Born on October 12, 1891, the youngest child of the merchant Siegfried Stein and his wife Auguste (Courant), "smart Edith," as she was called by her six siblings, lost her father at the age of three. Her strong mother ran the family lumber business in Breslau, which prospered. This Jewish family, led by her mother, kept the feasts and fasts of the Old Covenant with steadfast faith and rich observance. However, Edith renounced her Jewish tradition at an early age, choosing to pursue the study of psychology and philosophy at the University of Breslau. Later, in Gottingen, she became assistant to Edmund Husserl, a Protestant Christian who had formulated the new science of phenomenology, a branch of philosophy which seeks "the essence of that which appears." Here she met Adolf Reinach who, attracted by Husserl's ideas, had come to Gottingen with his wife Anne. He worked closely with Husserl as lecturer, and with Theodor Conrad founded the "Philosophical Society," a lively group of philosophers, including the enthusiastic Catholic Max Scheler, all of whom were influenced by Husserl's ideas. The World Wars were at that time brewing in Europe. In 1914, Edith worked as a Red Cross nurse at a military hospital. In 1917, her friend Reinach was killed on the western front. This may have been a turning point in Edith's life, because she was amazed at the composure of Anne Reinach, who was a Christian, in the face of the death of her beloved husband. In 1921, in the home of her phenomenologist friends Theodor and Hedwig Conrad, Edith was introduced to the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila. whose life-story convinced her to become a Catholic. She was baptized on New Year's Day at the Church of St. Martin in Bergzabern wearing the wedding dress of her friend and sponsor, Hedwig Conrad-Martius. At that time, New Year's Day was the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus, the Jewish rite of the Covenant with Abraham. Today, New Year's Day is celebrated as the Solemnity of the Mother of God, a celebration of the spiritual motherhood of Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus Christ and Mother of the Church.
From her writings: "The world is in flames. The struggle between Christ and antichrist rages openly, so if you decide for Christ you may even be asked to sacrifice your life. Contemplate the Lord Who hangs before you on the wood, because He was obedient even to the death of the Cross. He came into the world not to do His own will but that of the Father. And if you wish to be the Spouse of the Crucified, you must renounce completely your own will and have no other aspiration than to do the will of God. Before you the Redeemer hangs on the Cross stripped and naked, because He chose poverty. Those who would follow Him must renounce every earthly possession. Stand before the Lord Who hangs on the Cross with His heart torn open. He poured out the blood of His heart in order to win your heart. To follow Him in holy chastity, your heart must be free from every earthly aspiration. Jesus Christ must be the object of your every longing, of your every desire, of your every thought. The world is in flames: the fire can spread even to our house, but above all the flames the Cross stands on high and it cannot be burnt. The Cross is the way which leads from earth to heaven. Those who embrace it with faith, love and hope are taken up, right into the heart of the Trinity." Comments are closed.
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