Saint Edith Stein received a good Jewish upbringing in Germany, but died a Catholic martyr in Auschwitz. Dianne Marie Traflet crafts a beautiful picture of her development in St. Edith Stein: A Spiritual Portrait. Traflet wrote her doctorate on Stein, and offers retreats on Stein’s rich spiritual insights. Stein is a powerhouse of philosophical and pastoral wisdom. Her academic prowess complements her humble desire to suffer for others. This book is my first significant introduction to Stein, and it balances biographical details with investigations into her values and thought life.
Stein
was born in 1891 and raised in Breslau in a large Jewish family. She was
sensitive and quiet, a contemplative child.[1] She made a conscious decision in
her teen years to stop praying. Around the same time, she dropped out of high
school. She eventually received intensive tutoring and returned to complete her
high school diploma. Despite her mother’s strong faith convictions, Stein never
returned to devout Jewish practice and prayer. She left for university and
discovered phenomenology, a branch of philosophy. She transferred universities
to study under Edmund Husserl. She earned her doctorate, and served as an
assistant and editor for Husserl.
Stein Family picture - Edith is the little girl sitting to the front right
(Mr. Stein was deceased, but his passport picture was edited into the picture)
[All pictures are from photo insert in the center of St. Edith Stein: A Spiritual Portait]
Traflet
presents Stein’s conversion in stages, and spends time reflecting on each step
in her journey. During her years in university, Stein was gently prompted by
the Holy Spirit to turn to the Catholic faith. She met faithful Catholic converts
in her philosophical club who inspired her, such as Max Scheler. [2] She saw a
simple woman enter an empty cathedral to pray. It struck Stein that the woman
had a personal conversation with God. During WWI, Stein served as a nurse. A
university professor with whom she was friends gladly served his country. He
died in action, and his wife’s Christian witness impressed Stein immensely.
Traflet writes, “The seeds of conversion were beginning to blossom.” [3]
Another big moment came when Stein read St. Teresa of Avila. She declared,
“This is the Truth!” and sought a priest to baptize her. [4] She entered the church
on January 1, 1921, and began reading spiritual classics and making Ignatian
retreats.[5] She desired to enter a convent immediately, but the Holy Spirit
delayed her entrance twelve years.
During
that time, Stein taught in a Dominican-run school for girls, and gradually
became popular on the Catholic lecture circuit. [6] She served as a confidant
and mentor for countless friends and acquaintances. She ministered powerfully
to those who sought her counsel. She maintained a full schedule of prayer,
appointments, writing, and speaking engagements. Her advice was practical, yet
inspired. A student writes of Stein: “With just a very few words – just by her
personality and everything that emanated from her – she set me on my way, not
only in my studies, but in my whole moral life. With her, you felt that you
were in an atmosphere of everything noble, pure, and sublime that simply
carried you up with it.” [7] She maintained a prolific correspondence with
professional, family, and social contacts. She fully participated in the prayer
life of the sisters, and regularly went on retreat. She devoted her life to
spiritual reflection and holiness. Her family, especially her mother, strongly
opposed her conversion. The years between her conversion and entrance into
religious life softened the blow somewhat.
Meanwhile
in Germany, the Nazi party was growing in strength. As a Jew, Stein was at
risk. She lost her teaching position due to her ethnicity, and her spiritual
director finally gave assent for her to apply for the Carmelites. [8] She was
readily accepted, and entered at 41 with a deep peace despite her family’s
misgivings. That same year, 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power. Stein wrote, “In
our time, when the powerlessness of all natural means for battling the
overwhelming misery everywhere has been demonstrated so obviously, an entirely
new understanding of the power of prayer, of expiation, and of vicarious atonement
has again awakened.”[9] Stein comforted her visitors and fellow religious
sisters, encouraging them in their vocation to pray for the world.
