Dancing Under the Gallows

Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Edith Stein was born of Jewish parents in 1891, becoming an influential philosopher following her extensive studies at major German universities. Following her conversion to Catholicism she became a major force in German intellectual life, entering the Discalced Carmelites in 1933. Sister Teresa Benedicta was arrested by the Nazi regime on August 2, 1942, along with all Catholics of Jewish extraction, and transported by cattle train to the death camp of Auschwitz where she died in the gas chambers that same year.

PRAYER: Lord, God of our Fathers, You brought Saint Teresa Benedicta to the fullness of the science of the cross at the hour of her martyrdom. Fill us with that same knowledge; and, through her intercession, allow us always to seek after You, the supreme truth, and to remain faithful until death to the covenant of love ratified in the blood of Your Son for the salvation of all men and women. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Holocaust Denier Speaks at U.N.

Pope Benedict XVI in Israel

While we're on the United Nations, apparently, some Holocaust denier is speaking at the United Nations headquarters in New York. So, the U.N. wants to prosecute the Holy Father but denying the Holocaust is OK. Full story from Rick's American Cafe.

Why Switzerland Has the World's Lowest Crime Rate

Food for thought:

What I've Been Watching

Lately, I've had the opportunity to view two excellent films dealing specifically with Judaism but both films have wider implications with regard to faith in general.

God On Trial was an episode of Masterpiece Theatre on PBS in 2008 and is a play based upon the legend that a group of prisoners in Auschwitz convened a rabbinical court and put God on trial for his crimes against the Jewish people. This is heavy stuff and has many theological and philosophical aspects to it. This film can easily be a doorway to deep reflection on the nature of evil and existence of God. The discussion goes back and forth between God's defenders and God's detractors. When one of the prisoners says that the trial is blasphemy, this is responded to by saying that putting God on trial and questioning him is very biblical. It is pointed out that Abraham questioned God, Jacob wrestled with God, this is, in fact what the name ISRAEL means, "one who struggles with God," Moses questioned God, and Job questioned the justice of God. One of God's defenders argues that God has promised that the Jewish people will survive but has not promised anything to anyone individually. At one point, one prisoner who was ethnically Jewish but was raised as a gentile but was arrested by the Nazis anyway says "Don't let them take your God away from you, even if he doesn't exist." As in the legend, the prisoners find God guilty. Anyone watching this should be prepared to do some extensive reflection. The Bad Catholic gives it five Torah scrolls.

A Life Apart: Hasidism in America is a documentary film released in the late 1990s dealing with the lifestyle of Hasidic Jews living in the United States particularly in New York City. The film is narrated by Leonard Nimoy and Sarah Jessica Parker. The Bad Catholic is fascinated by people who take their faith seriously, and for the Hasidim, Judaism permeates every aspect of their lives. While living in the most commercial and materialistic country in the world, the Hasidim have tried to keep their lifestyle uncorrupted by the modern American culture around them. They do not allow television and modern media into their homes, and they try to keep away from other corrupting influences like secular education. This film is an excellent introduction into the world of ultra - orthodox Judaism. Definitely Five Torah Scrolls.

STEALING GERMAN BREAD

My friend, Yocheved Artzi, has written a book about her mother's experiences during the Holocaust. Except for her mother, all of Yocheved's family was killed by the Nazis. Yocheved's book is a powerful account of the triumph of the human spirit amid the horrors of man's inhumanity to man.

The Bad Catholic highly recommends Stealing German Bread by Yocheved Artzi. I guarantee that you will not be the same after reading it. It is one thing to read about the Holocaust and Aushwitz in the abstract, but knowing the people involved makes it hit home that this happened to real people. The Bad Catholic had to wait until he went away on retreat to be able to handle it.

This book should be read on one's knees in an attitude of prayer. There were then and are now real demonic forces at work in the world just as sacred scripture tells us. Until death and the devil are finally defeated at the end of the age, murders and genocides will continue somewhere in the world. And it can happen to me and you.

Stealing German Bread is available for puchase at Amazon. com.http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-German-Bread-Yochevet-Artzi/dp/1436383064/ref=sr_1_...