family. Edith was a pride for his mother. That is why it collapsed and began to mourn when her daughter was back in his lap and said: "Mother, I'm Catholic." Edith consoled as he could, and even accompanied him to the synagogue. His mother never recovered from the blow, he considered it a betrayal, but was forced to admit, watching his daughter, "I have not seen anyone pray like Edith."
still find it more costly to accept the decision of becoming a Carmelite nun Edith barefoot. It was a considered decision for years, which became reality in 1934. Cast their ballots in April 1935 in Cologne. She became Sister Benedicta of the Cross.
While all this happens, the scene in Germany is becoming increasingly hostile to Jews, from Hitler came to power in 1933. In 1939, the Carmelite sisters of Cologne decide it is prudent to leave Germany and moved to the convent in Echt, Netherlands.
In the spring of 1940 Holland is occupied by the Nazis. In early 1942 he decided on the outskirts of Berlin's "final solution" planned extermination of the Jews. A few months later, the Dutch Catholic Hierarchy write a letter to the Commissioner of the Reich, Seyss-Inquart, protesting against the humiliating treatment to the Jews also protests are heard in the pulpits, as the Bishop of Utrecht. German SS react with reprisals, including arrest of Catholics of Jewish origin. In August 1942, presented at the convent in Echt, in search of Edith Stein and her sister Rosa, who fled there. After a few days Netherlands leaving an unknown destination. Few data are known from this time, but everyone agrees witness the serenity and exemplary delivery of Edith.
It was later learned the fate of Edith Stein: the gas chambers at Auschwitz. They gave their souls to the Lord sanctify the August 9, 1942. Taken
http://www.capellania.org/docs/jcremades
EDITH STEIN: A tireless seeker of TRUTH
By Alfonso Aguilo
Edith Stein had
born into a Jewish family. As a young student of philology Germanic Husserl discovered the figure, a great thinker of his time. Soon he caught his disturbing quest for uncompromising quest for the truth, and moved to Göttingen, from 1905 to 1914 - to continue his studies with that renowned philosopher who so admired.
Once, after going through the old part of Frankfurt, recalling her friend Pauline what this city has about Goethe in their thoughts and memories came a few minutes in the cathedral. There he witnessed something that caught our attention.
"While we were there in respectful silence had its own Edith Stein, a lady came with her basket and knelt market deep into a bank, for a brief prayer.
"This was for me something new. In the synagogues and Protestant churches in which I had been, it was only for religious services. But here came either in the midst of daily work to the empty church to a confidential dialogue. It's something that I could not forget. "
That experience in the old cathedral of Frankfurt was not his first contact with the Catholic faith. Edith remembered a previous occasion: a morning in which, after having stayed with a friend on a mountain farm, he beheld how the farmer, a practicing Catholic, prayed with his workers and cordially greeted them the day before.
Persuasion
pain
These fleeting fortune-the richness of the Catholic world found a remarkable prolongation and intensification shortly thereafter. It was by watching her friend Ana Reinach by the great test of pain.
Ana's husband had died in the battle front. Edith moved to Freiburg to attend the funeral and comfort his friend's widow. The strength of this, his quiet confidence that her husband was enjoying peace and light of God, revealed to Edith death power over who has the faith.
Edith
Ana had considered natural revolt against a misfortune that seemed to destroy the meaning of life. In fact, he hoped to have found it down or tense. But that peace filled with a deep trust had to have an origin far beyond anything human.
