Quote of the day, 1 June: St. Edith Stein
The church had blossomed, but the masses
Of the people remained distant, far from the Lord
And his mother, enemies of the cross.
The people are in confusion and cannot find rest,
An object of disdain and scorn:
It will be thus until the final battle.
But before the cross appears again in heaven,
Even before Elijah comes to gather his own,
The good Shepherd goes silently through the lands.
Now and then he gathers from the depths of the abyss
A little lamb, shelters it at his heart.
And then others always follow him.
But there above at the throne of grace
The Mother ceaselessly pleads for her people.
She seeks souls to help her pray.
Then only when Israel has found the Lord,
Only then when he has received his own,
Will he come in manifest glory.
And we must pray for this second coming.
Saint Edith Stein
Conversation at Night (excerpt)
Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: A symbolic, AI-generated depiction of Christ returning in glory, used here to evoke the eschatological hope described by St. Edith Stein. Image credit: Anthony Paz / Adobe Stock.
⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Am I truly praying for Christ’s return—or do I keep my hope bound to this world?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.
#BlessedMother #Elijah #goodShepherd #Israel #lamb #poetry #SecondComing #StEdithStein