Carmelite wisdom to encourage & inspire
St. Edith Stein explains how the love of Christ impels virginal souls "to descend into the darkest night": in this way, they resemble the Virgin of virgins who, beneath the cross, became the Mother of Grace.
In her article for the Augsburg Post in March 1935, St Edith Stein mentioned the origin of the brown scapular of Carmel: "the Blessed Virgin appeared to the general of the Order, Simon Stock, an Englishman, and gave him the scapular." Edith takes this piece of Carmelite tradition and firmly plants it within the Order's Marian spirituality.
Saint Edith Stein writes, "The legend of the Order tells us that the Mother of God would have liked to remain with the hermit brothers on Mount Carmel. We can certainly understand that she felt drawn to the place where she had been venerated through the ages..."
Out of the thank-you letters that St. Edith Stein wrote after her first profession, her letter to Mother Petra Brüning is touching: "out of the great riches of grace on this Easter day, I let all those have a share who have given me something of their heart to take along into Carmel." We explain some of the customs that Edith mentions in her letter.
"Whoever is imbued with a lively faith in Christ present in the tabernacle, whoever knows that a friend awaits here constantly—always with the time, patience, and sympathy to listen to complaints, petitions, and problems—this person cannot remain desolate..."
The Discalced Carmelites who remain in Ukraine look to the martyr Saint Edith Stein for inspiration and discernment because she was willing “to live and die in the hands of the Lord, as God wills and when God wills.” Father Józef Kucharczyk, OCD gives us an update and thanks us for our prayer and financial support.
Throughout the weeks of Lent, Saint Luke and the Carmelite saints will introduce us to the mystery of Divine Mercy in preparation for the great Easter feast. On Ash Wednesday, we contemplate God's merciful love with St. Thérèse.
St. Edith Stein made some enduring friendships as a teacher at St. Magdalena's School in Speyer. To one Sister she writes: "I know there is no one in St. Magdalena who more truly shared my joys and sorrows than you. Only do not think of the sorrow as too great and the joys too meager."
In a 1932 presentation, St. Edith Stein said, "The people of Europe who struggled in a life-and-death combat during the World War were plunged into misery together, and all the hard facts of life furthered the recognition that a recovery is possible only through joint effort."
Edith Stein produced a translation in two volumes of The Disputed Questions on Truth of St. Thomas Aquinas, but in a novel way....
We need hours for listening silently and allowing the Word of God to act on us until it moves us to bear fruit in an offering of praise and an offering of action.
St. Edith Stein departed from Cologne bound for Echt, Holland on the night of 31 December 1938. In a farewell poem, she wrote: "In the heart of Jesus, which was pierced, The kingdom of heaven and the land of earth are bound together. Here is for us the source of life."
The Crib of the Child is surrounded by martyrs: There are the innocent children, the babes of Bethlehem and Juda, who were cruelly slaughtered by the hands of brutal hangmen. What does this mean?
No one has looked more deeply into the hidden abyss of the divine life than [St John]. Therefore, he proclaims the mystery of the eternal birth of the Divine Word in the liturgy each feast day during the days of Christmas.
... the miracle of the Holy Night is renewed on the flower-decked altars with their burning candles: “And the Word was made flesh". This is the moment of bliss fulfilled.
It is truly a marvelous exchange: the Creator of mankind, taking a body, gives us His Godhead. The Redeemer has come into the world to do this wonderful work. He became one of us—more than this, He became one with us.
Because God is truth and because he wants to be found by those who seek him with their whole hearts, sooner or later the star had to appear to show these wise men the way to truth. And so they now stand before the Incarnate Truth...
On December 13, he asked in the morning what day it was and when he heard it was Friday, he inquired frequently what hour it was: after all, he was waiting to say Matins in heaven.
The bells of the cathedral have just finished their beautiful ringing in of the Feast of the Immaculata
The greatest figures of prophecy and sanctity step forth out of the darkest night. [...] Certainly, the decisive turning points in world history are substantially co-determined by souls whom no history book ever mentions.
Carmelite Quotes 
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