"There," confesses Edith first met the cross and the divine power that it communicates to those who carry. It was my first glimpse of the Church, born of the passion of Christ, his victory over the bite of death. At that time, my unbelief collapsed. "
A randomly chosen book
short time later, Edith was one day back home visiting her friend Anna Reinach. Took a random book from his library. "I started reading," he wrote years later ", and was immediately enthralled, unable to stop reading until the end. When I closed the book, I said, it's the truth. "
That book, which had enhanced its previous decisively insights on faith, was the autobiography of St Teresa of Jesus.
finished reading Edith rushed to buy in the city a catechism and a missal. Once properly treated, attended a Mass in the parish. At the end of it, approached the pastor to tell him he wanted to be baptized. That priest, surprised, asked him a few questions to see if he was ready. Soon yielded to the evidence: that atheistic intelligentsia met all the requirements. On January 1, 1922, Edith was baptized.
were many, starting with the same Husserl, who wondered in amazement how he could find Edith Stein's intellectual life of the saint of Avila, who moved him to take the plunge into the realm of the faith in which neighboring had moved a long time.
The explanation can be sensed in a few sentences written by herself in 1922 that: "Rest in God is something completely new for me and irreducible. Before, it was the silence of death. Now is a feeling of inner security. "
Edith, like Husserl, he wanted to resolve the problem of Western spiritual crisis by giving primacy to the right. She seemed honest and fair is intended to fund his teacher, but he discovered that it was possible to want to have everything under intellectual control means the field of man, his environment, his circumstances and spiritual life, everything.
Gradually, with blows of religious experience, Edith Stein was reaching deep convictions. The beloved disciple of Husserl concluded that only God knows who really know the man that the future of society depends on spiritual life with all radical and understood the full extent, that if we open everything great spirit around us, we discover that the life of God is an energy that we fulfilling occurrence.
A thorough educational work
Later, Edith left her career as a student and accepted a position as professor of German at the College of the Dominican Sisters in Speyer. There, he worked for eight years as a teacher. He divided his days between work and prayer. It was all kind and helpful person, who worked hard to convey ideas clearly and systematically. His concern went beyond transmitting knowledge, included training the whole person, for he was convinced that education was an apostolic work.
Throughout this period, Edith continued his writings and translations of philosophy and undertook to give lectures, which led to Heidelberg, Zurich, Salzburg and other cities. During his lectures, often dealt with the role and significance of women in contemporary life, and the value of the maturity of Christian life in women as a response to the world.
God Complete delivery
In 1931, Edith left the convent school to devote full time to writing and publishing of their work. In 1932 he accepted a professorship at the University of Münster, but a year later told him he should leave his post by his Jewish ancestry. Received several professional offers very attractive and security, but Edith was convinced that it was time to surrender to God.
On October 14, 1933, at age 42, Edith Stein entered the Carmelite convent in Cologne taking the name Teresa Benedicta and reflecting his special devotion to the Passion of Christ and gratitude to Teresa of Avila for his protection spiritual.
In the convent, Edith continued her studies and completing the texts written in his book "The Finiteness and Being", the masterpiece.
In 1938 the situation in Germany worsened, and the attack of the dreaded SS On November 8 the synagogues (the Kristallnacht or "Night of Broken Glass") cleared all doubts about the risks facing the Jewish citizens. Was prepared to transfer Edith Dutch convent in Echt, and December 31, 1938 Edith Stein was born in Holland.
Edith, as thousands of Jews in the Netherlands, began receiving subpoenas from the SS in Maastricht and the Chief Executive for the Jews in Amsterdam. Requested a visa to Switzerland with his sister Rosa, who had lived in Echt moving to the Carmelite Convent of Le Paquier. The community of Le Paquier reported the Community of Echt Edith could accept but not Rosa. Edith was unacceptable and therefore refused to go to Switzerland and chose to stay with her sister Rosa in Echt. Determined to finish "The Science of the Cross, Edith spent all his time to research, to exhaustion.
Netherlands When the Bishop wrote a pastoral letter in which severely protested against the deportation of the Jews, the Nazis responded by ordering the extermination of the Jews who were Catholic. On Sunday 2nd August at 5pm, after Edith Stein had spent his day praying and working on her endless manuscript of his book on San Juan de la Cruz, officials The SS were the convent and took her along with Rosa.
