EWTN is premiering a program with Father Mitch Pacwa investigating 'The Paths of Edith Stein'. The program will explore the life of Edith Stein, a Jewish philosopher who became a Discalced Carmelite nun and a martyr. Father Mitch Pacwa, a Jesuit priest, will host the program. The program will air on August 8 and 9 on EWTN. Viewers can expect an in-depth look at Stein's experiences and influences, and gain insights into her legacy.
4 months ago
EWTN is set to premiere "The Paths of Edith Stein: Father Mitch Pacwa’s Investigation" on Friday, August 8, at 7 p.m. ET, with an encore on Saturday, August 9, at 9 a.m. ET 2 3. This half-hour program delves into the life and spiritual journey of Edith Stein, who became St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross 2 3. Following Father Pacwa's investigation, Father Charles Connor will present a one-hour program, "Edith Stein: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross," airing Saturday, August 9, at 2 p.m. ET, and Sunday, August 10, at 2 a.m. ET 2 3.
Edith Stein, a brilliant Jewish philosopher, ultimately became a Discalced Carmelite nun, a martyr, and is now being considered for the title of Doctor of the Church by the Carmelite order 2 3. Her journey began in Wroclaw, Poland, where Father Pacwa guides viewers through significant locations of her life 2 3. Stein's father passed away when she was only two, leaving her mother to raise eleven children and manage the family business 2 3. Father Pacwa emphasizes the profound love between Edith's parents, illustrating it with a family photo where her deceased father's image was cut and pasted into the portrait 2 3. He notes that Edith sought a romantic love akin to her parents' but ultimately found it in Christ 2 3.
A pivotal moment in Stein's conversion was her "chance" reading of St. Teresa of Ávila’s autobiography, which she read in one sitting, famously declaring, "This is the truth" 2 3. Even after converting to Catholicism, Edith continued to join her family at the synagogue for prayer and Yom Kippur, seeing her Catholicism not as a rejection, but as a deeper understanding of her Judaism in the light of Jesus Christ 2 3. However, her conversion was difficult for her mother, who, though she hugged Edith warmly, did not perform her usual custom of watching her daughter depart from the window 2 3.
Edith Stein spent eight years teaching at St. Magdalena’s with Dominican nuns in Speyer, Germany, which provided her with an intimate understanding of convent life and fostered her attraction to religious life 2 3. While she maintained a love for St. Benedict, her devotion to St. Teresa of Ávila and later St. Thérèse drew her to the Carmelite order 2 3. Father O’Connor highlights Stein's eventual decision to enter Carmel at 42, recognizing that she could not postpone her calling indefinitely despite concerns for her family 2 3. This decision proved prescient, as she was murdered by the Nazis in the gas chamber at Auschwitz concentration camp on August 9, 1942, at the age of 50 2 3.
How does faith transform intellectual pursuits?
Faith profoundly transforms intellectual pursuits by offering a comprehensive framework that integrates reason with divine revelation, thereby enriching the understanding of truth, purpose, and the nature of reality . This transformation is not a suppression of intellect but an elevation and expansion of its scope and depth.
Catholic teaching emphasizes that faith and reason are not opposed but are two distinct paths to knowledge that ultimately converge in the one truth, God . Faith provides insights that reason alone cannot attain, while reason helps to articulate, defend, and explore the implications of faith. This integration means that intellectual pursuits, when informed by faith, seek to understand the world not just through empirical observation and logical deduction, but also through the lens of divine wisdom.
In essence, faith transforms intellectual pursuits by elevating them from mere acquisition of facts to a quest for ultimate truth and meaning. It provides a holistic vision of reality, integrates knowledge across disciplines, and imbues intellectual work with moral purpose and spiritual depth, ultimately leading to a more complete and profound understanding of God, humanity, and the cosmos.