Catholic Spiritual Living Journal

Freedom

I ask the God of all mercies
And the Father of all consolations,
To send the Spirit.
To free me to see all the good about me.
To be taken up in the freedom God wants me to enjoy.

How often do we limit the power of God’s love in our lives?

Matthew 17:14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him here to me." Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ´Move from here to there,´ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Introductory Prayer:

Loving Father, I humbly approach you this morning with confidence in your mercy and love. Help me to live this day in your presence and stay united to your Son, my Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Petition:

Lord, I believe. Increase my faith.

1. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.

Although the disciples had been able to drive out demons in the past, they were not able to drive out this one. It’s safe to say that they were intimidated by the apparent power of this particular demon. They were focusing on their limited personal experiences and on the episodes they had in the past with weaker demons. They didn’t think they could exorcize such an apparently awful demon. Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith. How often do we limit the power of God’s love in our lives? How often do we take our eyes off of Christ and focus on the obstacles in our path or our personal weaknesses? Do you find yourself arguing for your weaknesses? Argue for your weaknesses, and they’ll be yours.

2. The Faith That Can Move Mountains.

What is Jesus talking about? How can my faith move mountains? This is certainly a puzzling statement from our Lord. Christ is trying to remind us about the nature of faith. Faith is a gift from God. It is one of the theological virtues that we receive at baptism. We have to thank God for this gift and learn to appreciate it by living it. Along these lines, you could say that faith is like a muscle. We have to exercise our faith so that it grows and becomes sturdy and resilient. Ultimately, by believing all that God has revealed to us and committing ourselves to God, we should seek to know, love, and fulfill God’s will in our lives. He has a great plan for all of us; and if that plan includes moving mountains and converting thousands of souls, then we can be sure that we will be given all that we need to succeed.

3. With God All Things Are Possible.

We have all been amazed in our lives. We have all seen things that we never expected to witness. Perhaps, you have even seen or personally experienced a miracle. Now, think of a particular unfortunate or frustrating circumstance in your life that you don’t believe will ever change. Perhaps, you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction. Perhaps, your marriage is on the brink of divorce. Nothing has seemed to work. You don’t think anybody can help you. Have you tried prayer? Have you persevered in your prayer, or have you put up roadblocks to the grace of God? Have you said, “I can’t do it” or “He or she won’t change”? Don’t discount the grace of God. Keep praying and don’t stop believing.

Dialogue with Christ:

Jesus, I believe that with you I can do all things. Increase my faith. Help my unbelief. Don’t let me give in to discouragement or self-pity. Grant me the grace of a living, active, and luminous faith that will help me persevere until I die, amid the difficulties and struggles that the faithful fulfillment of God’s plan will demand of me.

Resolution:

I will persevere in my prayer for an intention that is particularly grueling.

We commend our spirit into God's hands.

"There was a rich man whose land produced an abundant harvest. He said to himself, 'I will tear down my barns and build larger ones to store all my grain. I have ample goods stored up for years to come.'
But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded of you.' So it will be for the one who stores up treasure for himself on earth, but is not rich in what matters to God."
Luke 12: 16-21

If we were to pass from this life tonight, we would soon be forgotten. Only those to whom we have done good would remember us, and they are few. That we are given another day on this earth is not to be taken for granted. We would do well to ponder the lessons of this day, and to listen anew to God's voice, so that tomorrow we may walk with God in faith and holiness.

"Lord, in the quiet hour before sleep I turn to you. I reflect on this day, on what I have done, and what I have failed to do.
If I have done any good today, it was when I gave myself up to your will, and allowed you to work in me. All my efforts would be in vain, were it not for the few that had their beginning in you, and that you brought to completion.

I acknowledge the failings of this day: misdeeds I have done, words I have spoken that cannot be taken back, opportunities for good that I have let pass. I do not take for granted your mercy to me. I acknowledge that I do not deserve it. But you have shown me in countless ways the greatness of your love. And so I commend myself to your mercy, and ask forgiveness for my sins.

I do not fear the night, for you are with me. I place my trust in you, and I commend my spirit into your care."

