Bending the Arc references a quote by Rev. Dr. King who said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” This digital newsletter from the CSA Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation office showcases the work of changemakers, opportunities to learn, and opportunities for you to help “bend the arc” toward justice. Full contents of the newsletter are published on this page.
Subscribe to get Bending the Arc in your inbox.
Saint of Empathy
October 30, 2025
In an age that mocks empathy, one Carmelite made it her path to God. Edith Stein believed that empathy is a doorway to the Divine.
Long before psychologists gave it a name, Edith wrote of “Einfuhlung”—the ability to “feel into” another person—as a sacred participation in the mystery of God’s own compassion. To suffer with another was not weakness for her—it was love made real.
Born into a Jewish family, Edith became an atheist, then one of Europe’s first female philosophers, and finally a Carmelite nun who died at Auschwitz. Through every transformation, her guiding question remained: How do we keep our hearts open when the world is breaking?
For Edith, empathy was not sentimental. It was mystical solidarity—a way of entering the world’s pain without losing faith in its redemption.
In our own time of division and exhaustion, she offers a vision of strength rooted in tenderness, of courage grounded in contemplation.
In a new online class, part of a larger series on 20th Century Mystics & Prophets, discover Edith Stein’s life and wisdom—her journey from atheist to mystic, her theology of empathy, and the hope she offers to all who long to live with compassion in a wounded world.
The Edith Stein: The Saint of Empathy masterclass is live and online Saturday, November 1 at 11 am CT. Can’t join live? Register now to receive the recording afterwards.
Posted in
Equity & Human Dignity