Vladimíra Polišenská
On September 14, we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. On this day, the Discalced Carmelites renew their religious vows. The text that follows was written for this occasion by St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. It is worth pausing over it for a moment, not only as a text discussing the cross as a sign of salvation and hope. The circumstances of its origin are also significant. Teresa Benedicta, born Edith Stein, was of Jewish descent and converted to Christianity in adulthood. In 1933, when she, as a woman of Jewish origin, was no longer allowed to work in the academic environment, she joined the convent of the Discalced Carmelites in Cologne. She remained there until she was forced to seek refuge at the end of 1938 in a convent in Echt, Netherlands, due to Nazi persecution.
St. Edith Stein followed with great participation the painful trial of her people. This, along with the teachings of St. John of the Cross, inspired her to deep contemplation of Christ's suffering and the cross. Even today, it is possible to see in the Dutch convent a picture of the crucified Christ, before which she is said to have often remained in prayer. On September 1, 1939, World War II broke out. Two weeks later, Sister Teresa Benedicta was preparing for her community sisters a spiritual word for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, fully aware of the significance of the renewal of religious vows and the consequences that complete and unconditional acceptance of Christ's cross might lead to. On August 2, 1942, when members of the Gestapo came for her and her sister Rosa to arrest them and send them to the collection camp in Westerbork and subsequently to Auschwitz, she was internally prepared to embark on her own way of the cross.
Even though, as laity, we do not make any religious vows, we can still remember the words of St. Edith Stein, for example, when we renew our baptismal vows. We can contemplate the significance of the cross and how it holds a place in our own lives, and what our response is to the questioning gaze of the Crucified, at any time. Perhaps especially on the occasion of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Ave Crux, Spes unica!
September 14, 1939
"Hail, holy cross, our only hope!"
These words the Church puts in our mouths at a time when we contemplate the bitter suffering of our Lord, Jesus Christ.1 Now, as the liturgical year draws to a close, the cross is raised before us so that we may direct our gaze toward it again until the day when, with the new Easter Alleluia, we are given to forget the earth for a moment and rejoice in the Lamb's wedding.
Our holy Order calls us to begin the period of Lent with the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross,2 and leads us to the foot of the Cross for the renewal of our sacred vows. The crucified Christ looks at us and asks whether we still want to keep the promises we made to him in a moment of grace. Today, more than ever, the cross has become a sign of resistance. The followers of the Antichrist defile and insult the cross and try with all their might to tear it from the hearts of Christians. And often they succeed even among us who once promised to follow Christ and took up his cross. Therefore, today the Redeemer examines us and turns to each of us with the question: Do you want to remain faithful to the Crucified? Consider it well!
The world is on fire, the battle between Christ and the Antichrist has openly broken out. Therefore, if you choose Christ, it may cost you your life. Consider carefully what you have promised. To state and renew promises is a terribly serious matter.
The Savior hangs before you on the cross because he became obedient to death, even death on a cross.3 He came to fulfill the Father's will, not his own.4 The Redeemer hangs on the cross stripped, naked, because he chose poverty. The Redeemer is before you with a pierced heart. He shed the blood of his Heart to win yours. If you want to follow him through the path of purity, let the crucified Christ be the sole object of your desire, your wishes, and your thoughts. Are you frightened by the magnitude of what sacred vows require of you? You need not be afraid of anything. What you have promised exceeds your human strength. It does not, however, exceed the strength of the Almighty, which will become yours when you surrender to him in trust, when he accepts your vow of fidelity. He did that on the day of your profession and wants to do so again today. The loving heart of your Redeemer invites you to follow him. The arms of the Crucified are open, ready to embrace you to his heart. He asks for your life to give you his own. Ave Crux, Spes unica!
The world is on fire. The fire may engulf even our house. Above all the flames, however, the Cross is lifted. They cannot consume it, for it is the way from earth to heaven. Those who embrace it with faith, love, and hope will be carried to the bosom of the Trinity.
The world is on fire. Do you want to extinguish it? Look at the Crucified! From the pierced Heart flows the blood of the Redeemer. It quenches the flames of hell. Free your heart by faithfully fulfilling your vows, then the stream of divine love will flood your heart so that it begins to overflow and bear fruit to the ends of the earth. Do you hear the cries of the wounded on the battlefields of the East and the West? Do you hear the anguished cries of the dying? Are you moved by the weeping of widows and orphaned children? Look at the Crucified. You are connected with him. His merciful love will carry you anywhere; in the power of the cross, you may be present on all war fronts, in all places of pain. The love of the divine Heart sprinkles everything with his precious blood, which silences, brings salvation, and redemption.
The eyes of the Crucified look at you inquisitively and ask you. Do you wish to firmly cement your bond with the Crucified again? What will you answer him? "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."5 Ave Crux, Spes unica!
(To the most demanding readers, I apologize for not providing the text of Edith Stein in full, but in a shortened selection, and that as an Italianist I am translating from this language – from the Italian translation published in the anthology Edith Stein: Nel Castello dell’Anima, pagine spirituali; translated by Cristiana Dobner; Edizioni OCD, Roma 2004. The original German text can be found in the collected writings of Edith Stein: in their older edition: ESW XI (Freiburg/Br – Basel – Wien 1987), pp. 124–126, in their new edition: ESGA 20 (Freiburg/Br – Basel – Wien 2007), pp. 118–122.)
