The Mystery of Christmas

At the request of one of our listeners, Mark and Frances chose to have a conversation about one of the most important Carmelite Saints in the recent history of the Church, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, or Edith Stein. After a brief biographical sketch, Mark and Frances discuss a very special, but lesser known work of St. Teresa Benedicata of the Cross, a Lecture she offered to a group of Catholic academics entitled, 'The Mystery of Christmas.' In this short but profound work, Edith Stein offers a powerful reflection on the mystery of the Incarnation, and what this mystery means for each of us who call ourselves Christians. The centerpiece of this reflection is the importance of relying on God's Will in all things - this is truly the virtue of Faith lived out in the midst of the often difficult and confusing reality of the human experience. Even though speaking at the time as primarily an academic, Edith Stein none-the-less shows great spiritual wisdom in challenging us to give up our reliance on earthly wisdom and earthly solutions, and instead to abandon ourselves into the arms of our Father, just as the Christ Child did when He willing came as the light of the world to a small stable in Bethlehem.   RESOURCES Pamphlet (Lecture): Mystery of Christmas: Incarnation and Humanity by Edith Stein (aka St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross); Trans. from the German by Sister Josephine rucker, S. S. J.; Printed at Darlington Carmel   Marian Consecration Books: Preparation for the Total Consecration according to Saint Louis Marie de Montfort; Montfort Publications; By Shore, New York.   In the End My Immaculate Heart Will Triumph: Consecration Preparation for the Triumphant Victory of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queenship Publishing Company; Santa Barbara, California.   Consecration to Jesus through Mary: Following the Plan of St. Louis de Montfort, Children of the Father Foundation; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.   33 Days to Morning Glory: a Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC; Marian Press.   Website: www.myconsecration.org   Four Common Tactics of the Devil   The Five D's of the Demonic

 

The Carmelite Conversations Podcast is an apostolate of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites community of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Dayton, Ohio. Discalced Carmelite Seculars are practicing members of the Catholic Church who, under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and inspired by St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, make the commitment to the Discalced Carmelite Order to seek the face of God for the sake of the church and the world. For more information about Secular Carmelites, visit our website.