Memorial of St. Maximillian Kolbe

Most of us are familiar with the story of Maximilian Kolbe.  Father Maximilian Kolbe was one of several Friars from his community, who were arrested, and sent to a Nazi concentration camp.  While there an escape had been planned.  As punishment the Nazis choose a group of men at random, to suffer death.  Kolbe volunteered his life in place of a man who had a wife and a family.  The punishment was long and grueling in that the men were starved to death.

Father Kolbe, like many martyrs and holy men and women understood the power and the symbol of the Paschal Mystery.  These men and women were not afraid of the cross, and following the advice of St. Paul, were willing to give their entire lives for the name of Jesus.

It is disturbing today that we have people who profess faith, and yet are not willing to sacrifice something, anything really, to uphold the dignity and integrity of another.  It is troubling to see how  myopic we can be in the face of the Sin and Evil that is around us.  To be sure we cannot be full time missionaries or social workers, after all we still have our day job, but there are moments when we can speak truth and become advocates for justice.

I will meet Catholics who do not know basic Church teachings, and cannot tell me stories from the scriptures.  Sometimes we do not know, that we do not know.  As a people of faith we have to be clear as to what we believe in, especially today.  In the Old Testament, in the Book of Joshua, Joshua challenges his hearers, and professes, "For me and my house we will serve the Lord."

It seems that we have to allow this feast of Maximilian Kolbe to strengthen our resolve to be faithful to the Word of God, and the teachings of Christ and Hid Church.  If God is for us who can be against.