00:00On August 9, the church honors Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, born Edith Stein, philosopher, Carmelite nun and martyr at Auschwitz.
00:11His life is a bridge between intellectual research and total dedication to God.
00:17Edith was born in 1891 into a practicing Jewish family in Breslau.
00:23Intelligent and curious, she gradually lost her faith during her adolescence and turned to philosophy.
00:34Her passion took her to Göttingen, where she became the most brilliant student of the philosopher Edmund Husserl, founder of phenomenology.
00:45Despite her academic success, she remains in search of truth.
00:49In 1921, she read the life of Saint Teresa of Avila and was deeply moved.
00:58In 1922, she was baptized in the Catholic Church.
01:04She pursues a career as a teacher and speaker, while deepening her spiritual life.
01:11In 1933, as Nazism gained momentum and racial laws intensified,
01:20She entered the Carmel of Cologne, taking the name of Therese Benedicta of the Cross.
01:27She then led a life of intense prayer, silent study and total abandonment to God.
01:34In August 1942, in retaliation for a protest by Dutch bishops against anti-Jewish persecution,
01:44She was arrested with her sister Rosa by the Gestapo.
01:49Deported to Auschwitz, they were murdered in the gas chambers a few days later.
01:55Canonized in 1998 by John Paul II and proclaimed co-patron of Europe,
02:05It embodies the possible union between faith and reason, spirit and sacrifice.
02:10Prayer to Saint Edith Stein.
02:14Saint Edith Stein, you who sought the truth with passion,
02:19you who have found in Jesus Christ the fullness of light,
02:24We call upon you today with confidence.
02:27You who united the wisdom of philosophers with the faith of saints,
02:31teach us to seek God with all our heart, even in darkness and doubt.
02:37You who lived in the peace of Carmel,
02:41teach us the silence that listens,
02:43humility that surrenders itself
02:45and love that is given without return.
02:49You who offered your life with courage
02:51in the tragic night of hatred and persecution,
02:56help us to bear witness to the Gospel through fidelity,
03:00dignity and compassion.
03:02Saint Edith Stein, daughter of Israel and sister in Christ,
03:07be our intercessor with the Lord
03:10so that peace may reign in our hearts
03:13and may the light of Christ illuminate the world.
03:17Amen.
03:32Subtitling Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
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