Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe
One
Two Crowns
Maximilian Kolbe was born the second son of a poor weaver in 1894 at Zdunska Wola in Poland. He was an intelligent, boisterous, and extremely independent child. At nine years old his mother cried out in exasperation, “My child, what’s to become of you?” Soon after Kolbe changed completely. So completely that his mother pressed him for a reason.
Maximilian later recounted what took place, “When my mother cried, “What will become of you?” I prayed often to the Madonna to tell me what I would become. One day in church I begged her again, and she appeared to me, holding two crowns, the one white, the other red. The white meant that I would stay pure, the red that I would be a martyr. She asked me which one I wanted. “Both” I replied. Then the Madonna smiled and disappeared.”
Two
The Soldier
Kolbe attended a Franciscan high school seminary with his brother Francis. He excelled in everything, math, physics, and science in general. But even more, he was a patriot. His homeland, Poland was a country split up and under the control of the Russians, Austrians, and Germans. He wanted to fight for Poland’s independence and drive out the invaders.
To a 16-year-old boy in 1910, a military career was far more exciting than the life of a Franciscan. His desire was to be a soldier, so he decided to pursue a military career. He even talked his older brother Francis into leaving the Franciscans to join the Polish Resistance. Kolbe went so far as to make an appointment with the head of the school to break the news he was leaving.
But that same day, God’s Providence intervened. While Kolbe was in the waiting room at the office of the School Headmaster, his mother paid a visit to the school to tell her sons their father was joining the Franciscans. She too was joining the convent of Benedictine Sisters and she told Kolbe he should certainly become a soldier, but not for Poland, rather for Christ and for the extending of His Kingdom because his true fatherland was the Kingdom of God in Heaven.
When his mother left, Kolbe went to the Superior and asked to become a Franciscan. He was received as a Franciscan novice in September 1910 and took the religious name of Maximilian. From that day until his death, he was a soldier for Christ.
Three
Knight of the Immaculata
Maximilian was sent to the Franciscan seminary in Rome. In 1917, on the 200th anniversary of their founding, the Free Masons were demonstrating in St. Peter’s Square, proclaiming their intention to destroy the Catholic Church and institute a worldwide cult to Satan. Kolbe witnessed this first-hand. His response was to form the Militia Immaculata, a movement consecrated to Mary to resist the activity of Satan in the world.
On October 16th, 1917, with six companions, he founded the Militia Immaculata, the Knights of the Mary, the Soldiers of Mary. Their objective was to win the whole world for Jesus Christ by leading people to the maternal love of Mary.
Members of the Militia Immaculata were to…
Consecrate themselves entirely to Jesus through the hands of Mary
Wear the Miraculous Medal
Use every means possible to bring people to Christ, especially the Rosary
And the distribution of the Miraculous Medal which Kolbe called his silver bullet
Kolbe wrote, “The Conflict with Hell cannot be maintained by men alone, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She will crush his head.”
Four
The Aim of St. Maximilian Kolbe was to belong totally to Mary
In this way, he said one might, “become a fit instrument for introducing and increasing the glory of Mary to the maximum in so many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed Kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
Why did Kolbe place so much emphasis on Mary?
It was a simple equation for Kolbe. The Holy Spirit and Mary formed Jesus in her womb, the Holy Spirit and Mary will form Jesus in you. So, the more you give yourself to Mary, the more the Holy Spirit will form Jesus in you and make you their apostles.
Five
Kolbe understood that all of Mary’s power came from her intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit
On July 28th, 1935, Kolbe wrote, “The union between the Holy Spirit and the Immaculata is so inexpressibly perfect that He conducts His activity through her only. Therefore, she is the mediatrix of all graces flowing from the Holy Spirit…In honoring the Immaculata, we honor in a special way the Holy Spirit.”
I asked Fr. Gregorz Bartosik, the greatest scholar on Maximilian Kolbe to explain succinctly how Kolbe understood the relationship of the Holy Spirit and Mary. He said, “According to Kolbe, Mary and the Holy Spirit are two separate persons, but their union is so close, that though Kolbe called Mary the “Spouse of the Spirit” it was not adequate. In fact, Kolbe preferred to call Mary the “Quasi-Incarnation” of the Holy Spirit – almost the incarnation of the Holy Spirit. Kolbe said the Son became manifest in Jesus and the Holy Spirit became manifest in Mary.”
So, in Mary, we encounter the maternal mission of the Holy Spirit who comes to form Jesus in our soul. Therefore, the more we turn to Mary the more powerfully the Holy Spirit works in us.
This is why Kolbe could say, “I see Mary everywhere. I see difficulties nowhere.”
When at times I am tempted to worry I immediately say to myself: silly one, why do you worry? Is this your work? If all belongs to the Immaculate, will she not attend to it? Then let her lead you.