Hearts Aflame with Hope, Volume 3: Thérèse of Lisieux & Edith Stein

"We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel..." (Lk 24:21). This phrase "we had hoped..." encompasses the image of human existence in which hope has become difficult, if not impossible. The truth of these words is reflected in the lives of the persons considered here as signs of encouragement to us all to hope. For example, St. Thérèse of Lisieux's 'little way' or 'way of holy childhood' confirms the most fundamental and hope-filled truth of the Gospel, namely that God is our Father and we are His children no matter what He may send our way. Such a faith conviction renews the joy of the Church's perennial youth as was evidenced on the centenary of her death when many pilgrims flocked from all over the world to celebrate the 12th World Youth Day in Paris. Edith Stein, as a daughter of the great Teresa of Avila, believed and trusted completely that God's kingdom is built through the effective power of prayer. With this same confidence she stated that the terrible ordeal of her time would, "when all else fails," be overcome and "hope for ultimate salvation" be realized. Schooled in the Carmelite tradition of John of the Cross, she understood that the way of the Cross is paradoxically the only pathway leading to "Christ... the hope of glory" (Col 1:28).