On the night before he was ordained on April 27, 1918, Saint Maximilian Kolbe made a retreat and wrote out the following bullet-point plan for his life. As you will see, he was committed, determined, and serious about his walk with Christ.
This regimen of spiritual discipline undoubtedly prepared him for his fruitful ministry and martyrdom. While St. Maximilian wrote this for living out his vocation to the priesthood, his words and admonitions easily apply to all Christians who are part of the Church Militant.
St. Maximilian Kolbe's Bullet-Point Plan for His Life
- Follow very faithfully the timetable of each day, and you will be safe.
- This very day begin to serve God.
- It may be that this is the last day of your life.
- Live it as if it were, indeed, the last day.
- Tomorrow is uncertain, yesterday is no longer yours. Only the present belongs to you.
- There is an ear which hears all, an eye which scrutinizes all the movements of the heart, a hand which takes note of all.
- Not being punished is the most terrible chastisement of all.
- If you want to avoid judgment, stop passing judgment. (Mt 7:1)
- St. Francis de Sales: "Fidelity in observing the rule is the sacrifice God prefers above all others; it is a mortification and a penance."
- Love the most Blessed Virgin very deeply.
- Every action you perform will remain forever.
- Choose the least desirable things in food, clothes, tasks, and you will be dear to Jesus.
- Silence.
- The souls in Purgatory. Pray and work for sinners, for Holy Church.
- Make up by your fervor, for the time you have lost.
- Be a man, a Christian, a Religious.
Be a man:
Don’t blush for your convictions
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Have a sense of duty, fulfill it well, without being concerned whether anyone is watching you. Act instead with a noble ambition.
Don’t worry about the evil in others.
Be a Catholic:
When you kneel before an altar, do it in such a way that others may be able to recognize that you know before whom you kneel.
Be a Religious:
A good intention in work is like the number '1' in front of a lot of zeroes.
Men deprive themselves of great treasures when they work without a good intention.
As you arise in the morning, so you will be all day long.
Every action you do is noted down. Nothing will fail to be either rewarded or punished.
You might die this very day!
Be recollected; whoever pours himself out on exterior things quickly loses the graces he has acquired. A full jewel box is always kept closed.
- Humility:
Avoid all those words which can draw down on you glory, esteem, or the appreciation of others.
Let us listen unwillingly (without interest or reflection) and with interior reluctance to the words of those who praise or commend us. It is dangerous to listen to one’s own praise in the mouths of others. It makes one lose his good judgment. When others praise us let us keep our sins before our eyes. In this way we shall judge ourselves unworthy of any commendation, and consequently, we shall find an occasion for being ashamed of ourselves and for humbling ourselves.
Rejoice when you hear others praised.
Jealousy, attachment to one’s own glory, is a defeat.
Never do anything so that men may see and esteem you.
Never do anything out of human respect.
Do everything perfectly, because you are working in God’s presence, for God and not for men. In every situation think more about loving than about working.
Don’t offer excuses when you make a mistake. Don’t cast the blame on others. Do not offend by sarcasm those who correct you. Do not renounce in advance your errors which someone is trying to point out to you.
Practice for a long time and with zeal until you succeed in willing that your defects may not be hidden any longer, and until you learn how to rejoice when the others judge you imperfect. Do this to make up for your errors.
When you are reproved unjustly, do not excuse yourself.
Cut short all thoughts of pride.
#spirituallife #kolbe
This regimen of spiritual discipline undoubtedly prepared him for his fruitful ministry and martyrdom. While St. Maximilian wrote this for living out his vocation to the priesthood, his words and admonitions easily apply to all Christians who are part of the Church Militant.
St. Maximilian Kolbe's Bullet-Point Plan for His Life
- Follow very faithfully the timetable of each day, and you will be safe.
- This very day begin to serve God.
- It may be that this is the last day of your life.
- Live it as if it were, indeed, the last day.
- Tomorrow is uncertain, yesterday is no longer yours. Only the present belongs to you.
- There is an ear which hears all, an eye which scrutinizes all the movements of the heart, a hand which takes note of all.
- Not being punished is the most terrible chastisement of all.
- If you want to avoid judgment, stop passing judgment. (Mt 7:1)
- St. Francis de Sales: "Fidelity in observing the rule is the sacrifice God prefers above all others; it is a mortification and a penance."
- Love the most Blessed Virgin very deeply.
