Holy Apostles College & Seminary
Maximillian Kolbe: Saint of Auschwitz by Elaine M. Stone
A Book Review
by: Iñigo Isla Cañedo
Church History
May 2, 2020
Saint
Maximillian Kolbe is one of the greatest models of holiness of the
Twentieth Century. He lived a life of holiness, dedicated to the
conversion of souls out of love of neighbor. He made a heroic choice of
love by giving his life for a stranger. He simply stepped forward, and
took the death sentence of another man. When asked who he was, he simply
said, “I am a Catholic priest.” During the homily at his canonization
mass, John Paul II spoke about the heroic nature of this act of love:
“And in this human death of his there was the clear witness borne to
Christ: the witness borne in Christ to the dignity of man, to the
sanctity of his life, and to the saving power of death in which the
power of love is made manifest. Precisely for this reason the death of
Maximilian Kolbe became a sign of victory. This was victory won over all
systematic contempt and hate for man and for what is divine in man-a
victory like that won by our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary…And
so, in virtue of my apostolic authority, I have decreed that Maximilian
Maria Kolbe-who after his Beatification was venerated as a
Confessor-shall henceforeward be venerated also as a Martyr!”[1]
About the Author
Elaine
Murray Stone truly put her heart and soul into this book. She shares at
the beginning of the book all that she did in order to write this book.
After reading countless books on Saint Maximillian and praying for his
intercession, she decided that it was not enough. She wanted to truly
immerse herself in his life and learn who he was, not merely what he
did. This is why, with the help of countless people, she took a trip to
Poland. During this trip she stayed in a Franciscan house spending time
with the people that knew Maximillian and lived with him. One of these
was Father Peter Mielczaker who was Maximilians secretary during some of
his time in Niepokalanow. Another was Fr. George Domasnki, who is one
of the leading experts on Saint Maximilian. She not only interviewed
them, and many others, but spend time with them listening to their
personal stories with the Saint. She also visited all of the important
cities in the life of Maximillian such as Zdunska Wola, Pabanice,
Niepokalanow, Czetochowa, Auschwitz, and Cracow. This in-depth immersion
into the life of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, allowed Mrs. Stone to produce a
biography on him like no other. It offers insight into the thoughts and
struggles of Maximilian and captures small moments that make you feel
as if you know the Saint. The extra work and dedication that Mrs. Stone
went through really shows.
Structure of the Book
The
book is divided into ten chapters that tell the life of Saint
Maximilian for his birth to his death. Each chapter is separated into
small sections which offer small stories and insights of the daily life
of Maximillian. They also contain the important events of his life such
as the vision of Our Lady with the two crowns, his ordination to the
priesthood, or his heroic death in Auschwitz. It truly feels like
someone who knew Maximillian very well was sharing their memories of
him.
Main Theme:
The
main theme of this book is the love that Maximillian shared throughout
his life. The heroic choice of love to give his life for another
prisoner was but the climax of a life full of choice, both big and
small, of unconditional love. We can see the first big choice of love in
his life when he received a vision of Our Lady offering him two crowns.
One of the crowns was red and symbolized a death by martyrdom; the
second crown was white and symbolized purity. Maximillian chose both
crowns out of love for Our Lady. Another big choice of love was the
formation of the Knights of the Immaculate, a group that would dedicate
themselves to Jesus through Mary by example and prayer. Finally, another
big choice of love was his missionary seal that led him to Japan to
spread the Good News of Christ. While these are some of the “bigger”
acts of love, some of his “smaller” acts of love were more heroic. On
example is that he would normally visit the Blessed Sacrament for five
minutes every half an hour. When his friars asked him why he would do
this, he would say that it was there where he got his strength. It was
also in front of the Blessed Sacrament that he learned how to love to
the extreme. Another example of a “small” act of love would be the way
that he viewed every day work. One day, when asked what must be done to
continue progressing in their work, he responded: “Our outside
activities are not what matters. Whether our magazines and newspapers
are a success, or a failure is unimportant. We could be dispersed like
leaves in a summer wind, but if the ideal of love and service to God and
his Blessed Mother were to grow in our hearts, we can say that we have
seen great progress.” It can all be summarized in the last words that
Father Maximilian spoke to his brothers as they were being dragged out
of Niepokalanow for the Concentration Camps. He told them: “Do not
forget to love.” He told them this because he knew that, where they were
going, it would be very easy to forget to love. Yet he proved that it
was possible. In Auschwitz, he continued loving as if he were back in
the City of the Immaculate and ultimately loved to the extreme by giving
his life for Christ, by giving it for his brother. I think that the
most important thing that can be learned from the life of Maximillian
and the lesson in this book is that love is always a choice that can be
made even in the worst situations. Always choose to love.
Personal Impression
It
was truly the work of God that I read this book. I had selected and
ordered a different book to do my report for; however, after a few weeks
I realized that I needed to start reading the book and that the book
had not arrived. I realized that I needed to start reading another book
that fit the guidelines of the project, in case that the book did not
arrive. I looked through all my books and found this book that I had
wanted to read for a while. It fit the guidelines set for the project,
so I began to read it. This happened as I was accepted to enter
postulancy into the Religious Community: Brothers and Priests Servants
of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The entrance date that I
received was the feast day of Saint Maximilian Kolbe (August 14) so for
me it was very significant that I read this book as I prepared to enter
on his feast day. It truly touched my heart because Saint Maximillian is
truly one of the most beautiful examples of authentic religious life.
It is also significant because I received my religious vocation in the
church were Our Lady offered young Maximillian the two crowns. It was
the most chaotic and emotional last couple of weeks, yet I felt that
Saint Maximillian was truly walking with me, the whole way, this scary
and yet exciting process of leaving everything behind for the Lord.
Work Cited
John Paul II. "HOMILY FOR THE CANONIZATION OF ST. MAXIMILIAN MARIA
KOLBE."
Address, Canonization of Maximillian Kolbe, St. Peter's Square,
Vatican, October 10, 1982. Accessed August 16, 2019.
https://www.piercedhearts.org/jpii/jpii_homilies/homilies_1982/oct_10_1982_canonization_max_kolbe.htm.
[1]John Paul II
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