I love history and am
especially intrigued by the people and events of the Second World War. The era showcased
man and society at its very worst and yet, there was always a ray of hope.
A few years ago I had
the opportunity to visit Auschwitz in Poland. The horrors of the concentration
camp were magnified by the realization that engineers, businessmen, bankers,
and many others actually made money off the slave labor of the camps. Hair from
shaved heads was sold as upholstery stuffing. Shoes, clothes, and personal
belongings were sold to finance war efforts. Genetic testing on innocent
children was done to determine best ways to control population. Chemists and
engineers worked on the most efficient ways to exterminate people who were
deemed “unnecessary”.
How could this happen? Why
didn’t people stand up against it?
Later in the day as we
walked through the streets of Kraków, I realized God in His infinite Mercy had
never abandoned His people. Prior to the ramping up of World War II a young nun
by the name of Sr. Faustina Kowalska began receiving messages from Jesus. The
encounters not only taught her of His mercy, but encouraged her to tell the
world. With little formal education this simple nun proclaimed the message of
Jesus' Divine Mercy through her diary. The message reminded us of God’s
incredible love for each of us, despite our sinfulness. His merciful arms are
open and waiting and for us.
At the same time in
history, another young woman answered God's call. Born into a Jewish family,
Edith Stein spent her life in search of Truth, which took her on a journey
through atheism to Catholicism. As a young college student and nurse she witnessed
firsthand the horrors of World War I. As Nazism escalated Edith witnessed the
systematic destruction of the Jewish culture and people. She spoke out, proclaiming,
"The nation...doesn't simply need what we have, it needs what we are."
Edith’s convictions led her to the Carmelite order, where she took the name Sr.
Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Because of her Jewish heritage, Sr. Teresa was taken
from her cloister in Holland and martyred in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. To
one who lived mercy, none was given.
At our visit to the
Divine Mercy Sanctuary just outside of Krakow, the incredible witness of God
presence and mercy hit home. Below the main Sanctuary were several chapels
connected by a glass wall to a main chapel dedicated to Sr. Faustina Kowalska.
Following her death her diary been published, giving the message of Divine
Mercy to the world.
One of the chapels was donated
by Germany. The sacred space was unlike the others in its starkness. Walls
painted white, a barbed wire stencil ran at chair height around the room. The
altar was a stone block. Sitting on it was a small black iron crucifix made of
nails. Hanging on the glass wall behind the altar, which looked out into the
St. Faustina chapel, was a huge cross encircled by a crown of thorns. Made of steel
and barbed wire, the harshness echoed the evil of the crucifixion of not only
Jesus, but all the innocents who suffer at the hands of evil. Across from the chapel’s
entrance was a life-sized sculpture of Sr. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein), whose
arms held the crucified body of Christ as it she had lifted Him from the Cross..
I froze as I entered
into the chapel. Looking at the statue, it was as if Edith Stein was now offering
Jesus’ broken Body to me. Stunned, I turned my head and through the cross and
crown of thorns, could see the image of St. Faustina looking back at me. "Take
Him," they seemed to be saying. "Take those who are suffering under
the weight of sin, and be mercy."
Auschwitz is a reminder
of the horrors of man's sinfulness. Despite of such incredible darkness, God was
and is present. His Holy Spirit gives voice to those who, like Faustina, Edith
Stein, and so many others who bravely stood against the face of evil, to speak
out. Their courage reminds us to not succumb to hatred, sin, and evil, but to stand
up and be a voice for love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness in the world.
The Church canonized St.
Faustina and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross/Edith Stein (and many others from the WWII era). We must
remember God has empowered us through the Holy Spirit to be His instruments of
His Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, and Mercy, and today. When we do, we incarnate
Jesus in a world so desperately in need of His Love.