Amen

Aug. 09 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) voiced his growing dismay at the continued warfare in Lebanon during his weekly public audience on August 9.
At the conclusion of his prepared remarks on the apostolic tradition (see today's separate CWN headine story), the Holy Father told the 6,000 people attending his Wednesday audience that "my thoughts, full of sorrow, are turning again to the beloved region of the Middle East." He insisted that is "still possible to change the course of events" in the Middle East.
The Pope again gave his support to efforts to obtain an immediate ceasefire, and talks aimed at achieving "a just and lasting solution." Citing the worlds of Pope Paul VI, in his 1965 speech to the UN, the he said: "If you want to be brothers, let your weapons fall from your hands."
Pope Benedict reiterated his call for all of the faithful to join in prayers for a quick resolution of the conflict, saying: "I renew my call to everyone, to intensify their prayers for the gift of peace."
Since the outbreak of the war in Lebanon 29 days ago, the Pontiff has made a point of calling for an end to the fighting-- and begging prayers for peace-- every time he has spoken in public.

Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need. (Ps 112)

August 10, 2006

Lord Jesus, today we celebrate the feast of St. Lawrence who spent his life in the service of the poor. We know that the poor will always be with us and St. Lawrence knew this so well in his life that he gave his life in loving service and in doing your work. May we be attentive to those around us who are poor and render service to helping them with their needs. We ask this in your name. Amen


Father, you called Saint Lawrence to serve you by love and crowned his life with glorious martyrdom. Help us to be like him in loving you and doing your work. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever

Amen

I'm sharing from Catechism of the Catholic Church ,United States Conference of Catholic Bishops :


Cathehism of The Catholic Church

... that we shall be made worthy for the promises of Christ

The Meaning of the Assumption is that of a culmination and a new beginning.

With the Assumption, the promises of the Lord were fulfilled for Mary, and as always, beyond all expectation. Her glorification in body and soul results from divine graciousness and gracefulness. But it also came, so to speak, as the logical conclusion of her vocation on earth and the way she lived it. Her divine motherhood is in perfect harmony with her Assumption, as are her Immaculate Conception and perpetual virginity, both called for by her vocation as Godbearer. How could the body of her in whom "the Word was made flesh" to save the flesh have known the corruption of the grave? Or the body of her who totally escaped the power of sin? And the body of her who, by her virginal consecration, belonged to her Son and His mission in a perfect and exclusive way?

If anyone has "followed Christ" to the utmost, without the least failing, it is Mary. How, then, could He not but gather her with Him, body and soul, to the glory to which the Cross is the way and the portal? What other "recompense" could be imagined for Mary than this immediate and total participation in the life of the Risen Lord?

Yet, this personal culmination of Mary's experience is at the same time a new beginning. Mary is now in eternal life. This means the joy and blessedness that comes from loving and beholding the God who is Light, Life and Love. It also means the fullness of communion with all who love God, with all whom God loves. And God loves everything he has made, creation being the effect of his love. But though the blessedness of eternal life is true of all elect in heaven, it is true of Mary in a very special way, not only by reason of the perfection of her glory, but also because her Assumption enables her even now to live her blessedness in the fullness of her glorified humanity.

And it does not mark the end of "service." On the contrary, her service could now assume its universal dimensions: "Taken up to heaven"--as Vatican II reminds us--"she did not lay aside her salvific duty ... By her maternal love she cares for the brethren of her son who still journey on earth" (CG62)." Yes, Mary is now in a position to exercise fully her "motherhood in the order of grace," without interruption until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect (LG62). And it is not immaterial, here as always, that Mary's maternal love for us engages not only her soul but all the powers of her human nature lifted up to glory.

And so, the Assumpta becomes the Mother of the New World, and in an even deeper sense, the mother of the fullness of times marking, according to John Paul II, "the moment when, with the entrance of the eternal into time, time itself is redeemed, and being filled with the mystery of Christ becomes definitively salvation time."

