The Essential Woman

St. Edith Stein presents ideal virtues for her Catholic sisters...

Edith Stein wrote in 1932:

-- Spirituality of the Christian Woman, from Essays on Women, (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1996)

Three quarters of a century later, women are no longer conflicted about swimming with the tide. Yet, in the life of nearly every woman I know, there comes a point where she feels that she is drowning. There are too many demands on her time, and she senses she is lost in the details of her life. Misunderstood in the workplace, taken for granted by immediate family and overwhelmed by the details of the serious problems around her, modern women face difficult challenges.

I believe Edith Stein experienced many “drowning seasons,” often alienated from family members and colleagues, despite deep ties of love and shared responsibility. She saw the women around her with true compassion. They were no strangers to stress and struggled mightily in an atmosphere that hardly rewarded achievements outside the home. The household work done by her sisters, Rosa and Frieda, enabled the temporal success of her mother's lumber business, her sister Erna's medical work and her own pedagogical endeavors.

Stein delivered the "Essays on Women" as lectures to teaching conferences between 1928 and 1932.  She suggested that women view their natures as two-fold: spouse and mother. This is true whether one is a single lay woman, a wife or a consecrated religious. Either physically or spiritually, a woman is both.

In order to embody the bridal character of the people of God, and to serve as a shelter for souls, Stein suggests that women become expansive, quiet, warm, clear, self-contained, empty (humble) and mistress (self-controlled). The gestalt of these virtues will be unique to the individual. Her aim was to lift up examples that can motivate and comfort women as they strive for wholeness in Christ.

The next eight issues will be dedicated to explaining Stein’s views on the nature of women. I hope it will provide a stable buoy for souls weary of the work and perhaps even fearful of drowning.

Peace be with you,

Kristen

PS - Interested in reading all eight essays, with some bible studies? This compilation of the insights of Edith Stein on the prophetic character of women is now available!