Edith Stein-Life in a Jewish Family

Life in a Jewish Family is the autobiography of Edith Stein—a deeply moving and compelling work that reads like an engaging novel, never dull or tiresome. Knowing how her life ended and how unwavering her faith remained, we come to appreciate the profound magnitude of the sacrifice she made out of love for Christ.

Born and raised in a large Jewish family under the care of a wise, talented, and loving mother, Edith made the courageous decision to convert to Catholicism after completing her studies. Deeply inspired by the life of St. Teresa of Avila, she chose to enter the Carmelite convent, where she took the religious name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

The autobiography offers insight into her intellectual nature—her dedication to learning, mastery of various subjects, and rigorous preparation for demanding examinations. She eventually pursued a career in philosophy, becoming a phenomenologist and one of the most brilliant disciples of Edmund Husserl. At a time when few women pursued doctoral studies in philosophy, she stood out as a pioneer. Despite her qualifications, it was difficult for her to secure a university position, so she went on lecture circuits and was frequently invited to speak at Catholic organizations.

As she completed her doctoral studies, Hitler rose to power, and Jews were systematically excluded from professional life. Edith entered the Carmelite convent in Cologne, later transferring to a convent in the Netherlands. Plans were made to send her to Switzerland, and she hoped to take her sister Rosa with her. However, when accommodations for both were not available, the trip was delayed. Tragically, around that time, the Dutch bishops issued a pastoral letter denouncing Hitler’s regime. In retaliation, the Nazis began targeting Jews who had converted to Christianity. As a result, Edith Stein was seized from the convent.

Her autobiography also paints a tender and respectful portrait of her mother, who, after the early death of her husband, raised eight children with strength, dignity, and discipline. Edith, the youngest, was her favorite. Edith’s decision to convert to Catholicism broke her mother’s heart, as it meant turning away from the Jewish faith that had shaped their lives so deeply.

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The meaning of the Cross--Pope Benedict

The Holy Father probes the meaning of the Cross and Suffering  in his book,"Jesus of Nazareth, Part Two." The Holy Father attempts to find a theological reason for the suffering of Christ while emphasizing at the same time that Cross is a mystery beyond our comprehension.
In the following  words, we find a cogent explanation of the  meaning of the suffering of Christ.It has often baffled people why Jesus could not save mankind through a miracle instead of going through the abyss of such a great suffering.
"One thing was astonishingly clear: with the cross of Christ, the old Temple sacrifices were definitively surpassed.Something new had happened."
"The Temple sacrifces, the cultic heart of Torah were a thing of the past.Christ had taken their place.The Temple remained a venerable place of prayer and proclamation.Its sacrifices, though, were no longer relevant for Christians."
In Romans 3;25, St.Paul draws upon a tradition of the earliest Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem, referring to the Crucified Jesus as "hilasterion."(the name given to the covering of the Ark of Covenant on which the expiatory blood was sprinkled on the great day of atonement....)
Christians interepreted it in a different way:"It is not through the blood of animals touching a holy object that God and man are reconciled.In Jesus' passion , all the filth of the world touches the infinitely pure one, the soul of Jesus Christ, and hence, the Son of God himself.
While it is usually the case that anything unclean touching something clean renders it unclean, here it is the other way around: when the world, with all the injustice and cruelty make  it unclean, comes into contact with the infinitely pure one--then the pure one, is the stronger. Through  this contact, the filth of  the world is truly absorbed, wiped out, and transformed in the pain of the infinite love.
The reality of evil and injustice ---this reality exists, through our sin.it cannot be simply be ignored; it must be addressed.but here it is not a cruel God demanding the infinite.it is exactly the opposite.God himself  becomes the locus of reconciliation.God himself "drinks the cup" of every horror to the dregs and thereby restores justice through the greatness of his love, which through suffering , transforms darkness.
"Obedience had replaced the Temple sacrifices here;living within and on the basis of God's word had been recognized as the right way to worship God....Prayer, the self-opening of the human spirit to God, is true worship.God is rightly venerated when we live in obedience to his word and hence thororoughly shaped by his will, thoroughly godly."
Again and again our obedience proves patchy.Our own will imposes itself repeatedly.The logos himself, the Son, becomes flesh :he takes on a human body.In this way a new obedience becomes possible, an obedience that surpasses all human fulfillment of the commandments...Only the incarnate Word, whose love is fulfilled on the Cross, is perfect obedience.Our own morality is insufficient for the proper worship of God.
The Incarnate one bears us all within himself and in this way he gives what we ourselves would not able able to give.
What does this means for me?What does it mean for my path as a human being?
The mystery of the Cross does not simply confront us; rather, it draws us in and gives a new value to our life.
Paul in his letter to the Romans,Ch.12: ..".Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God..."
It is our physical existence that must be penetrated by the word and must become a gift to God.
True worship is the living human being, who has become a total answer to God.and true priesthood is therefore the ministry of word and sacrament that transforms people into an offering to God and makes the cosmos into praise and thanksgiving to the Creator and Redeemer.
In the trials of our life we are slowly burned clean; we can become bread, to the extent that the mystery of Chrsit is communicated through  our life and suffering...
Ultimately the Cross is a mystery that defies analysis in terms of our rational  formulae.the darkness and irratioanlity of sin and the holiness of God, too dazzling for our eyes, come together in the  Cross, transcending our power of understanding.
The mystery of atonement is not to be sacrifieced on the altar of overweening rationalsism."the Son of Man  came  not be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."(Mk.10:45)