The Church's often rugged journey happens and evolves, in the "fullness of time." "She proceeds along the path already trodden by the Virgin Mary, who advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and loyally persevered in her union with her son unto the cross and beyond." This "fullness of time" exorcises the many doomsday scenarios of the day and we can be sure, that where Mary--the true "Morning Star"--preceeds, there is safe conduct for the pilgrim humanity and, above all, there will come the glorious rising of the "Sun of Justice."

To all the Cassandras of Apocalypse and all the Sirens of Aquarius and Pisces, Mary proposes her own song, that is, the joyful awareness that God is the saving truth, that he is the source of every gift and also of the loving preference for the poor and the humble. And so the Magnificat becomes a manifesto of hope, an efficacious antidote against the destructive and corrosive "Zeitgeist."

Mary, Mother of the New World and Mother of the Fullness of Times is at our side on this Pilgrimage toward the beginning of a new Millennium. In 1620, early Spanish settlers built a chapel in St. Augustine, Florida, and dedicated it to New World Mothers under the title of Nuestra Señora de la Leche y Buen Parto (Our Nursing Mother of Happy Delivery). The shrine houses a small replica of Spain's most prized Madonna, Our Lady of La Leche. She will deliver and nurse us. The kinship of faith that unites us with our Mother "in the order of grace" takes its quality and strength in part from the fact that Mary's glorified heart is immersed in God's grace.

Precisely, to be immersed in God's grace with her is both delivery and nursing for all of us. On this memorable day let us greet the Assumption as the true Mother of the New World in Christ and let us wish each other a happy delivery into the fullness of times, our own and that of all faithful Marian pilgrims.

Prayerful Reflections on the Assumption

St. Alphonsus de Liguori is one among the Saints who writes that Mary died for sheer longing and love of the Savior. Below is a quotation from his seventh discourse, "The Assumption of Mary":

"And now death came; not indeed clothed in mourning and grief, as it does to others, but adorned with light and gladness. But what do we say? Why speak of death? Let us rather say that divine love came, and cut the thread of that noble life. And as a light, before going out, gives a last and brighter flash than ever, so did this beautiful creature, on hearing her Son's invitation to follow him, wrapped in the flames of love, and in the midst of her loving sighs, give a last sigh of still more ardent love, and breathing forth her soul, expired. Thus was that great soul, that beautiful dove of the Lord, loosened from the bands of this life; thus did she enter into the glory of the blessed, where she is now seated, and will be seated, Queen of Paradise, for all eternity." Glories, p. 420

Let us now consider how our Savior went forth from heaven to meet his Mother. On first meeting her, and to console her, he said: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come, for winter is now past and gone. (Liguori uses the imagery from the Song of Songs 2:10) Come, my own dear Mother, my pure and beautiful dove; leave that valley of tears, in which, for my love, you have suffered so much. Come from Lebanon, my spouse, come from Lebanon, come: You shall be crowned.(Songs of Songs 4:8) Come in, soul and body, to enjoy the reward of your holy life. If your sufferings have been great on earth, far greater is the glory which I have prepared for you in heaven. Enter, then, that kingdom, and take your seat near me; come to receive that crown which I will bestow on you as Queen of the universe. Glories, p. 427

The humble and holy Virgin, then kneeling, adored the divine Majesty, and all absorbed in the consciousness of her own nothingness, thanked him for all the graces bestowed upon her by his pure goodness, and especially for having made her the Mother of the Eternal Word. And then let him who can, comprehend with what love the Most Holy Trinity blessed her. Let him comprehend the welcome given to his daughter by the Eternal Father, to his Mother by the Son, to his spouse by the Holy Spirit. The Father crowned her by imparting his power to her; the Son, his wisdom; the Holy Spirit, his love.
Liguori continues by asking us to rejoice with Mary because God exalted her in such a way. But the saint also invites us to rejoice on our own account, "for though our Mother is no longer present with us on earth ... yet in affection she us always with us." (Glories, p. 436)