Scared by the crowd and can not do anything about it, Rosa began to mislead. A witness said that Edith took Rosa's hand and said quietly: "Come, Rosa, we go for our people." Together they walked to the corner and entered the police van that was waiting. There are many witnesses who have Edith's behavior during those days in prison in Amersfoort and Westerbork, central detention camp in northern Holland. Have their silence, the calm, poise, self control, your comfort to other women, to care for younger children, washing and brushing his hair and making sure that they are fed. In the middle of the night, before dawn on August 7, 1942, prisoners of Westerbork, including Edith Stein, were taken to the trains and deported to Auschwitz. In 1950, the Dutch Gazette published the official list of names of Jews who were deported from the Netherlands on August 7, 1942. There were no survivors. Here's what he said laconically the list of deportees, "Number 44070: Theresa Hedwig Edith Stein, born in Breslau on October 12, 1891, Died August 9, 1942."
EDITH STEIN: THE TESTIMONY OF HIS SISTER ERNA
Written by her sister Erna Biberstein-Stein, Edith
was the youngest of seven brothers and next to me in age. Less than two years separated us, and it was natural that, from childhood until the time of externally away our ways, we were attached to each of the other more than any of our other brothers.
His early childhood coincided in time when our mother bore the heaviest tasks, following the sudden death of our father. Because of the inevitable charges soon be dedicated to us. The two "small" were used to understand the two of us and, at least in the morning, until the biggest comeback school, we amused ourselves alone.
far as I know the stories of my father, my brothers and personal recollection, we were very formal and rarely scolded. Belongs to the earliest memories that Paul, my older brother in arms Edith pasease the room singing songs or student to show him the pictures of his history of literature and speeches of Schiller, Goethe, etc.. He had a formidable memory and all retained. Many of our numerous aunts and uncles were struggling trying to extol or wrongly, for thinking it was "Mary Stuart" Goethe or something. This was a complete failure.
From four or five years began to demonstrate knowledge of literature. When I entered school, she felt terribly alone, so that my mother decided to go into a kindergarten. But this failed completely. It looked so desolate there unhappy, and excelled intellectually all children had to abandon it. Very soon he began to beg to be allowed to go to school and fall, when on October 12 was six years old. While it was small and not all lights were attributed to six years, the school principal Victoria Breslau, and had attended school before her four sisters, agreed to cede his insistent pleas.
And so began their school time in his sixth birthday on October 12, 1907. Since it was not usual at that time the course starts in autumn, but remained in the lower class for half a year. However, since Christmas was one of the best students. He was very capable and hard-working, and safe and a power rail. However it was never bad friend, but always was an excellent partner ready to help. During school time obtained brilliant results. All we accepted as natural the fact that, like me, after finishing school for girls, finished high school courses in the Victoria school for and have access to a career. However, we were surprised by his decision to leave school. As it was still very small and delicate, my father relented and sent, in part break, partly to help my sister Else, who was married in Hamburg and had three young children. There, for eight months, fulfilling their duties conscientiously and tirelessly, however lure chores. When my mother visited after six months, barely recognized her. He had grown a lot and seemed to fully mature. On this occasion, my mother confided that he had changed his mind and wanted to return to school to continue studying. He returned to Breslau, was prepared in Latin and mathematics with the help of two students to go to school and passed the admissions test brilliantly.
The rest of school time was no surprise. As was always at the top of the class, escaping the final oral exam in high school. At the same time at school, took an active part in all our fun with peers. Never was a killjoy. You could trust all the troubles and all the secrets, was always ready to advise and help, and it was well received by her. The college years (I had begun to study medicine in 1909) were for us serious work time, but also of great fellowship. We formed a group of both sexes, which we spent our free time and vacations in great freedom and without bias, given the conditions of those times. We held discussions on scientific and social issues large and small circles of friends. Edith was among the most competent because of his unshakable logic and its extensive knowledge of literary and philosophical issues. During our vacation we conducted trips to the mountain and there we were encouraged to live fully and to build projects.
