August 14, 2009
By Melanie Rigney
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr
“I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.” (Joshua 24:13)
Praise the Lord, who is so good; God’s love endures forever. (Psalms 77:12)
(Jesus) said, “Whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery." His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” (Matthew 19:9-12)
Piety
Lord, let me not become complacent or indifferent to the gifts You have given me and the life You desire me to lead.
Study
AmericanCatholic.org on St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe
The story goes that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the young Rajmund Kolbe bearing two crowns—a white one for purity, a red one for martyrdom. She asked if he’d like to have them. He chose them both. And, as it turns out, he lived them both.
Maximilian Mary Kolbe was ordained at twenty-four and dead at forty-seven, having survived torture at Auschwitz and three weeks of dehydration and starvation. Finally, they injected him with carbolic acid on this date in 1941.
According to AmericanCatholic.org, his passion was challenging religious indifference, founding monasteries in both his native Poland and Japan. Kolbe’s era was a difficult one for the Church; his experience as a Franciscan showed him too many of the ordained had either settled into complacency or left the order.
"The most deadly poison of our times is indifference,” he wrote. “Its victims are found not only among worldly people, but in our own ranks as well. … Life begins to make sense when we recognize and acknowledge God’s infinite goodness and our absolute dependence on Him. Our response will be praise and total love expressed in obedience.”
Some things about our Church may not make sense to us, including the strong barriers to remarriage after divorce, the celibacy requirement for priests, and the prohibition of women as priests. Some things about our lives may not make sense to us, including beautiful sunrises, marvelous friendships, and physical or mental talents. It’s one thing to search for answers and explanations and meanings, and quite another to become indifferent to both the wonders and the challenges of the life God’s provided. Indifference to Him makes us coarse, uncaring and unfeeling. Challenge that indifference where you find it.
Action
Speak up for God. Share the story of today’s saint with a non-churchgoing friend or neighbor, and let God’s love help you to gently challenge any indifference he or she expresses.
