St. Maximilian Kolbe
Exemplar of Magnanimity
When
St. Maximilian Kolbe is mentioned, most people think only of his inspiring martyrdom
at Auschwitz where he sacrificed his life by taking the place of a Jewish
prisoner about to be executed. Yet, in
many ways, St. Maximilian’s martyrdom was only one facet of a very holy and
incredibly productive life. He had an
intense desire “to conquer the entire world – all souls – for Christ through
the Immaculata,”[1]
and the Lord used that zeal to save many souls.
St. Maximilian
Kolbe: Knight of the Immaculata is a fine biography by Fr. Jeremiah J.
Smith, O.F.M.Conv. which conveys both the events and the spirituality of St.
Maximilian in a very moving way. The book
clearly gives one the sense of St. Maximilian’s extraordinary vision, energy,
and desire to save souls and shows how he powerfully demonstrated the virtue of
magnanimity. (“Striving for greatness is
at the heart of . . . ‘magnanimity,’ which means ‘greatness of soul.’ This is
the virtue by which man pursues what is great and honorable in his life, even
if it is difficult . . . The magnanimous person seeks to do great acts, ‘things
as are deserving of honor.’"[2]) Some of the themes that the book highlights
are Kolbe’s
V
unique calling even from childhood
V
tremendous devotion to the Blessed Mother
V
unwavering obedience and unshakable sense of peace and joy
V
aspirations to, and incredible success in, great works of evangelization
V
commitment to a life of sacrifice and endurance of great suffering
V Two Crowns: Purity & Martyrdom
St.
Maximilian was born in 1894 in Poland.
At age of ten, he was granted the knowledge that God was calling him to
a unique vocation. As recorded by the
saint, Mary asked him to choose between a white crown and a red crown. “She appeared to me holding two crowns . . .
the white signified that I would always be pure, and the red that I would die a
martyr.”[3] He chose both. After that incident, his mother noticed a
great change in him, and he quickly grew in holiness and devotion. He entered the Franciscans at the age of
sixteen, and was ordained a priest in 1918.
Chosen to spread the faith during one of the bloodiest centuries in
history, St. Maximilian knew that he would one day be martyred, but that never
dimmed his zeal for the faith.
V Devotion to the Blessed Mother
The
writings and ministry of St. Maximilian were rooted in a total devotion to Mary
under the title of the Immaculata. His
love for and trust in the Blessed Mother can be seen in every aspect of his
life and work. He advised the friars, “My
dear sons, love the Immaculata! Love her
and she will make you happy. Trust in
her without limit.”[4] This devotion was based on his own intimate
relationship with the Blessed Mother who repeatedly aided him in his many
difficulties. “Characteristically, he
wrote at one time: ‘When it was clear that all other means were powerless, when
I was considered as lost and my superiors found me unfit for any work, it was
then that the Immaculata appeared on the scene to gather up this poor debris
which was not even fit for the waste basket.
She took this good-for-nothing and she used it to spread the glory of
God.’”[5]
V Peace & Joy Arising from Obedience
Although
St. Maximilian was blessed to be able to carry out many of the great dreams he
had for saving souls, his superiors did not approve all of his plans. On the many occasions where he was turned
down, he was able to accept their decisions without question due to his strong
commitment to obedience.
This devotion to obedience energized
every day of Fr. Maximilian’s life.
Indeed, his superiors, especially in those early days, did not pamper
him or agree with some of his proposals.
In his regard they had used “much human prudence,” with the result that
his ideals for the spread of the Militia were restrained. This by no means embittered him; on the
contrary, it strengthened his devotion to his vow of obedience.[6]
In
fact, St. Maximilian believed that obedience was such an important virtue that
he often promoted it among the brothers.
“Perfection is based on the love of God, on union with Him, on
conformity with Him. Our love of God is manifested by doing His Will, which is
made known to us through the will of our superiors.”[7]
St.
Maximilian’s believed that only God’s will mattered and that it was made known to
each person through the decisions of one’s superiors. This belief allowed him to maintain an
incredible sense of peace and joy throughout the many trials and setbacks that
he experienced. This joy was further
strengthened by a supernatural assurance of heaven that St. Maximilian received
during his ministry in Japan.[8] His total acceptance of the divine will and
trust in God’s mercy and love also allowed St. Maximilian to console many of the
other prisoners at Auschwitz, “telling them how God tries souls by suffering
and thus prepares them for a better life.
‘They may kill our bodies . . . but they cannot kill our souls . . . If we
die, we shall die peacefully, resigned to the divine will.’”[9]
V Militia & City of Mary Immaculate
In
1917, as a friar in Rome, St. Maximilian witnessed sacrilegious, anti-Catholic
demonstrations and pamphlet distribution by the Freemasons who were celebrating
their 200-year anniversary. “In front of
the Vatican, the Freemasons paraded signs which read ‘Satan must reign in the
Vatican. The Pope will be his slave.’”[10] This led Kolbe to found The Militia of Mary
Immaculate in order to counter the Freemasons and others who promoted evil and
the lies of the devil. “He knew that Our
Lady is the key to the conquest of Satan.
