August 2022 Saint of the Month: Maximillian Kolbe by Daniel

Maximillian Kolbe’s selfless sacrifice in the face of cruelty echoes throughout history. Many people know about the end of his life, but how much of his early life do we know? As the feast of the Assumption of Mary approaches, it is fitting that Fr. Kolbe is the saint for this month. His early love and devotion to the Blessed Mother prepared him for the very moment when he would step forward and offer his life in place of a Polish father who was about to executed by the Nazi guards.

Raymond Kolbe was born on January 8, 1894 in Zduńska-Wola, Poland to a poor family with a mother who formed his early years with the daily recitation of the Angelus, Holy Rosary, and other devotions. However, Raymond had a mischievous personality which caused a lot of problems for his family. His mother then finally confronted by asking him what would become of his life if he continued to act this way. Moved by this, Raymond brought this to the Blessed Mother who showed him two crowns: one red, the other white. When asked to choose which he preferred, he chose both: to remain pure and undivided in his love for God and the Blessed Virgin, and to be a martyr.

When he was 13, he became fascinated by the Franciscan ideals preached by two Conventual Franciscans who conducted a parish mission at his church in 1907. In seminary, he was very eager to make sacrifices and uproot anything in his heart which was keeping him from God. He would spend hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament and develop a devotion to the Virgin Mary because she pointed him towards Christ. On September 10, 1910, Raymond entered the Franciscan novitiate and was given the name “Maximilian Mary. Inspired by national pride, he had a strong desire to leave the religious life and fight in the defense of Poland with the threat of the German army looming. Yet, his calling was to fight the spiritual battle for the souls of his countrymen.

Fr. Kolbe was sent by his order to Rome for further studies where he was introduced to the Sacred Heart which was a focus of Franciscan theology since St. Francis had the stigmata. The emphasis on Christ’s power and redemptive suffering allowed for him to understand that Mary, being full of grace, helps us to totally respond to her Son with love. He was inspired to establish the Knights of the Immaculate and established a monastery in Niepokalanów, Poland which published monthly devotionals to spread awareness of Mary’s role in the plan of salvation. The publication was so popular that more than a million copies were sent out and Fr, Kolbe even started a radio broadcast to more effectively spread the Good News.

Yet, throughout all of this, Fr. Kolbe struggled with tuberculosis and his body was slowly failing. He refused to let that discourage him as he strove to do whatever he could physically to minister and bring Christ to the populace. When Poland was overrun by the German forces in 1939, he was arrested under general suspicion, but was released three months later. He used the monastery at Niepokalanów helped to hide, feed, and clothe about 3,000 Polish refugees. He even used his popular newspaper to offer strong criticism of the Nazis until he was finally arrested on February 17, 1941 for secretly hiding fleeing Jews. After a brief internment in a notorious Polish prison, he was sent to infamous Auschwitz concentration camp and branded prisoner #16670.

Fr. Kolbe was sent to a hard labor work camp which involved the prisoners carrying blocks of heavy stone for the building of the crematorium wall. The work was overseen by a vicious ex-criminal who singled him out for brutal treatment. Fr. Kolbe accepted his punishment without complaint and remained selfless, often sharing his meager food rations with others. Yet, his work as a Franciscan did not end once he was there. He still labored to fulfill the spiritual needs of his fellow prisoners and gave them hope amidst all the violence in the death camp.

His time would come when the Deputy Commander of Auschwitz ordered 10 men to be chosen to be starved to death in an underground bunker due to an escape attempt. One of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, when he heard he was selected, cried out about his family. Fr. Kolbe then reportedly stepped forward and said, “I am a Catholic priest from Poland; I would like to take his place because he has a wife and children.” The men were led to an underground bunker where they were to be starved to death. Fr. Kolbe refused to lose hope and would lead the men in prayer and singing hymns to Mary. After two weeks, all the prisoners, except the Franciscan friar, had died due to dehydration and starvation. Fr. Kolbe was then executed with lethal injection which he accepted with open arms. The news quickly spread around the camp, and it was the first and the last time that such an incident happened in the history of Auschwitz. Franciszek Gajowniczek miraculously survived and would later be present at Maximillian Kolbe’s beatification and canonization ceremonies.

Here is a good short prayer from St. Maximillian Kolbe for families:

St. Maximilian Kolbe,

you gave your life so that a family

might not be deprived of a husband and father.

By your heroic martyrdom of charity,

teach us that the value of family life is worth our sacrifices also.

Just as you found in Mary the channel of those graces

that strengthened you to be faithful to her Son,

help us to rejoice also in her

who was given to us as a mother by Jesus from the cross.

Be with us, St. Maximilian, as we pray for the special needs of our family

(Say petitions here)

Amen.

Be awesome and blossom 🌱

By: anh Daniel