Our Lady fell asleep at last after the years of living with St. John and waiting for Heaven, and all the Apostles were gathered about her bed. Except St. Thomas. He was off in India preaching the Gospel and couldn't get back on time, although an angel is supposed to have told him to hurry. The Apostles carried her body to the tomb and laid it there, and some time afterward they discovered that it was gone. They naturally concluded that it had been taken to Heaven (as indeed it had). Then St. Thomas came home; and when they went out to meet him and to explain, he would not believe. He would not believe, the legend says, until he had seen for himself. So they took him to see where they had laid Our Lady's body and in its place were flowers. Looking up, St. Thomas saw her going up to Heaven; and to convince him at last, an angel brought the girdle she had fastened about her robe and dropped it to Thomas.
It is a pretty story and parts of it are true, but frankly we doubt that St. Thomas had doubts again. You don't do that sort of thing twice, not after our very Lord said to you: "You are a doubting Thomas. Come here."
What is true is that Our Lady fell asleep. The word death is not used for Our Lady, because death is the consequence of original sin and a punishment for sin, and Our Lady was without the slightest taint of sin. She would not, need not, have died, but merely waited for her divine Son to will that it was her time for Heaven, and then yield up her soul. We would have accomplished it this way instead of through death if God's original plan had been permitted to unfold. But instead of God's original plan, we had Adam's original sin, and that is how death came in its stead.
Mary was assumed into Heaven, and now that it is declared dogma we must believe it. At the end of Masses and after Benediction when we say the Divine Praises, we now add in praise of Our Lady: "Blessed be her glorious Assumption," which is what we catholic and ortodox faithful celebrate .

August is often considered the transitional month in our seasonal calendar.
It is the time of the year we begin to wind-down from our summer travels and vacations and prepare for Autumn — back to school, fall festivals, harvest time, etc.
The Church in her holy wisdom has provided a cycle of events in its liturgical year which allow the faithful to celebrate the major feasts in the life of Christ and Mary.
Most notably, during August, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration and the feast of the Assumption.
The days of summer have provided a welcome change of pace. We have to persevere in prayers and faith .
However, while vacations afford us the time to relax and refresh, the change of habits and routines can also have a negative impact on our spiritual lives. As if to re-ignite us, the Church offers us in the plethora of August feasts vivid examples of the virtue of perseverance: six martyrs — two who are named in Canon I of the Mass and two who were martyred during World War II; seven founders of religious congregations, as well as three popes and two kings; the apostle, St. Bartholomew; the great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine and St. Monica, his mother; the humble patron saint of parish priests, St. John Vianney, and the patron of deacons, St. Lawrence, who joked with his executioners while being roasted alive.
It is never too late to begin — as the life of the reformed sinner, St. Augustine teaches us — nor too difficult to begin again, as demonstrated by the conversion of the martyr, St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein). We present-day members of the Mystical Body are certain of the reward to which we are called, for Christ’s Transfigured body (August 6) is a preview of that glory. Moreover, in the Assumption of his Mother (August 15), Our Lord has demonstrated his fidelity to his promise. Her privilege is "the highest fruit of the Redemption" and "our consoling assurance of the coming of our final hope — the glorification which is Christ’s" (Enchiridion on Indulgences).
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the most perfect example of Christian perseverance, but she is also our advocate in heaven where she is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth (August 22). Mary is the "Mother of Perpetual Help", the patroness of the Congregation founded by St. Alphonsus Ligouri (August 1). "No one who has fled to her protection is left unaided" is the claim of the Memorare of St. Bernard (August 20). Heretics have returned to the faith by the prayers of her Rosary, first preached by St. Dominic (August 8) in the twelfth Century, and hearts have been converted by the graces received while wearing her Miraculous Medal, promoted by St. Maximillian Kolbe (August 14) and adopted as the "badge" for the Pious Union he founded.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope!

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, virgin and martyr


"For the honour of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the fostering of the Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, after due deliberation and frequent prayers for the divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of our Brother Bishops, we declare and define that Bl. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein, is a saint and we enrol her among the saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated in the whole Church as one of the saints. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".

