Edith Stein. Sete della verità

by Conrad De Meester

Juive allemande, Edith Stein naît à Breslau le 12 octobre 1891. Philosophe éminente, convertie au christianisme et devenue carmélite sous le nom de sœur Thérèse-Bénédicte de la Croix, elle meurt à Auschwitz-Birkenau pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Canonisée en 1998, elle est déclarée, l'année suivante, patronne de l'Europe par Jean-Paul II. Son nom allemand Stein veut dire " pierre ". Edith est un diamant aux multiples facettes, solide, pure, lumineuse. Tout au long de sa vie Edith ne cessera d'affiner sa recherche : quel est le sens de l'existence ? quelle en est la destinée ultime ? En 1921, après avoir parcouru beaucoup de chemins de réflexion, elle est touchée par la parole d'un frère juif, Jésus : " Je suis la vérité ", qui la convainc. Désormais, le diamant, sans la moindre hésitation, s'expose à la splendeur lumineuse de ce Jésus. De maître qu'elle était, Edith devient disciple ; d'inquiète chercheuse, elle se fait témoin serein et intrépide. La philosophe s'élance dans une phase finale, inconditionnelle : celle de l'Amour le plus haut. Elle devient épouse de la Vérité, l'embrasse, l'adore, au sens plénier. Plus tard, en 1938, en pleine montée du nazisme et de la haine des Juifs, elle s'ouvre à une amie, en se référant à son nom religieux : " Aujourd'hui je saisis certainement encore mieux ce que signifie d'avoir épousé le Seigneur sous le signe de la Croix. Mais vraiment comprendre, on ne le fera jamais, car c'est un Mystère. " C'est cette extraordinaire destinée, cette si belle sainteté, que raconte Conrad De Meester dans ce récit concis, lumineux et très documenté. -- Edith Stein, a German Jew, was born in Breslau on the October 12, 1891. This eminent philosopher, who converted to Christianity and became a Carmelite nun under the name of Teresia Benedicta of the Cross, died at Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War. She was canonised in 1998, and the following year was declared Patron of Europe by John Paul II. Her German name Stein means 'stone'. Appropriately, because Edith, like a multi-facetted diamond, was solid, pure and radiant. All throughout her life, Edith ceaselessly refined her what is the meaning of life? What is our ultimate destiny? In 1921, after investigating many paths of thought, she was moved by the words of a fellow Jew, 'I am the truth'. She was convinced. From that moment on, without the slightest hesitation, the diamond radiated in the splendour of Jesus's light. Edith, who had been a master, became a disciple; and the restless researcher became a serene and intrepid witness. The philosopher embarked upon a final, unconditional that of the highest form of Love. She espoused Truth, and embraced and adored it in the fullest sense. Later, in 1938, when Nazism and the hatred of Jews were at their height, she confided to a female friend, referring to her religious 'Today I certainly have a much clearer understanding of what it means to have espoused the Lord under the sign of the Cross. But no one can ever fully understand, it is a Mystery.' It is this extraordinary life, this very beautiful holiness that Conrad De Meester describes in his concise, illuminating and well-documented volume.

Paperback

Published August 1, 2014

About the author

Father Conrad De Meester, OCD, a Carmelite priest from Louvain, Belgium, is the author of numerous works on the spiritual masters of Carmel: Thérèse of Lisieux, Laurent of the Resurrection, and Elizabeth of the Trinity. In particular, it was he who compiled the critical edition of the Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity for Les Editions du Cerf. He has two titles to his name published in English: With Empty Hands: The Message of Thérèse of Lisieux (St Paul Publications Australia, 1982) and St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Her Life, Times and Teachings (ICS Publications, Washington, DC, 1997). The Power of Confidence is a revised and updated edition of the masterpiece which won him his well-deserved reputation when it was first published as a doctoral dissertation twenty-seven years ago.