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Today is August 9, the Optional Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
We read at today’s Mass, “Moses said to the people: ‘Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest” (Dt 6:4-5).
Today’s reading brings us the Shema, the great prayer of Israel. It’s a powerful declaration of love and fidelity — so central to the Jewish tradition that it’s prayed daily and etched into the very heart of Jewish faith. In the Church, we echo it every week in Night Prayer. Why? Because it reminds us of our deepest calling: to love God with everything we are.
This makes today’s memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein, especially meaningful.
Born into a devout Jewish family, Edith Stein was a brilliant philosopher and a seeker of truth. Her journey led her to the Catholic Church where she was baptized, eventually joining the Carmelite order and taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Her conversion did not mean forgetting her Jewish roots. Rather, her life came to fulfill them in a profound and deeply Christ-centered way.
Continued below.
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We read at today’s Mass, “Moses said to the people: ‘Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest” (Dt 6:4-5).
Today’s reading brings us the Shema, the great prayer of Israel. It’s a powerful declaration of love and fidelity — so central to the Jewish tradition that it’s prayed daily and etched into the very heart of Jewish faith. In the Church, we echo it every week in Night Prayer. Why? Because it reminds us of our deepest calling: to love God with everything we are.
This makes today’s memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein, especially meaningful.
Born into a devout Jewish family, Edith Stein was a brilliant philosopher and a seeker of truth. Her journey led her to the Catholic Church where she was baptized, eventually joining the Carmelite order and taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Her conversion did not mean forgetting her Jewish roots. Rather, her life came to fulfill them in a profound and deeply Christ-centered way.
Continued below.
Union with the crucified Christ
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross reveals that joy is found not in comfort, but in sharing the cross of Christ through love and sacrifice.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
