Maximilian Kolbe's Story Shows us Why Sainthood is Still Meaningful

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 10/10/12 | Steven Hepburn

[marshmallow]

On the anniversary of St Maximilian's canonisation, we can learn from the priest who died in place of a stranger in Auschwitz

If the story of the Christian faith is about suffering, death and the power of God in the resurrection, then the 20th-century story of Nagasaki and Auschwitz is about suffering, death and the power of man in destruction. St Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest who was canonised 30 years ago today, in a unique way embraced both places.

With his life he witnessed for the Christian faith in the first and with his death he witnessed for the same faith in the second. He displayed the hope that is present and gives added joy to the springtime of peace and the hope that is present and gives the only joy in the winter of unchecked human cruelty and evil passions. Some will see this as no more than a great sign that, at its best, the human spirit is indomitable. Believers will see in it the power of God's spirit at work in the hearts of men.

During his time in Nagasaki in the 1930s, Father Maximilian created a monastery whose location subsequently enabled it to escape the force of the nuclear blast that destroyed that city. It remained, it endured, it was a sign of hope amid devastation and destruction. In Poland he and many of his Polish Catholic colleagues gave hope to the thousands of Jews whom they sheltered and for whom he was incarcerated in Auschwitz. Finally, on earth, he gave hope to the man whom he volunteered to replace as a victim of reprisals by camp authorities for a presumed escape. After three weeks of starvation he was killed with an injection of carbolic acid.

At Father Maximilian's canonisation, Pope John Paul II....

[Salvation]

My favorite saint. I learned so much about him on my pilgrimage to Eastern Europe.

Welcome back, freeper Salvation! (Vanity)

[Salvation]

Maximilian Kolbe's Story Shows us Why Sainthood is Still Meaningful
St. Maximillan Kolbe ~ pray for us, on this your feast day August 14th ~
The Priest Who Knew St. Maximilian Kolbe
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] No Greater Love (Meditation on St Maximilian Kolbe)
St. Maximilian Kolbe, priest and martyr, (1894-1941) [Catholic Caucus]

Maximillian Kolbe, Apostle of Mary [Catholic Caucus]
Saint Maximilian Kolbe's 'Secret' Weapon (Catholic Caucus)
[Father Maximillian Mary] Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz
The Crusade of Mary Immaculate - St. Maximilian Kolbe (Catholic Caucus)
Poland: Auschwitz martyr Kolbe remembered
The Man Who Stepped Out of Line (St. Maximilian Kolbe and Christian Masculinity)
St. Maximilian Kolbe VOLUNTEERED To Be Starved To Death; Terri Schiavo Did NOT
St Maximilian Kolbe-Priest, Martyr, Saint
August 14 - Memorial, St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Blessed[Saint]Maximilian Kolbe-Priest Hero Of A Death

[Mrs. Don-o]

A fine article, and wonderful to see it in the Guardian, of all places. (Do yourself a favor and don't read the Comments section; if clues caused clicks, most of the Guardian commentariat couldn't find one with a Geiger counter.)

Maximilian Kolbe was my mother's favorite saint. I often wondered about that. My mother was a remarkable woman.