By Dr Tiju Thomas –
The Polish Saint and martyr St. Maximilian Kolbe was an exemplar of Marian devotion. So great was his steadfast faith in Christ and love for the blessed Mother that Pope John Paul II considered him a role model and called him a ‘patron saint of this difficult century’.(1) His personal study, reflections and teachings have paved way to fresh academic insights and renewed pious devotion to the blessed Mother.
St. Maximilian Kolbe teamed up with the ‘Knights of the Immaculate’ (Italian: Militia Immaculata) to write, publish and teach the role of the Blessed Mother in salvation history. During the three visits St. Maxilmilian Kolbe made to Italy, between 1933 and 1937, he delivered several short but highly thought provoking conferences on his Mariology (study of the blessed Mother Mary). He was a Conventual Franciscan Friar and his Franciscan training aided his spirituality. Conventual Franciscans are a mendicant order (i.e. comprising of travelling teachers and preachers). St. Kolbe had joined to be a priest with the order. His devotion to the blessed Mother however preceded his priestly studies. His affection for the blessed Mother had roots well into his childhood. His faith in Christ and loyalty to the blessed Mother had been consistent ever since he was a young boy, just 12 years of age. He had a vision then of the Blessed Mother. He described his encounter with the Blessed Mother as follows:
That night I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both.(2)
St. Maximilian Kolbe thought of the blessed Mother as the greatest of all evangelists. He thought of the Blessed Mary as Christ’s own most holy instrument of evangelization, and hence sought her intercessions consistently when the world was going through troubled times, including World War II and Nazi oppression of Jews. He sought her intercession for restoration of peace, and saw every one as his own brothers and sisters. For promoting peace and to work towards redemption of mankind, he went onto set up many monasteries aimed at spreading the teaching of “to Jesus through the Immaculate heart of Mary”,
St. Kolbe eventually ended up a martyr. He gave up his life in place of his Jewish prison mate Gajowniczek in the Auschwitz concentration camp. He chose to give up his life in place of Gajowniczek, after he heard him speak to his wife and two sons. After he took the place of Gajowniczek, he was placed in a starvation bunker with no food or water for 14 days. After that, his life was taken away from him, by a lethal injection he was given by the Nazis. St. Maximilian Kolbe was convinced that giving his own life for the love of another was the most Christian act. He wished to harbour the love the kind Christ taught us. Jesus said to his disciples: “Love one another even as I have loved you.” (John 13: 34). St. Maximilian Kolbe took this teaching to heart and executed it during his life.
To nurture Christian love – so intense and pure – he believed in constantly learning from the blessed Mother. He taught that we ought to love Jesus with the heart of Mary, and love Mary with the heart of Jesus! In doing so, we would be on our way to rebuilding of the Church. After nearly 20 years of formation of the Knights of Immaculata; in a Roman conference, he asked for the creation of a doctrinal and historical corpus which would allow for systematic academic study of the blessed Mother.(3) He wished to see a single place (library) wherein the teachings of the Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church, Supreme Pontiffs, Saints and theologians would be made available, to aid both study and devotion. Today a religious order, the ‘Franciscans of the Immaculate’ (FI) runs the Academy of Immaculate, inspired by this vision of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
For St. Kolbe, the mystery of the blessed Mother draws from the greatest mystery of the Catholic faith; the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. The blessed Mother is the daughter of God the Father, mother of the Incarnate Son, and spouse of the Holy Spirit. In her, Jesus – who is God, who is love and grace himself – became incarnate! Hence she is the chosen instrument for the distribution of the ‘bread of life’ to all. She thus becomes the mother of all mankind.
Given the infinite mystery of the Holy Trinity, he considers the election of the Blessed Mother as a quasi-infinite mystery.(4) This makes Mary stand apart from all of rest of the mankind, and she is closest to Christ in a manner that is beyond comprehension. Hence she is ‘stainlessness’ (immaculate) personified.(3) For St. Kolbe, contemplation of the immaculate conception of the blessed Mother was a source of great hope, strength and affirmation of the God’s own wondrous presence in the lives of all of mankind.
Let us now pray, as St. Maximilian Kolbe encourages us – let us submit to God with fervor and love in our heart. Let us ‘love Jesus with the heart of Mary, and Mary with the heart of Jesus’!
Dr. Tiju Thomas is an interdisciplinary engineering faculty at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). In addition to his current scientific/technical engagements, he has an abiding interest in catechesis, and human formation of young students and professionals. He enjoys devoting time to work with people and families who wish for some assistance in gaining a meaningful life direction. He believes that his Christian vocation includes both human formation and availability
to those who wish to see hope even through suffering. Dr. Thomas can be reached at [email protected]
This reflection is not a complete survey of the Mariology and teachings of St. Maximilian Kolbe. It however aims at offering a brief but an integrated glimpse into the spiritual disposition and contributions of St. Kolbe, while emphasizing his extraordinary Christian witness. For St. Maximilian Kolbe ‘Love Jesus with the heart of Mary, and Mary with the heart of Jesus’ was a means for transforming all of mankind to bring about peace and redemption. Kolbian spirituality and teaching thus offers encouragement to all who wish to model their hearts after the blessed Mother, and imitate Christ.
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- Apostolic pilgrimage to Poland, Holy Mass at the Concentration Camp, and Homily of His Holiness John Paul II at Auschwitz (1979) http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1979/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19790607_polonia-brzezinka.html
- Regis J. Armstrong and Ingrid J. Peterson. (Editor) Phyllis Zagano, The Franciscan Tradition. (2010) Liturgical Press. p. 50. ISBN978-0-8146-3922-1
- Conference VI, Roman Conferences of St. Maximilian Kolbe (translated with introduction and notes by Fr. Peter M. Damian Fehlner, Franciscans of Immaculate), Academy of the Immaculate (2004)
- Conference III, Roman Conferences of St. Maximilian Kolbe (translated with introduction and notes by Fr. Peter M. Damian Fehlner, Franciscans of Immaculate), Academy of the Immaculate (2004)
- Conference VI, Roman Conferences of St. Maximilian Kolbe (translated with introduction and notes by Fr. Peter M. Damian Fehlner, Franciscans of Immaculate), Academy of the Immaculate (2004)