- Every action you perform will remain forever.
- Choose the least desirable things in food, clothes, tasks, and you will be dear to Jesus.
- Silence.
- The souls in Purgatory. Pray and work for sinners, for Holy Church.
- Make up by your fervor, for the time you have lost.
- Be a man, a Christian, a Religious.
Be a man:
Don’t blush for your convictions
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Have a sense of duty, fulfill it well, without being concerned whether anyone is watching you. Act instead with a noble ambition.
Don’t worry about the evil in others.
Be a Catholic:
When you kneel before an altar, do it in such a way that others may be able to recognize that you know before whom you kneel.
Be a Religious:
A good intention in work is like the number '1' in front of a lot of zeroes.
Men deprive themselves of great treasures when they work without a good intention.
As you arise in the morning, so you will be all day long.
Every action you do is noted down. Nothing will fail to be either rewarded or punished.
You might die this very day!
Be recollected; whoever pours himself out on exterior things quickly loses the graces he has acquired. A full jewel box is always kept closed.
- Humility:
Avoid all those words which can draw down on you glory, esteem, or the appreciation of others.
Let us listen unwillingly (without interest or reflection) and with interior reluctance to the words of those who praise or commend us. It is dangerous to listen to one’s own praise in the mouths of others. It makes one lose his good judgment. When others praise us let us keep our sins before our eyes. In this way we shall judge ourselves unworthy of any commendation, and consequently, we shall find an occasion for being ashamed of ourselves and for humbling ourselves.
Rejoice when you hear others praised.
Jealousy, attachment to one’s own glory, is a defeat.
Never do anything so that men may see and esteem you.
Never do anything out of human respect.
Do everything perfectly, because you are working in God’s presence, for God and not for men. In every situation think more about loving than about working.
Don’t offer excuses when you make a mistake. Don’t cast the blame on others. Do not offend by sarcasm those who correct you. Do not renounce in advance your errors which someone is trying to point out to you.
Practice for a long time and with zeal until you succeed in willing that your defects may not be hidden any longer, and until you learn how to rejoice when the others judge you imperfect. Do this to make up for your errors.
When you are reproved unjustly, do not excuse yourself.
Cut short all thoughts of pride.
#spirituallife #kolbe
St. Maximilian Kolbe's Bullet-Point Plan for His Life
Continued:
Consider every friar superior to yourself, and yourself the least of all. Recognize everyone as better than yourself, not only in your thoughts, but also in your external deportment.
If you consider another superior to yourself, then:
You will converse with him more calmly.
You will never insult him in words, nor do anything to displease him; you will not suspect him.
It will be easy for you to accept a harsh or disrespectful word from him.
Willingly accept every opportunity for humbling yourself. Don’t be offended at:
A harsh word.
An imperious tone of voice.
Not being respected as much as you would like to be.
Welcome occasions of being disregarded and humiliated, first with patience, then willingly, without raising any difficulties and finally with joy. That will be perfect humility.
Make acts of humility (as also of the other virtues on which you are in your interior examining yourself), beginning with a rather small number of them; then increase these continually, and make more and more progress. This, in fact, is how one acquires a good habit and makes it grow strong.
Humility is the foundation of the virtues.
#kolbe #spirituallife
Continued:
Consider every friar superior to yourself, and yourself the least of all. Recognize everyone as better than yourself, not only in your thoughts, but also in your external deportment.
If you consider another superior to yourself, then:
You will converse with him more calmly.
You will never insult him in words, nor do anything to displease him; you will not suspect him.
It will be easy for you to accept a harsh or disrespectful word from him.
Willingly accept every opportunity for humbling yourself. Don’t be offended at:
A harsh word.
An imperious tone of voice.
Not being respected as much as you would like to be.
Welcome occasions of being disregarded and humiliated, first with patience, then willingly, without raising any difficulties and finally with joy. That will be perfect humility.
Make acts of humility (as also of the other virtues on which you are in your interior examining yourself), beginning with a rather small number of them; then increase these continually, and make more and more progress. This, in fact, is how one acquires a good habit and makes it grow strong.
Humility is the foundation of the virtues.
#kolbe #spirituallife
"Satan Must Reign in the Vatican. The Pope Will Be His Slave."