With these solemn words pronounced in Latin on Sunday, 11 October, Pope John Paul II canonized St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein, a Jewish philosopher, convert to the Catholic faith, Carmelite nun and martyr at Auschwitz. The canonization took place during a solemn concelebrated Mass in St Peter's Square. After the Gospel text (Jn 4: 19-24) was chanted in Latin and Greek, the Holy Father gave the following homily in Italian and German.

1. "Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal 6: 14). St Paul's words to the Galatians, which we have just heard, are well suited to the human and spiritual experience of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who has been solemnly enrolled among the saints today. She too can repeat with the Apostle: Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Cross of Christ! Ever blossoming, the tree the Cross continues to bear new fruits of salvation. This is why believers look with confidence to the Cross, drawing from its mystery of love the courage and strength to walk faithfully in the footsteps of the crucified and risen Christ. Thus the message of the Cross has entered the hearts of so many men and women and changed their lives. The spiritual experience of Edith Stein is an eloquent example of this extraordinary interior renewal. A young woman in search of the truth has become a saint and martyr through the silent workings of divine grace: Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who from heaven repeats to us today all the words that marked her life: "Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ".

2. On 1 May 1987, during my Pastoral Visit to Germany, I had the joy of beatifying this generous witness to the faith in the city of Cologne. Today, 11 years later, here in Rome, in St Peter's Square, I am able solemnly to present this eminent daughter of Israel and faithful daughter of the Church as a saint to the whole world. Today, as then, we bow to the memory of Edith Stein, proclaiming the indomitable witness she bore during her life and especially by her death. Now alongside Teresa of Avila and Thérèse of Lisieux, another Teresa takes her place among the host of saints who do honour to the Carmelite Order. Dear brothers and sisters who have gathered for this solemn celebration, let us give glory to God for what he has accomplished in Edith Stein.
We remember all concentration camp victims with respect

3. I greet the many pilgrims who have come to Rome, particularly the members of the Stein family who have wanted to be with us on this joyful occasion. I also extend a cordial greeting to the representatives of the Carmelite community, which became a "second family" for Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. I also welcome the official delegation from the Federal Republic of Germany, led by Helmut Kohl, the outgoing Federal Chancellor, whom I greet with heartfelt respect. Moreover, I greet the representatives of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate and the Mayor of Cologne. An official delegation has also come from my country, led by Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek. I extend a cordial greeting to them. I would particularly like to mention the pilgrims from the Dioceses of Wroclaw (Breslau), Cologne, Münster, Speyer, Kraków and Bielsko-Zywiec who have come with their Cardinals, Bishops and pastors. They join the numerous groups of the faithful from Germany, the United States of America and my homeland, Poland.

4. Dear brothers and sisters! Because she was Jewish, Edith Stein was taken with her sister Rosa and many other Catholic Jews from the Netherlands to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, where she died with them in the gas chambers. Today we remember them all with deep respect. A few days before her deportation, the woman religious had dismissed the question about a possible rescue: "Do not do it! Why should I be spared? Is it not right that I should gain no advantage from my Baptism? If I cannot share the lot of my brothers and sisters, my life, in a certain sense, is destroyed". From now on, as we celebrate the memory of this new saint from year to year, we must also remember the Shoah, that cruel plan to exterminate a people a plan to which millions of our Jewish brothers and sisters fell victim. May the Lord let his face shine upon them and grant them peace (cf. Nm 6: 25f.). For the love of God and man, once again I raise an anguished cry: May such criminal deeds never be repeated against any ethnic group, against any race, in any corner of this world! It is a cry to everyone: to all people of goodwill; to all who believe in the Just and Eternal God; to all who know they are joined to Christ, the Word of God made man. We must all stand together: human dignity is at stake. There is only one human family. The new saint also insisted on this: "Our love of neighbour is the measure of our love of God. For Christians and not only for them no one is a "stranger'. The love of Christ knows no borders".
Only the love of Christ makes us truly free .

