Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a saint better known by her worldly name, Edith Stein. She was a renowned philosopher of the last century as well as an avowed atheist who, though culturally born Jewish, found her way into the bosom of the Catholic Church, and eventually, into a cloistered Carmelite monastery. She died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz on Aug. 9, 1942. For some of you, the question might arise: “What does this saint’s life have to do with me teaching in a Catholic school?”
Each August we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The apostles Peter, James and John, see the praying Jesus’ appearance shine forth with the glory of God. Then they see Moses and the prophet Elijah conversing with Him. Finally, they hear the voice of the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.”