Edith Stein and Newman

The news that Pope Leo is to pronounce St John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church on 1 November incites me to revisit St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and the impact of our English saint on her.  I am indebted to the website of the Carmelite Nuns of Great Britain for the following (adapted): ‘In 1925 while living and working at St Magdalena’s Dominican College in Speyer, Edith was asked to translate some of Newman’s works into German.  Edith began with The Idea of a University and she wrote afterwards to her friend and philosophical colleague Roman Ingarden: “Now I want to do a second volume. The translation gave me pure pleasure. And in addition, it is very good for me to come into contact with such a mind as Newman. His entire life was a search for religious truth and led him, inevitably, to the Catholic Church.” (Letter 85 to Roman Ingarden)  The ‘second volume’ she mentions was Newman’s pre-conversion Letters and Diaries, which she did in fact go on to translate.  Ingarden – who later taught philosophy to the future Pope St John Paul II –  was a lapsed Catholic who admired Edith’s strong faith but struggled to reconcile it with rational thought.  Edith encouraged Ingarden to read Newman to help him appreciate the interdependence of faith and reason: “It seems that first, using the intellect, you have to approach the limits of reason and then come to the door of mystery. Perhaps Newman can help you with it.” (Letter 115 to Roman Ingarden)  In 1927 Edith wrote an obituary for her dear friend and spiritual director Canon Joseph Schwind in which she cites Newman: “More than once Cardinal Newman has emphasised that it is relatively easy for us to develop one aspect of our Christian life, strictness, gentleness, seriousness or cheerfulness. But truly Christian perfection is only attained when these contrasted virtues are exercised in unison.” Edith had witnessed such a rounded Christian life in her director - and others saw this teaching lived out by Edith herself.  Newman’s influence on Edith far exceeded these few isolated quotes. When Edith first discovered his writings, she was living quite a reclusive life at Speyer, not undertaking any philosophical work and devoting most of her spare time to prayer.  She seems to have found something in Newman which helped her to integrate her life of prayer with a call to service. She was already doing this very effectively as a teacher at Speyer. Now, however, she realised that she did not have to give up philosophy but that in fact she was being called to use her skill as a philosopher to communicate the truth she had found in Christ.  She not only returned to philosophical writing but also began to be invited to give public lectures throughout Europe.’

Intercessions:

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Jacqui, Theresa K, Fr Jon B

Siena, Elara – sick children

Matthew – six-year old boy dying of bladder cancer

Wojtek – massive heart attack leaving him incapacitated

David OCDS – housebound

Sophia – blind infant

Joy Smith OCDS – seriously ill

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Lucia – Overwhelmed by weariness

Defence of the unborn and the elderly

RIP Martin Gilham, Sue Burton, Alan Ward