The bold proclamation in the headline of this article was personally witnessed by St. Maximilian Kolbe, who watched Freemasons celebrate their bicentennial in St. Peter’s Square in 1917. St. Maximilian Kolbe saw banners bearing these words amidst the revelry. It’s a jarring and shocking statement, but it is totally in keeping with the aims of Freemasonry and it bears a great deal of significance for us today.
Before we go any further, it must be made perfectly clear that the Lepanto Institute is in NO WAY accusing Pope Francis of being a Freemason or suggesting that he is a willing advocate for Masonic principles. However, in light of certain recent events, what has become manifestly obvious is that there is a grave moral threat within the walls of the Church being orchestrated by unscrupulous men. The intent of this article is to attempt to shed some light on these events and perhaps make sense of these troubling times.
https://lepantoin.org/satan-must-reign-in-the-vatican-the-pope-will-be-his-slave/
#kolbe #freemasonry
The bold proclamation in the headline of this article was personally witnessed by St. Maximilian Kolbe, who watched Freemasons celebrate their bicentennial in St. Peter’s Square in 1917. St. Maximilian Kolbe saw banners bearing these words amidst the revelry. It’s a jarring and shocking statement, but it is totally in keeping with the aims of Freemasonry and it bears a great deal of significance for us today.
Before we go any further, it must be made perfectly clear that the Lepanto Institute is in NO WAY accusing Pope Francis of being a Freemason or suggesting that he is a willing advocate for Masonic principles. However, in light of certain recent events, what has become manifestly obvious is that there is a grave moral threat within the walls of the Church being orchestrated by unscrupulous men. The intent of this article is to attempt to shed some light on these events and perhaps make sense of these troubling times.
https://lepantoin.org/satan-must-reign-in-the-vatican-the-pope-will-be-his-slave/
#kolbe #freemasonry
The Lepanto Institute
"Satan Must Reign in the Vatican. The Pope Will Be His Slave." - The Lepanto Institute
The bold proclamation in the headline of this article was personally witnessed by St. Maximilian Kolbe, who watched Freemasons celebrate their bicentennial in St. Peter’s Square in 1917. St. Maximilian Kolbe saw banners bearing these words amidst the revelry.…
"We Must Sanctify the Whole World"
A Letter of St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)
I rejoice greatly, dear brother, at the outstanding zeal that drives you to promote the glory of God. It is sad to see how in our times the disease called “indifferentism” is spreading in all its forms, not just among those in the world but also among the members of religious orders. But indeed, since God is worthy of infinite glory, it is our first and most pressing duty to give him such glory as we, in our weakness, can manage – even that we would never, poor exiled creatures that we are, be able to render him such glory as he truly deserves.
Because God’s glory shines through most brightly in the salvation of the souls that Christ redeemed with his own blood, let it be the chief concern of the apostolic life to bring salvation and an increase in holiness to as many souls as possible. Let me briefly outline the best way to achieve this end – both for the glory of God and for the sanctification of the greatest number. God, who is infinite knowledge and infinite wisdom, knows perfectly what is to be done to give him glory, and in the clearest way possible makes his will known to us through his vice-gerents on Earth.
It is obedience and obedience alone that shows us God’s will with certainty. Of course our superiors may err, but it cannot happen that we, holding fast to our obedience, should be led into error by this. There is only one exception: if the superior commands something that would obviously involve breaking God’s law, however slightly. In that case the superior could not be acting as a faithful interpreter of God’s will.
God himself is the one infinite, wise, holy, and merciful Lord, our Creator and our Father, the beginning and the end, wisdom, power, and love – God is all these. Anything that is apart from God has value only in so far as it is brought back to him, the Founder of all things, the Redeemer of mankind, the final end of all creation. Thus he himself makes his holy will known to us through his vice-gerents on Earth and draws us to himself, and through us – for so he has willed – draws other souls too, and unites them to himself with an ever more perfect love.
See then, brother, the tremendous honour of the position that God in his kindness has placed us in. Through obedience we transcend our own limitations and align ourselves with God’s will, which, with infinite wisdom and prudence, guides us to do what is best. Moreover, as we become filled with the divine will, which no created thing can resist, so we become stronger than all others.
This is the path of wisdom and prudence, this is the one way by which we can come to give God the highest glory. After all, if there had been another, better way, Christ would certainly have shown it to us, by word and by example. But in fact sacred Scripture wraps up his entire long life in Nazareth with the words and he was obedient to them and it shows the rest of his life to have been passed in similar obedience – almost as an instruction to us – by showing how he came down to Earth to do the Father’s will.
