st. Maximilian kolbe from auschwitz

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In 1936, Maximilian Kolbe was recalled to Poland and left Japan for the last time. World War II broke out on September 1, 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland. On September 5, almost all the Franciscans were ordered to leave the monastery for unknown destinations, some facing exile, others prison or death.

Maximilian Kolbe said to them, "Do not forget love." On September 12, 1939, the City of Mary was occupied by the Nazis, and on September 19, the SS men came to arrest Kolbe and the remaining Franciscans. To the frightened brothers, Kolbe said,

"Courage, my sons. Don't you see that we are leaving on a mission? They pay our fare in the bargain. What a piece of good luck! The thing to do now is to pray well in order to win as many souls as possible. Let us, then, tell the Blessed Virgin that we are content, and that she can do with us anything she wishes."

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They were taken to the concentration camp, Amtitz, where Kolbe showed no fear of the Nazis. He tried to speak to them of the state of their soul and even distributed the Miraculous Medal. On December 8 (the feast of the Immaculate Conception), for some unknown reason, Kolbe and the brothers were set free. Mary was showing them that even in the midst of this trial, God was with them, Mary was with them, and everything was in Their hands. They went back to the City of Mary and turned it into a refugee camp, caring for 4,000 people, including 1,500 Jews.

Early in 1941, Kolbe printed the last edition of the Knight of Mary: "No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?" About 11:00 A.M. on February 17, 1941, the Nazis came again to arrest Kolbe, who greeted them with, "Praised be Jesus Christ."

Taken to Paviak prison in Warsaw, an eyewitness tells us that an SS guard, seeing Kolbe in his habit girdled with a rosary, became enraged at the sight of the Crucifix. When asked if he believed in Christ, Kolbe replied, "Yes, I do believe." The guard struck Kolbe in the face and asked again, to which Kolbe responded, "Yes, I do believe." The guard struck him so violently he knocked Kolbe down, and when asked if he still believed, Kolbe said, "Yes, I do believe!" The guard then beat Kolbe senseless. When one of the eyewitnesses began to threaten the guard, Kolbe turned to him and said, "Please do not get excited. For you have plenty of troubles of your own. What happened is not important because it is all for the Immaculate Mother."

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On May 28, 1941, Father Maximilian was taken to Auschwitz. In Auschwitz, the rule was every man for himself – survival of the fittest. Kolbe, however, lived sacrificial love. He seemed never to think of himself. When food was brought in and everyone struggled to get his share, Father Maximilian stood aside, often leaving none for himself. He was once asked whether such self-denial made sense in a place where every man was engaged.

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Prisoners would approach Kolbe with their fears, saying, "Father, I can't endure this place any longer." He would reassure them, "Place yourself under the protection of Mary. Just as a child trustingly holds his mother's hand, so must you be calm and peaceful, for the Virgin Mary has you under her protection." Kolbe urged fellow prisoners to avoid hatred, saying, "Hatred is not a creative force. Love alone creates. Suffering will not prevail over us; it will only melt us down and strengthen us."

The final act began in July 1941 when a prisoner escaped. To deter further escapes, the commandant ordered that ten co-prisoners would die for every escapee. Guard Fritsch lined up all the prisoners and randomly selected ten men for the starvation bunker.

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Kolbe was not chosen. The last man picked for execution cried, "Oh, my poor wife, my poor children. I shall never see them again." Then, unexpectedly, Kolbe stepped out of the ranks, approached the guard, and requested to take the married man's place, Francis Gajowniczek. When asked why, he replied, "I am a Catholic priest." The guard consented, eager to execute a priest. Kolbe joined the others in the starvation bunker.

Kolbe encouraged and consoled his dying comrades each day. On August 14, he received a lethal injection and died. The next day, he was cremated, and his ashes ascended to heaven on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.

The Nazis created the evil of Auschwitz, but God and St. Maximilian Kolbe transformed it into a triumph of love. Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends." Kolbe's love was perfected through the death camp, where he sacrificed himself for another.

Kolbe belonged entirely to Mary as her little child, property, possession, and instrument. He believed that if God and Mary allowed him into this situation, it was for his transformation in love and the salvation of souls. This trust made Kolbe free, calm, and peaceful, with a deep joy that allowed him to give himself for others. He was the freest man in the camp and a light in the darkness, radiating hope.

The demands for his beatification grew, and proceedings began on August 12, 1947. Seventy-five witnesses were questioned, and the papal decree introduced the process with, "Greater love hath no man than this..." Pope Paul VI beatified Kolbe, declaring him a "Confessor of the Faith." When John Paul II declared Kolbe a saint in 1982, he named him a martyr. Never before had there been a change in category between beatification and canonization.

There are two crowns: the confessor of the Faith, celebrated in white, and the martyr, in red. St. Maximilian Kolbe's feast day is August 14.