5. Dear brothers and sisters! The love of Christ was the fire that inflamed the life of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Long before she realized it, she was caught by this fire. At the beginning she devoted herself to freedom. For a long time Edith Stein was a seeker. Her mind never tired of searching and her heart always yearned for hope. She traveled the arduous path of philosophy with passionate enthusiasm. Eventually she was rewarded: she seized the truth. Or better: she was seized by it. Then she discovered that truth had a name: Jesus Christ. From that moment on, the incarnate Word was her One and All. Looking back as a Carmelite on this period of her life, she wrote to a Benedictine nun: "Whoever seeks the truth is seeking God, whether consciously or unconsciously". Although Edith Stein had been brought up religiously by her Jewish mother, at the age of 14 she "had consciously and deliberately stopped praying". She wanted to rely exclusively on herself and was concerned to assert her freedom in making decisions about her life. At the end of a long journey, she came to the surprising realization: only those who commit themselves to the love of Christ become truly free. This woman had to face the challenges of such a radically changing century as our own. Her experience is an example to us. The modern world boasts of the enticing door which says: everything is permitted. It ignores the narrow gate of discernment and renunciation. I am speaking especially to you, young Christians, particularly to the many altar servers who have come to Rome these days on pilgrimage: Pay attention! Your life is not an endless series of open doors! Listen to your heart! Do not stay on the surface, but go to the heart of things! And when the time is right, have the courage to decide! The Lord is waiting for you to put your freedom in his good hands.

6. St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was able to understand that the love of Christ and human freedom are intertwined, because love and truth have an intrinsic relationship. The quest for truth and its expression in love did not seem at odds to her; on the contrary she realized that they call for one another. In our time, truth is often mistaken for the opinion of the majority. In addition, there is a widespread belief that one should use the truth even against love or vice versa. But truth and love need each other. St Teresa Benedicta is a witness to this. The "martyr for love", who gave her life for her friends, let no one surpass her in love. At the same time, with her whole being she sought the truth, of which she wrote: "No spiritual work comes into the world without great suffering. It always challenges the whole person". St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross says to us all: Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love. And do not accept anything as love which lacks truth! One without the other becomes a destructive lie.
Mystery of the Cross gradually enveloped her whole life

7. Finally, the new saint teaches us that love for Christ undergoes suffering. Whoever truly loves does not stop at the prospect of suffering: he accepts communion in suffering with the one he loves. Aware of what her Jewish origins implied, Edith Stein spoke eloquently about them: "Beneath the Cross I understood the destiny of God's People.... Indeed, today I know far better what it means to be the Lord's bride under the sign of the Cross. But since it is a mystery, it can never be understood by reason alone". The mystery of the Cross gradually enveloped her whole life, spurring her to the point of making the supreme sacrifice. As a bride on the Cross, Sr Teresa Benedicta did not only write profound pages about the "science of the Cross", but was thoroughly trained in the school of the Cross. Many of our contemporaries would like to silence the Cross. But nothing is more eloquent than the Cross when silenced! The true message of suffering is a lesson of love. Love makes suffering fruitful and suffering deepens love. Through the experience of the Cross, Edith Stein was able to open the way to a new encounter with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith and the Cross proved inseparable to her. Having matured in the school of the Cross, she found the roots to which the tree of her own life was attached. She understood that it was very important for her "to be a daughter of the chosen people and to belong to Christ not only spiritually, but also through blood". 8. "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (Jn 4: 24). Dear brothers and sisters, the divine Teacher spoke these words to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. What he gave his chance but attentive listener we also find in the life of Edith Stein, in her "ascent of Mount Carmel". The depth of the divine mystery became perceptible to her in the silence of contemplation. Gradually, throughout her life, as she grew in the knowledge of God, worshiping him in spirit and truth, she experienced ever more clearly her specific vocation to ascend the Cross with Christ, to embrace it with serenity and trust, to love it by following in the footsteps of her beloved Spouse: St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross is offered to us today as a model to inspire us and a protectress to call upon. We give thanks to God for this gift. May the new saint be an example to us in our commitment to serve freedom, in our search for the truth. My her witness constantly strengthen the bridge of mutual understanding between Jews and Christians.

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, pray for us! Amen.

Taken from:L'Osservatore RomanoWeekly Edition in English14 October 1998, 1.