When he later went to Göttingen with one of our common friends, Rose Guttman, to study history and philosophy, there also won new friends, who would remain faithful for life. But our old circle remained unchanged and she retained primary allegiance. After our review of the state of medicine decided, then friend and now my husband and I visit Edith and Rose in Göttingen. Those days were unforgettable, beautiful hiking and happy moments, in which she tried to teach the best of his beloved Göttingen and its lovely surroundings. At the end we took a nice stroll through the Harz. This was in the spring of 1914. Shortly after my return to Breslau, I started my job as assistant, to be interrupted by the outbreak of war. But only changed my business by the fact that I went to another clinic, while Edith felt obliged to interrupt his studies and went as assistant Red Cross volunteer at a military hospital in Marish-Weisskirchen. Also there, as elsewhere, he worked with all the soul, being estimated by both the injured and by the colleagues and superiors. Also here I visited during my first leave of war, spending two weeks with her.
When in 1916 he went to Freiburg for his private assistant professor of Göttingen, Husserl, two old friends, Rose Guttman and Platau Lilli and me (I had gone as assistant to Berlin) decided to spend our summer vacation 1917 in the Black Forest with her. This time this memory bright, even though all were suffering from the pressure of war and that the diet might have some little impair our mood. We walked, we read together and were always extremely happy. The following year I return to Breslau, and this time I had to take my holiday trip alone. I could not plan anything better than returning to visit Edith. We were in Freiburg, and from there we performed all sorts of excursions, we read together and planned our future.
When in 1920 I married my classmate Hans Biberstein, Edith attended the beautiful wedding and wrote poetry for all the nieces and nephews. They relived the most pleasurable experiences of our college years and our children. It was then a teacher at a religious school in Speyer but spent every holiday in Breslau. In September 1921 our first daughter was born, Susanne, and Edith, who exactly was at home, served me as endearing. Indeed, a dark shadow loomed over this time, so happy on the other hand, I entrusted the decision to convert to Catholicism, and asked me to communicate it to our mother. I knew this was one of the most difficult tasks that I had to face. Despite my mother's understanding and freedom that all had left their children, this decision was a major blow for a genuine believer who was Jewish and considered apostasy Edith accept another religion. We too difficult, but we had so much confidence in the interior of Edith conviction, we accept the step in spite of us, after trying in vain to dissuade her because of our mother.
Even after his conversion continued to come home regularly. I again attended the birth of our son Ernst Ludwig, and loved our children dearly, and the rest of all nephews and nieces, was equally loved and adored by them. I remember especially how often, while she worked in her room, had the children with her, how entertained with any book and very happy and satisfied they felt at his side.
When in 1933 Edith had to leave his post as teacher in the Catholic Academy Münster because of his Jewish ancestry, came back home. Now I was also confident of their decision to enter the Carmelite convent in Cologne. The following weeks were very difficult for us all. My mother was rightly desperate, and never got to overcome this suffering. Also this time the farewell was far more painful for us but Edith did not want to admit it and from the convent shared without compromising the old love and bonding with unchanged interest. In 1939 when I went with my children to my husband to America, he expressed pleasure that we visited in Echt, where he had moved. But we had a ticket for Hamburg, and also the Dutch border was very uncomfortable. Therefore we prefer not to. Thereafter, we kept together by correspondence and, in some way, then I was quiet she was safe in the peace of the convent from persecution by Hitler, like my sister Rosa, through the mediation of Edith had found refuge in Echt. Unfortunately, this confidence was not justified. The Nazis did not stop at the convent, but my two sisters were deported on 2 August 1942. Since then he has disappeared all trace of them.
Written by his sister Erna Biberstein-Stein, New York, 1949 Taken http://www.arvo.net/Historia/EdithStein_semblanza.htm
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