Called and equipped to be “living images”.......make a special visit.....

What is a “living image?” St. Teresia Benedicta a Cruce, (St. Edith Stein) describes what she called “living images” as ordinary people who by their small daily actions revealed their deep love for Jesus Christ. St. Edith/Sr. Teresia once encountered one of these ordinary people when she entered a church to look at artwork and noticed a woman who was in the church praying. There was something very different in this as St. Edith was struck that she seemed to be in prayerful conversation with a person. This lady’s attention and prayer in front of the tabernacle in a Catholic Church struck Edith Stein to her core and increased her desire to her search for the truth which ended in a person...the Person of Jesus Christ. (more on ENDOW's St. Edith Stein study here).

In an article by ZENIT news organization recently, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his joy at a “Eucharistic Springtime” within the Church. The Pops says it is “manifested in the numerous people who pause before the tabernacle to enjoy a ‘conversation of love’ with Jesus.” (full article here).

We never know when we might be an influential “living image” when we visit Jesus in the tabernacle or in Eucharistic Adoration. What blessing we receive when we draw near to Christ in love and faith to experience his promise: “And lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20)

During this bustling time of year spend time with Our Lord to have a conversation of love. This is certain to show our love to Jesus in a very special way while we increase our faith and make reparation for offenses to the Most Holy Sacrament.

I’m praying for safe travel for you all during this Thanksgiving week. COME HOLY SPIRIT!

In search for Truth, St. Benedicta of the Cross found that truth had a name: Jesus Christ......

Yesterday, we celebrated the feast day of a beautiful saint who searched for the truth and “at the end of a long journey, she came to the surprising realization: only those who commit them selves to the love of Christ become truly free.”

During his homily for the canonization of Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) on October 8, 1998, John Paul II had this to say about St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross:

“St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was able to understand that the love of Christ and human freedom are intertwined, because love and truth have an intrinsic relationship. The quest for truth and its expression in love did not seem at odds to her; on the contrary she realized that they call for one another.”

He said....."The love of Christ was the fire that inflamed the life of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Long before she realized it, she was caught by this fire. At the beginning she devoted herself to freedom. For a long time Edith Stein was a seeker. Her mind never tired of searching and her heart always yearned for hope. She traveled the arduous path of philosophy with passionate enthusiasm. Eventually she was rewarded: she seized the truth. Or better: she was seized by it. Then she discovered that truth had a name: Jesus Christ. From that moment on, the incarnate Word was her One and All. Looking back as a Carmelite on this period of her life, she wrote to a Benedictine nun: 'Whoever seeks the truth is seeking God, whether consciously or unconsciously.'" ........To read John Paul II’s entire homily on Edith Stein, please click here.

At the end of a long journey, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross came to the surprising realization: only those who commit themselves to the love of Christ become truly free.

Interested in learning more about this amazing saint and her blessed search for truth? ENDOW has a wonderful study on saint titled: Edith Stein: Seeker of Truth. To learn more and to find a class or information on facilitating an ENDOW class please click here.