Edith Stein (religious name Saint Teresia Benedicta a Cruce ; also known as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross or Saint Edith Stein; 12 October 1891 – 9 August 1942) was a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Christianity and became a Discalced Carmelite nun. She is canonized as a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church; she is also one of six patron saints of Europe.
She was born into an observant Jewish family, but had become an agnostic by her teenage years. Moved by the tragedies of World War I, in 1915, she took lessons to become a nursing assistant and worked in an infectious diseases hospital. After completing her doctoral thesis at the University of Freiburg in 1916, she obtained an assistantship there.
From reading the life of the reformer of the Carmelite Order, Saint Teresa of Ávila, Edith Stein was drawn to the Christian faith. She was baptized on 1 January 1922 into the Catholic Church. At that point, she wanted to become a Discalced Carmelite nun but was dissuaded by her spiritual mentor, the abbot of Beuron Archabbey. She then taught at a Catholic school of education in Speyer. As a result of the requirement of an "Aryan certificate" for civil servants promulgated by the Nazi government in April 1933 as part of its Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, she had to quit her teaching position.
Edith Stein was admitted as a postulant to the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Cologne on 14 October, on the first vespers of the feast of Saint Teresa of Ávila, and received the religious habit as a novice in April 1934, taking the religious name Teresia Benedicta a Cruce (Teresia in remembrance of Saint Teresa of Ávila, Benedicta in honour of Saint Benedict of Nursia). She made her temporary vows on 21 April 1935, and her perpetual vows on 21 April 1938.
The same year, Teresa Benedicta a Cruce and her biological sister Rosa, by then also a convert and an extern (tertiary of the Order, who would handle the community's needs outside the monastery), were sent to the Carmelite monastery in Echt, Netherlands, for their safety. In response to the pastoral letter from the Dutch bishops on July 26, 1942, in which they picked up the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis as a central theme, all baptized Catholics of Jewish origin (according to police reports 244 people) were arrested by the Gestapo on the following Sunday, 2 August 1942. They were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where they were murdered in a gas chamber on 9 August 1942.
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Some of their strengths
Edith Stein has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Intelligent, Imaginative, Altruistic, Kind, Diplomatic, Independent, and Passionate.
Intelligent and Inquisitive
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Edith Stein is someone who is an intelligent, inquisitive, and imaginative person, who is practical, considerate, kind, and diplomatic in dealings with others. A person who is known for being a good communicator.
Warm and Caring
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Edith Stein well know them as someone who can be warm, caring, and compassionate, like a lamp or torch.
Imaginative and Sentimental
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Edith Stein as someone who is imaginative, sentimental, and in touch with emotions.
A person who has extremely good memory and analytical skills, likes to make sure that everyone gets along, enjoys all kinds of situations and people, has a talent for travel and languages, and who makes lifelong friends.
Perceptive and Visionary
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Edith Stein is someone who has a natural awareness about what is going on in the surrounding environment and the world at large, and a refined vision of how to navigate it.
They are also someone who is calm, comforting, and stable, and who loves stability and being a good friend and loyal partner.
Justice-seeking and Peaceful
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Edith Stein tends to be someone who loves peace and is ready to go to any costs to achieve it. Who has a taste for the good things in life, tends to be a good organizer, has a thirst for knowledge, and who tends to have the respect of friends and acquaintances.
Some of Edith Stein's challenges
While Edith Stein has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Edith Stein can be Hesitant, Narcissistic, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, Arrogant, Status-seeking, and Irritable.
Hesitant and Narcissistic
One of Edith Stein's key challenges is that they are someone who can be hesitant and narcissistic.
Irritable and Moody
Edith Stein is someone who can be irritable and moody, have a tendency to experience self-doubt, be too secretive, can take too many risks, and who can have an extreme approach to managing personal finances.
Pleasure-seeking and Indecisive
Finally, Edith Stein also can put others first too much, and hem-and-haw too much when making a decision.