Brethren, let us love him above all, our most loving heavenly Father, and let our obedience be a sign of this perfect love, especially when we have to sacrifice our own wills in the process. And as for a book from which to learn how to grow in the love of God, there is no better book than Jesus Christ crucified.
All this we will achieve more easily through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin, to whom the most kind God has given the task of dispensing his mercies. There is no doubt that the will of Mary should be the will of God for us. When we dedicate ourselves to him, we become tools in her hands just as she became a tool in his. Let us let her direct us and lead us by the hand. Let us be calm and serene under her guidance: she will foresee all things for us, provide all things, swiftly fulfil our needs both bodily and spiritual, and keep away from us all difficulty and suffering.
#obedience #kolbe
A Letter of St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)
I rejoice greatly, dear brother, at the outstanding zeal that drives you to promote the glory of God. It is sad to see how in our times the disease called “indifferentism” is spreading in all its forms, not just among those in the world but also among the members of religious orders. But indeed, since God is worthy of infinite glory, it is our first and most pressing duty to give him such glory as we, in our weakness, can manage – even that we would never, poor exiled creatures that we are, be able to render him such glory as he truly deserves.
Because God’s glory shines through most brightly in the salvation of the souls that Christ redeemed with his own blood, let it be the chief concern of the apostolic life to bring salvation and an increase in holiness to as many souls as possible. Let me briefly outline the best way to achieve this end – both for the glory of God and for the sanctification of the greatest number. God, who is infinite knowledge and infinite wisdom, knows perfectly what is to be done to give him glory, and in the clearest way possible makes his will known to us through his vice-gerents on Earth.
It is obedience and obedience alone that shows us God’s will with certainty. Of course our superiors may err, but it cannot happen that we, holding fast to our obedience, should be led into error by this. There is only one exception: if the superior commands something that would obviously involve breaking God’s law, however slightly. In that case the superior could not be acting as a faithful interpreter of God’s will.
God himself is the one infinite, wise, holy, and merciful Lord, our Creator and our Father, the beginning and the end, wisdom, power, and love – God is all these. Anything that is apart from God has value only in so far as it is brought back to him, the Founder of all things, the Redeemer of mankind, the final end of all creation. Thus he himself makes his holy will known to us through his vice-gerents on Earth and draws us to himself, and through us – for so he has willed – draws other souls too, and unites them to himself with an ever more perfect love.
See then, brother, the tremendous honour of the position that God in his kindness has placed us in. Through obedience we transcend our own limitations and align ourselves with God’s will, which, with infinite wisdom and prudence, guides us to do what is best. Moreover, as we become filled with the divine will, which no created thing can resist, so we become stronger than all others.
This is the path of wisdom and prudence, this is the one way by which we can come to give God the highest glory. After all, if there had been another, better way, Christ would certainly have shown it to us, by word and by example. But in fact sacred Scripture wraps up his entire long life in Nazareth with the words and he was obedient to them and it shows the rest of his life to have been passed in similar obedience – almost as an instruction to us – by showing how he came down to Earth to do the Father’s will.
Brethren, let us love him above all, our most loving heavenly Father, and let our obedience be a sign of this perfect love, especially when we have to sacrifice our own wills in the process. And as for a book from which to learn how to grow in the love of God, there is no better book than Jesus Christ crucified.
All this we will achieve more easily through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin, to whom the most kind God has given the task of dispensing his mercies. There is no doubt that the will of Mary should be the will of God for us. When we dedicate ourselves to him, we become tools in her hands just as she became a tool in his. Let us let her direct us and lead us by the hand. Let us be calm and serene under her guidance: she will foresee all things for us, provide all things, swiftly fulfil our needs both bodily and spiritual, and keep away from us all difficulty and suffering.
#obedience #kolbe
The uniqueness of Mary according to St.
Maximilian Maria Kolbe
"The Lord God decreed that we should receive everything from God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost— through the Immaculate. This is the unique route for all grace.
In the Old Testament one addressed God directly in fear and trembling. Our Lord Jesus Christ came and taught us to address ourselves to God the Father through His mediation, saying that no one comes to the Father but by Him (Jn. 14: 6). And from that time Holy Church especially emphasizes the honor due to Our Lord Jesus Christ and in all her prayers adds “through Christ our Lord.” Nonetheless, the relation of creatures to God was not yet ideal—creature and Creator, the infinite and the finite. Thus Jesus said to the Apostles: “Now you cannot understand this and you will understand only by the Holy Ghost” (cf. Jn 16:12-13). For far more perfect is the honor given to God through the Holy Ghost, that is, through the Immaculate, His Spouse, whom He penetrates entirely, to the point that He is, as it were, incarnate in her, only they remain two persons and two natures.