Portrait of Edith Stein during her time in academia
As
conditions in Germany grew worse, she was transferred to Echt, Holland. Soon,
the Nazis invaded that country as well. Stein foreshadowed her end repeatedly
in her writings, calmly placing her trust in God and uniting herself to Him in
His crucifixion. Her new name, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, captured
her spiritual influences. Her writings on the cross and spiritual maternity
have shaped modern church spirituality. She writes that Christians must “become
guides of other persons striving to the light; they must practice spiritual
maternity, begetting and drawing sons and daughters nearer to the kingdom of
God.”[10] Stein’s perspective on spiritual motherhood is rooted in Mary, and
inspired John Paul II and countless others. Stein explains that motherhood
extends far beyond natural progeny to include, “universal divine love for all
who are there, belabored and burdened.”[11]
Stein
advocated on behalf of the Jews. She composed dialogues comparing the state of
Jews under the Nazis to Esther’s plight. Her knowledge of the Old Testament
allowed her to speak on behalf of her people. In fact, she felt more Jewish as
a Christian than she had since her youth. She wrote the pope as a “child of the
Jewish people who, by the grace of God, for the past eleven years has also been
a child of the Catholic Church.”[12] The pope offered her family a blessing,
but the letter imploring his public intervention on behalf of the suffering
Jews in Germany seemed to have little immediate effect.
When
church authorities in Holland refused to comply to Nazi demands, the Nazis
retaliated by taking into custody the Jewish converts to Catholicism, who
typically received pseudo-immunity from policies targeted against Jews. Stein
was praying in adoration when SS officers knocked at the convent door. She and
her sister Rosa, who had become Catholic and joined Edith in religious life,
were taken from the convent to an internment camp called Westerbork.[13] The
habited sisters stood out, creating “an atmosphere of heavenly life,” [14]
according to witnesses. She remained
cheerful, succoring her fellow prisoners with her motherly love.[15] Along with
two of her godchildren and her biological sister Rosa, she was taken by train
to Auschwitz concentration camp on August 7, 1942.[16] Records show that the
prisoners were stripped naked, examined, and sent to “shower.” The gas chamber sealed, and the Stein sisters
gave their lives side-by-side in the gas chambers for their faith.[17] As Edith
Stein prophetically spoke so many times before, a believer must surrender to
death with Christ to enter into the resurrection.
Last known picture of Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) prior to her martyrdom
Traflet’s
observations about Stein reveal years of deep research and meditation about
Edith Stein as Dr. Traflet journeyed toward her licentiate and doctorate in
Sacred Theology at St. Thomas Aquinas University in Rome. Traflet describes the
transformation in Stein’s orientation: “The recognition of God’s power and love
in her own life led her away from any self-absorption and into selfless
service.” [18] Traflet’s insights link periods in Stein’s life. She offers poignant
analysis on Stein’s thoughts and actions.
Another
gem contained in the book is the continuous thread of quotes in Stein’s own
words. Rather than simply offering narrative, Traflet contextualizes Stein’s
writings and permits her to speak for herself. The quotes are moving and
apropos. Traflet’s years of work with Stein’s materials bears good fruit in
this easy-to-read book of only 150 pages. Stein’s core identity comes through
even to those unfamiliar with her story. Stein’s religious poetry contains layers of
mystery, especially those on the Eucharist, which Traflet includes to highlight
Stein’s spiritual development. Stein wrote during her time in Echt: “Your body
mysteriously permeates mine And your soul unites with mine: I am no longer what
once I was…” [19] Traflet ends the book with a beautiful poem by Stein about
Christ being “Easter in us!”
[1]
Dianne Marie Traflet, St. Edith Stein: A
Spiritual Portrait (Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 2008), 5-6.
[2]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 13.
[3]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 16.
[4]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 44.
[5]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 41.
[6]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 23.
[7]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 50.
[8]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 25.
[9]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 27.
[10]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 53.
[11]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 97.
[12]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 126.
[13]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 141.
[14]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 30.
[15]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 139.
[16]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 142.
[17]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 143.
[18]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 19.
[19]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 83.
[20]
Traflet, St. Edith Stein, 151.
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