Maximilian would write: ‘Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be
more so in the future. The conflict with
Hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise
of victory over Satan.’”[11]
To
educate and evangelize Catholics who were facing the temptations and effects of
evil in the modern world, St. Maximilian Kolbe began publishing a review or
bulletin called The Knight of the Immaculata. He also founded Niepokalanow, the City of the
Immaculata, as a place where the friars engaged in this ministry could live and
work. Through many seemingly miraculous
occurrences, the publication and city grew dramatically. For example, circulation of The Knight of the Immaculata grew from 5,000 in 1922 to 81,000 in 1928, to
almost 1,000,000 by 1939. The friars also published numerous other books,
pamphlets, and newsletters and did broadcasts from their own radio
station. Starting the City in 1927 with
only 2 priests and 17 lay brothers, it grew to 762 Conventual Franciscans by
1938 making it the largest religious community in the world.[12] He eventually expanded the ministry internationally,
creating another site in Japan.
V Life of Sacrifice & Suffering
At
the core of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s ministry was his radical commitment to
poverty and acceptance of suffering. Both
in his personal life and apostolate, he embraced poverty as a way of trusting
in God completely. “Father Maximilian
always had a keen and conscious love for poverty . . . ‘Our houses should be so
poor that, were our father, holy Francis, to return, he would choose them as
his dwellings’ . . . His whole attitude toward material things reflected his
utter trust in Providence and in the Immaculata . . . when the missionaries
left for Japan, they had only their tickets and fifty dollars.”[13] Similarly, St. Maximilian totally accepted
many types of personal suffering throughout his life, including the ravages of
tuberculosis which he contracted while still a student.[14] For example, during his ministry in Japan he
remained very active although he was enduring horrible physical suffering. “During this time Japanese publication (of the
Japanese version of The Knight of the Immaculata) reached a number of
65,000 copies annually. But as the days
passed Fr. Maximilian’s health became worse.
Hemorrhaging and spitting of blood were frequent. All symptoms pointed to an early death.”[15]
In
summary, St. Maximilian Kolbe: Knight of
the Immaculata has many good features.
It holds the reader’s interest, is concise yet gives an in-depth look at
many aspects of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s life, and explains the saint’s
spirituality in a way that is very inspiring.
One drawback, however, is the lack of any index, bibliography or source
citations. Readers who wish to verify or
delve deeper into the rich content that Fr. Smith has provided will find no
guidance to facilitate further inquiry. Another
possible deficiency is that an unfortunate legend which arose about St.
Maximilian Kolbe’s life (accusations that he was anti-Semitic) is never mentioned
or answered. Perhaps this is understandable, because when Fr.
Smith wrote the original book in 1952, he could not have foreseen the firestorm
that would occur surrounding the controversy when St. John Paul II canonized St.
Maximilian Kolbe in 1982. (Although
Kolbe did accept the false Zionist-Jewish-Masonic conspiracy theory promoted in
the fabricated Protocols of the Learned
Elders of Zion, the accusations of anti-Semitism are not true. They were primarily based on a few quotations
taken out of context.)[16] For readers of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s
biography it would be helpful to at least know that there are strong rebuttals
to the anti-Semitic label when they encounter it in the secular media.
[1] Jeremiah J. Smith, O.F.M. Conv.,
St. Maximilian Kolbe: Knight of the
Immaculata, (Charlotte: TAN Books, 2012), 49.
[2] Edward P. Sri, “Called to
Greatness: The Virtue of Magnanimity,” Catholic
Education Resource Center, 2009, accessed March 31, 2016, http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/education/virtue-education/called-to-greatness-the-virtue-of-magnanimity.html
[3] Smith, St. Maximilian Kolbe, 6.
[5] Ibid, 23-24.
[6] Ibid, 26.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid, 70.
[9] Ibid, 89.
[10] Ibid, 15.
[11] Ibid, 16.
[12] Ibid, 42-43.
[13] Ibid, 51-52.
[14] Ibid, 22.
[15] Ibid, 65.
[16] Ronald Rodas,
“Pope John Paul II, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and Antisemitism: Some Current
Problems and Perceptions Affecting Catholic-Jewish Relations,” Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 20:4,
Fall, 1983, accessed April 3, 2016, 632-633, http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=752b6eda-72eb-40a5-b2c2-10b3c9a5f5f2%40sessionmgr4003&vid=1&hid=4202
Bibliography
Rodas, Ronald.
“Pope John Paul II, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and Antisemitism: Some Current
Problems and Perceptions Affecting Catholic-Jewish Relations.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 20:4,
Fall, 1983. Accessed April 3, 2016. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=752b6eda-72eb-40a5-b2c2-10b3c9a5f5f2%40sessionmgr4003&vid=1&hid=4202
Smith, Jeremiah
J. St. Maximilian Kolbe: Knight of the
Immaculata. Charlotte: TAN Books, 2012.
Sri, Edward P.
“Called to Greatness: The Virtue of Magnanimity.” Catholic Education Resource Center. 2009. Accessed March 31, 2016. http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/education/virtue-education/called-to-greatness-the-virtue-of-magnanimity.html
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