Homily Nineteenth Friday of Ordinary Time (Maximilian Kolbe)
Homily Nineteenth Friday of Ordinary Time (Maximilian Kolbe)
Nazi Germany brought out the best in Christian clergy and it brought out the worst in the clergy. As we read the stories of World War II we hear of those clergy who cooperated with the Nazi regime. When Jews and gypsies and homosexuals were taken away to concentration camps many clergymen kept silent because they were afraid for their own lives.
Other clergy were heroic as they spoke out against the atrocities that took place. Often the priests and ministers were warned that they must keep silent, but some spoke out any way realizing that they were going to pay a price. Some were beaten, others were killed on the spot, and still others were taken to concentration camps themselves where they suffered greatly.
I had the privilege to visit Dachau in 1980. This was the prison camp where most Catholic priests who were arrested were taken. The story of their heroism was inspirational. To walk through a camp were hundreds of thousands had died was a somber experience.
Maximilian Kolbe was a Franciscan priest in Poland during WWII. The Third Reich recognized the power of the church in Poland and they wanted to destroy it so they rounded up Catholic priests and sent them to concentration camps.
Maximilian Kolbe was one of the unfortunate ones who were imprisoned. He was a journalist who had written derogatory things about the Nazi occupation of Poland.
He tried to continue his ministry in the concentration camp. When there was an escape attempt in the camp it was decided that certain prisoners would be starved to death. A man was selected who pleaded for his life because he had a family. Maximilian Kolbe volunteered to die in the married man’s place. He was granted his wish.
He lived out the words of the John 15:13. “There is no greater love than this-to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Maximilian Kolbe laid down his life for someone he did not even know. His action reflected the love of Christ.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I speak out when there is an injustice? When have I done that?
- When have I seen someone lay down their life for another? Did this happen all at once or over a long period of time?
Dear Parishioners,
Sorry that I have not posted anything the last couple of days, but the power outage shut down our electricity. No computers were working, no phones, not even cell phones for me. Our power came on Wednesday night about 8p.m.
The whole experience was a sign that all of us are at the mercy of forces beyond our control. I can’t say that I was a happy camper. But I tried to think of others who were more miserable than I was.
Thursday, we had a funeral for a victim of the COVID 19 epidemic. This is the third member of our parish to die of this disease. I will be taking part in a funeral tomorrow for Ben Rogers who was the first to die in our county a few months ago. This makes the present pandemic very real. We must continue to try to protect others by acting responsibly. This is a difficult time.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Please forgive me if I do not post every day. Things are now becoming a little more hectic as we move into September.