The Meaning of the Washing of the Feet

In the book, Jesus of Nazareth ,Part Two by the Pope Benedict XVI, we find very fresh insights into some of the important actions of our Lord.
The Holy Father gives  a fresh interpretation of the Washing of the Feet in the following words:
"The Washing of the Feet is not an individual sacrament, but it signifies the whole of Jesus's saving ministry: the sacramentum of his love into which he immerses us in faith, his love , which is our true bath of purification."
"The complete bath that was taken for granted can only mean Baptism, by which man is immersed into Christ once and for all.This fundamental  event, by which we become Christians not through our own doing but through the action of the Lord in his Church, cannot be repeted.Yet in the life of Christians-- for table fellowship with the Lord-- it constantly requires completion: "washing of feet."
The Holy Father now equates the washing of the feet with the Confession of sins:
 "The point is this:guilt must not be allowed to fester in the sielnce of the soul, poisoning it from within.It needs to be confessed.Through confession, we brng it into the light, we place it within Christ's purifying love.In confession, the Lord washes our soiled feet over and over again and prepares us for table fellowship with him."
He adds: " In this humble gesture, the Lord stands before us as the servant of God....St.John's whole passion narrative is built on this connection between humble service and glory.It is in his downward path that his glory is seen."
"The hour of the Cross is the hour of the Father's true glory, the hour of Jesus' true glory."

Tradition according to Pope Benedict XVI

The Holy Father has explained very beautifully the meaning  of Tradition in a new book titled" I Believe in One God" , a collection of his essays and homilies dealing with the different parts of the Creed.He also deals with Unity and Universality in this book.
With regard to Unity of the Catholic faith, he mentions that "Unity is the business card of the Church."Concerning Universality, he notes that "the Universal Church precedes the particular churches."
Universality has two dimensions: synchronic--with all the faithful while diachronic deals with all down through the centuries.
The Holy Father goes on to explain the meaning of Tradition in the following words: " Tradition is the communion of the faithful around their legitimate Pastors down through the centuries.It is the practical continuity of the Church.It is the permanent actualization of the active presence of the Lord Jesus in is people, brought about by the Holy Spirit.
Faith in the Creator involves responsibility towards creation .One has  to publicly assert this responsibility.We have  to defend earth,water and also man  from self-destruction. We have to defend human ecology.
Faith in the Creator involves listening to the language of creation.Rain forests are to be protected.So also is man."
The above mentioned   ideas of the Holy Father on faith,tradition , unity , universality and ecology are worth mentioning.

Classmates' Gathering,Nov.13,12

The first picture is that of welcome offered to the Major Archbishop and the last one is the group picture.

Classmates' gathering at Mount St.Thomas,Nov.13,12

The gathering of the Classmates took place n Nov.13th at Mount St.Thomas. The Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry greeted all the priests very warmly. His presence lent a great charm to the gathering.
More than 40 of  our classmates who were ordained on Dec.18,1967 came for the gathering. This was the 45th anniversary of our ordination.All were given a copy of Santimon's book,Garshominte Suvishem.All the priests gave a short overview of their life and experiences at this gathering.
In the morning, we had a  concelebrated mass. I was the Main the Celebrant and Frs.JoseP. Kottaram and Mupparathara were the con-celebrants.I mentioned the words of Cardinal  Kaspar on priesthood in the homily and one of the sisters came at the conclusion of the mass  to thank me for highlighting the need of priests to reflect the mercy and love of Jesus.
The Cardinal  in his greeting made the priests understand with great awareness the differences in perspectives between the older and the younger clergy.He requested the priests to show more understanding and sensititvenesss to the younger generation of priests.All were happy for the great welcome they got at Mount St.Thomas and they  appreciated very much   the the service rendered to them by the fathers and sisters of the house.
The Major Archbishop along with Bishop Mar  Bosco Puthur was present also  for breakfast .

After dinner, a group picture was taken with the Archbishop.The picture appeared in the Deepika the next day.