The will of the Immaculate is most intimately united to the will of the Holy Ghost in such a way that it is completely identified with it. That is why when we give ourselves to the Immaculate and accomplish her will, by that very fact we give ourselves to Jesus and we accomplish His will— but in the most perfect way that man can ever attain."
"I will say something more, and I will
say it boldly: if we are given up entirely to the
Immaculate, if we constantly strive to be so, then our bad works—although perhaps not done with
bad will, but still bad—she will repair them and even more: She will turn them into a greater good. And she will even work miracles, if it be necessary, because for the Immaculate to work a miracle is not something great. And then our
works and efforts will not be ours but hers, and they will have a value that is not our own but of the Immaculate".
"At any rate, the Immaculate knows everything and directs everything, on condition that we let ourselves be guided perfectly by her".
"Since we have given ourselves to her without limits, therefore she, for her part, leads us."
"If we belong to the Immaculate, then everything we have belongs to her also, and Jesus accepts everything that comes from us as if it came from her, as if it belonged to her. In this case she cannot leave these actions imperfect, but renders them worthy of herself, that is, immaculate, without the least stain..That is why Satan wants absolutely to separate souls from union with the Immaculate, because He knows that a soul who excludes the mediation of the Immaculate offers to Jesus gifts that are so full of imperfections that they are more worthy of chastisement than recompense. And the worst of it is that these gifts are poisoned with pride, because one believes that one has no need of the Immaculate."
#kolbe #mary
Maximilian Maria Kolbe
"The Lord God decreed that we should receive everything from God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost— through the Immaculate. This is the unique route for all grace.
In the Old Testament one addressed God directly in fear and trembling. Our Lord Jesus Christ came and taught us to address ourselves to God the Father through His mediation, saying that no one comes to the Father but by Him (Jn. 14: 6). And from that time Holy Church especially emphasizes the honor due to Our Lord Jesus Christ and in all her prayers adds “through Christ our Lord.” Nonetheless, the relation of creatures to God was not yet ideal—creature and Creator, the infinite and the finite. Thus Jesus said to the Apostles: “Now you cannot understand this and you will understand only by the Holy Ghost” (cf. Jn 16:12-13). For far more perfect is the honor given to God through the Holy Ghost, that is, through the Immaculate, His Spouse, whom He penetrates entirely, to the point that He is, as it were, incarnate in her, only they remain two persons and two natures.
The will of the Immaculate is most intimately united to the will of the Holy Ghost in such a way that it is completely identified with it. That is why when we give ourselves to the Immaculate and accomplish her will, by that very fact we give ourselves to Jesus and we accomplish His will— but in the most perfect way that man can ever attain."
"I will say something more, and I will
say it boldly: if we are given up entirely to the
Immaculate, if we constantly strive to be so, then our bad works—although perhaps not done with
bad will, but still bad—she will repair them and even more: She will turn them into a greater good. And she will even work miracles, if it be necessary, because for the Immaculate to work a miracle is not something great. And then our
works and efforts will not be ours but hers, and they will have a value that is not our own but of the Immaculate".
"At any rate, the Immaculate knows everything and directs everything, on condition that we let ourselves be guided perfectly by her".
"Since we have given ourselves to her without limits, therefore she, for her part, leads us."
"If we belong to the Immaculate, then everything we have belongs to her also, and Jesus accepts everything that comes from us as if it came from her, as if it belonged to her. In this case she cannot leave these actions imperfect, but renders them worthy of herself, that is, immaculate, without the least stain..That is why Satan wants absolutely to separate souls from union with the Immaculate, because He knows that a soul who excludes the mediation of the Immaculate offers to Jesus gifts that are so full of imperfections that they are more worthy of chastisement than recompense. And the worst of it is that these gifts are poisoned with pride, because one believes that one has no need of the Immaculate."
#kolbe #mary
she_leadeth_me_with_cover(1).pdf
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"She Leadeth Me" (on devotion to Mary)
according to Maximilian Maria Kolbe
"Our dependence on Mary is greater than we can imagine.We receive all graces, absolutely all of them, from God through the Immaculate, who is our universal mediatrix with Jesus."
