Pope Saint John Paul II declared that the great challenge for Christians today is to become "the home and school of communion."St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) is a sure guide to attaining the communion for which every human heart longs. This work considers St. Teresa's life and writings in the context of the "spirituality of communion". As a philosopher she was directed towards attaining communion with the Truth|and she discovered that Truth was a Person|Jesus Christ. As a Carmelite nun she gave up everything for communion with him.

Dr. Alice von Hildebrand|in the foreword|says Edith Stein's message "is above her time" and that the author|Sister M. Regina van den Berg|F.S.G.M. "is well qualified to write such a book." Sister Regina explores in detail Edith Stein's theory of empathy as developed in her doctoral dissertation|as well as her later theory of community. Sister Regina has also used a number of Edith Stein's writings that|until this work|have not yet been available in English translation.

Each chapter explores an aspect of "communion"|richly revealing the wisdom of Edith Stein|"a Jew who became a philosopher . . . a convert to Catholicism who became a Carmelite nun and crowned her life with martyrdom". Stein's work "provides insights that can help us to grow in the spirituality of communion|first by presenting to us the truth about the human person's nature and vocation and then by showing us how we can arrive at a spirituality of communion in the various aspects of life."