Speak God’s Word
August 14, 2012
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr
By
Beth DeCristofaro
It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me, in which was a
written scroll which he unrolled before me.
It was covered with writing front and back, and written on it was: Lamentation and wailing and woe! He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before
you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he gave me the
scroll to eat. … I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my
mouth. (Ezekiel 8:9-10, 3:1-2, 43)
(Jesus said) "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become
like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the
greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And
whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. (Matthew 18:
Piety
Lord, you inflamed St. Maximilian
with love of the Immaculate Virgin and filled him with zeal for souls and love
for neighbor. Through his prayers, grant
that we may work strenuously for your glory in the service of others and so be
made conformable to your Son until death.
Study
St. Maximilian willingly asked for
and ate of the scroll on which was written lamentation and woe when he
volunteered to die for a man condemned to death. A prisoner of the Nazis in Auschwitz, he freely
took the place of a family man in the starvation chamber where for three weeks
he prayed, encouraged other condemned prisoners and celebrated Mass. Finally he was murdered. He willingly took on the sacrifice because he
was so childlike in trust and dependent on the love of God, just as Jesus
described the humility of a child. St.
Maximilian knew that the Nazi’s could kill his body but not touch his soul, and
he also knew that acts of charity and good triumph over evil and speak God’s
glory to the world.
Action
Maximilian acted as if he heard
God’s words to Ezekiel addressed to him: He said: Son of
man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them. (Ezekiel 8:4) Out of
torment and faith, God’s words were spoken and resound today. Do our actions speak God’s word?
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