"When you gird yourself in preparation to read something on the Immaculate, don’t forget that at that moment you are entering into contact with a living being who loves you and who is pure, free from all stain. . She herself will manifest herself through the intermediary of the thoughts you will read and will communicate thoughts, convictions, and sentiments that the author himself was utterly incapable of imagining. "
#kolbe #mary
according to Maximilian Maria Kolbe
"Our dependence on Mary is greater than we can imagine.We receive all graces, absolutely all of them, from God through the Immaculate, who is our universal mediatrix with Jesus."
"When you gird yourself in preparation to read something on the Immaculate, don’t forget that at that moment you are entering into contact with a living being who loves you and who is pure, free from all stain. . She herself will manifest herself through the intermediary of the thoughts you will read and will communicate thoughts, convictions, and sentiments that the author himself was utterly incapable of imagining. "
#kolbe #mary
St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe- a martyr of charity
8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941
As a child, St. Maximilian had a vision of Mary, in which the blessed Mother offered him two crowns. The first, the white crown of virginity. The second, the red crown of martyrdom. He rarely spoke of the encounter, and even then only obliquely. In 1941, after her son had perished in Auschwitz, Kolbe’s mother recollected her son’s childhood encounter with the Blessed Mother. Hiding under the family’s altar, Maria Dabrowska found her son, “trembling and with tears in his eyes, he told me, ‘When you said to me, ‘What will become of you?’
I prayed very hard to our Lady to tell me what would become of me. And later in Church I prayed again. Then the Virgin Mother appeared to me that night holding in her hands two crowns, one white and one red. She looked at me with love and she asked me if I would be willing to accept either of these crowns. The white meant that I would remain pure and the red one that I would be a martyr. I answered that I would accept them both. Then the Virgin looked at me tenderly and disappeared.'”
The fiat, the yes, of his childhood was confirmed over a life of practice. He made himself ready for the gift of martyrdom through the daily practice of attuning his heart to Christ through the Immaculata until the day came when he could freely offer himself as a sacrifice of love for another. Accepting the crowns offered to him as a child, Kolbe entrusted his love for Christ and His Sacred Heart to Mary and declared his desire to live and die for the Immaculata. The sacrifice of his whole life and the manner of his death affirmed the words of the Apostle John: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn 3:16).
#august #kolbe #saints
8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941
As a child, St. Maximilian had a vision of Mary, in which the blessed Mother offered him two crowns. The first, the white crown of virginity. The second, the red crown of martyrdom. He rarely spoke of the encounter, and even then only obliquely. In 1941, after her son had perished in Auschwitz, Kolbe’s mother recollected her son’s childhood encounter with the Blessed Mother. Hiding under the family’s altar, Maria Dabrowska found her son, “trembling and with tears in his eyes, he told me, ‘When you said to me, ‘What will become of you?’
I prayed very hard to our Lady to tell me what would become of me. And later in Church I prayed again. Then the Virgin Mother appeared to me that night holding in her hands two crowns, one white and one red. She looked at me with love and she asked me if I would be willing to accept either of these crowns. The white meant that I would remain pure and the red one that I would be a martyr. I answered that I would accept them both. Then the Virgin looked at me tenderly and disappeared.'”
The fiat, the yes, of his childhood was confirmed over a life of practice. He made himself ready for the gift of martyrdom through the daily practice of attuning his heart to Christ through the Immaculata until the day came when he could freely offer himself as a sacrifice of love for another. Accepting the crowns offered to him as a child, Kolbe entrusted his love for Christ and His Sacred Heart to Mary and declared his desire to live and die for the Immaculata. The sacrifice of his whole life and the manner of his death affirmed the words of the Apostle John: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn 3:16).
#august #kolbe #saints
The history behind a certain photograph
After the arrest of the residents of Niepokalanów on 19 September 1939, German Werhmacht troops and German civilians were stationed in Niepokalanów. From Saturday, 20 April 1940, the City of Mary was 'decorated' with a red flag with a black swastika, much to Father Kolbe's regret, recommending prayers that this shameful symbol should cease to disfigure the cloistered walls dedicated to the Immaculate.
