IP#283 – Sr. Regina van den Berg – Communion with Christ according to St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross on Inside the Pages w/ Kris McGregor

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Sr. Regina van den Berg – Communion with Christ according to St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor

In this episode of “Inside the Pages”, Sr. Regina van den Berg joins in conversation with Kris McGregor about Sr. Regina’s book, Communion with Christ. Focusing on the life and spirituality of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein, Sr. Regina shares how she first became interested in Edith Stein after being encouraged to read her works when she took the religious habit. Edith Stein’s journey from a Jewish background to Catholicism, and eventually to becoming a Carmelite nun, serves as a central theme in the conversation.

Sr. Regina explains that Edith Stein, influenced by her philosophical background and personal experiences, offers profound insights into suffering, empathy, and the vocation of both men and women; as well as the contrast between community and association; that true communion involves a deep, personal connection with others and with God, unlike associations formed merely for a specific goal.

You can find the book here.

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Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

1. Understanding Communion with Christ: How does St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross deepen your understanding of true communion with Christ, especially through embracing the cross?
2. The Role of Suffering in Faith: In what ways can you find meaning and consolation in your own suffering by uniting it with the suffering of Christ?
3. Empathy and Communion: How can the practice of empathy, as described by St. Teresa Benedicta, enhance your relationships with others and deepen your spiritual life?
4. Identity and God’s Will: Are you at peace with who God created you to be, and how do you surrender your will to align with God’s will in your daily life?
5. Community versus Association: How does your participation in your community reflect true communion, rather than just an association with a shared goal?

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From the Book’s Description:

“Pope Saint John Paul II declared that the great challenge for Christians today is to become “the home and school of communion.”St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) is a sure guide to attaining the communion for which every human heart longs. This work considers St. Teresa’s life and writings in the context of the “spirituality of communion”. As a philosopher she was directed towards attaining communion with the Truth, and she discovered that Truth was a Person, Jesus Christ. As a Carmelite nun she gave up everything for communion with him.

Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, in the foreword, says Edith Stein’s message “is above her time” and that the author, Sister M. Regina van den Berg, F.S.G.M. “is well qualified to write such a book.” Sister Regina explores in detail Edith Stein’s theory of empathy as developed in her doctoral dissertation, as well as her later theory of community. Sister Regina has also used a number of Edith Stein’s writings that, until this work, have not yet been available in English translation.

Each chapter explores an aspect of “communion”, richly revealing the wisdom of Edith Stein, “a Jew who became a philosopher . . . a convert to Catholicism who became a Carmelite nun and crowned her life with martyrdom”. Stein’s work “provides insights that can help us to grow in the spirituality of communion, first by presenting to us the truth about the human person’s nature and vocation and then by showing us how we can arrive at a spirituality of communion in the various aspects of life.”

About the Author

Sister M. Regina van den Berg, F.S.G.M., obtained her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America. She has served in various apostolates for her religious community and currently resides in Rome.

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