For the moment, it seems like the bad guys are winning. If you look closely, the folks pushing abortion, religious constraint, secularism, contra subsidiarity, giganto government and an entire menu of bad ideas contrary to Truth are all wearing black hats. In our white hats, we seem to be outnumbered. It’s like looking at a few grains of salt in a sea of pepper. That’s distressing. So, in tumultuous times, I turn to the saints––examples of Man at his best. And after I have a chance to visit with one of them, I once again become hopeful.

If we listen to the Holy Spirit indwelling in us and trust, the leaping of tall buildings is only a start. Saints do that before breakfast. But some of them deserve more than my blithe humor. I’d like to tell you about one such woman whose faith and strength brings me to my knees. If she were alive today, her contributions to the national dialogue would be incalculable. I’m extraordinarily thankful for her life and inspiration.

I’m going to take artistic license and present a short stage scene about Saint Edith Stein. My concept is that words taken out of context––Edith’s writings for example––and injected into a fictionalized account do not diminish the truth of her statements whatsoever. Her perspective and faith-driven wisdom––after all, she’s a saint––would not change with the circumstances. They would be immutable.

Additionally, her experiences and insight as a subject of crushing bigotry may have great relevance to Catholics in an increasingly hostile world.

Born Jewish, she was a brilliant philosopher, writer, feminist, Carmelite nun and martyr for her faith. Arrested in retaliation for Dutch Bishops protesting the deportation of Jews, she was sent, along with her sister, to an intermediate camp in Holland before finally being transported by boxcar to Auschwitz. They both died in the gas chambers on August 9, 1942.