Beginning from September 1940, Fr. Iwo Achtelik guarded the gate of the monastery. He knew the German language, so he could better serve the Werhmacht soldiers and German civilians coming through the gate. Shortly afterwards, Father Kolbe told him to go to the sick Wehrmacht soldiers staying in a building near the gate. He wished them a speedy recovery and instructed the friars to bring tea to the sick.
These gestures of kindness led one of the officers of the garrison stationed at Niepokalanów, an approximately 40-year-old Wehrmacht lieutenant from Bavaria, to approach Fr. Achtelik and ask Father Maximilian to paint a picture of the Immaculate for a gift for the officer's mother. Father Maximilian commissioned Fr. Lechosław. Shortly afterwards, the officer came to Father Maximilian to say goodbye to him because he had been transferred to another place. He left an address to which he asked that the painting be sent once it had been painted, and also asked if he could stand with him for a photograph under the statue of the Immaculate which stands in the monastery. As Br Iwo Achtelik - a witness to the event - recalls, "Father Maximilian readily agreed. This officer stood in the middle, facing the statue of the Immaculate, Father Maximilian on his right, and I was told by Father Maximilian to stand on the left." This photograph was taken by the late Fr. Boniface. It was at the end of January 1941."
This is how one of the last photographs of Father Maximilian was taken, which can be seen in the St. Maximilian Museum at Niepokalanów.
Sources: Documents on Father Maximilian M. Kolb. Statements of religious confreres, Niepokalanów 1953 (mps Niepokalanów Archives), pp. 13-14; C. R. Foster, Knight of Mary. The mission and martyrdom of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Niepokalanów 2007, pp. 582, 623-624
https://niepokalanow.pl/klasztor/archiwum/1941-historia-fotografii-oficera-werhmachtu
False accusations against Saint Maximilian and false information about him and his activities constantly appear or are reproduced by imprudent and unreliable authors of various publications or videos.
If you have any questions or doubts, I leave the contact to the archive.
E-mail: archiwum@niepokalanow.pl
Tel.: +48 46 864 21 44
#kolbe
After the arrest of the residents of Niepokalanów on 19 September 1939, German Werhmacht troops and German civilians were stationed in Niepokalanów. From Saturday, 20 April 1940, the City of Mary was 'decorated' with a red flag with a black swastika, much to Father Kolbe's regret, recommending prayers that this shameful symbol should cease to disfigure the cloistered walls dedicated to the Immaculate.
Beginning from September 1940, Fr. Iwo Achtelik guarded the gate of the monastery. He knew the German language, so he could better serve the Werhmacht soldiers and German civilians coming through the gate. Shortly afterwards, Father Kolbe told him to go to the sick Wehrmacht soldiers staying in a building near the gate. He wished them a speedy recovery and instructed the friars to bring tea to the sick.
These gestures of kindness led one of the officers of the garrison stationed at Niepokalanów, an approximately 40-year-old Wehrmacht lieutenant from Bavaria, to approach Fr. Achtelik and ask Father Maximilian to paint a picture of the Immaculate for a gift for the officer's mother. Father Maximilian commissioned Fr. Lechosław. Shortly afterwards, the officer came to Father Maximilian to say goodbye to him because he had been transferred to another place. He left an address to which he asked that the painting be sent once it had been painted, and also asked if he could stand with him for a photograph under the statue of the Immaculate which stands in the monastery. As Br Iwo Achtelik - a witness to the event - recalls, "Father Maximilian readily agreed. This officer stood in the middle, facing the statue of the Immaculate, Father Maximilian on his right, and I was told by Father Maximilian to stand on the left." This photograph was taken by the late Fr. Boniface. It was at the end of January 1941."
This is how one of the last photographs of Father Maximilian was taken, which can be seen in the St. Maximilian Museum at Niepokalanów.
Sources: Documents on Father Maximilian M. Kolb. Statements of religious confreres, Niepokalanów 1953 (mps Niepokalanów Archives), pp. 13-14; C. R. Foster, Knight of Mary. The mission and martyrdom of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Niepokalanów 2007, pp. 582, 623-624
https://niepokalanow.pl/klasztor/archiwum/1941-historia-fotografii-oficera-werhmachtu
False accusations against Saint Maximilian and false information about him and his activities constantly appear or are reproduced by imprudent and unreliable authors of various publications or videos.
If you have any questions or doubts, I leave the contact to the archive.
E-mail: archiwum@niepokalanow.pl
Tel.: +48 46 864 21 44
#kolbe