Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe

by

Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together and listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to be compassionate and merciful, loving and kind in all of our dealings and actions. As Christians, that is as those whom God had called and chosen, we have to strive to follow the Lord’s own examples in love and compassion, in truly caring for those who are around us, especially to those who have not experienced love and care, those who have been abandoned, ostracised and treated badly by their society, all those who need our love, care and attention. And all those things are what we should be doing as Christians, as those who have been called to follow Christ in all things that we say and do.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Joshua detailing for us the events that happened as the people of Israel were about to cross the River Jordan and enter the promised land of Canaan. We heard of God’s reassurance to Joshua, the successor of Moses as the leader of the Israelites, and the instructions on what they all had to do, bringing the Ark of the Covenant to the middle of the River itself so that the river can be passed through by the whole nation of the Israelites. God Himself is present through the Ark of the Covenant, leading His beloved and chosen people into the land that He has promised to them, and for which they had laboured and waited for a long time in the wilderness.

From what we heard in today’s reading of that account, we can clearly see the power of God in guiding His people, as He continued to bless them and help them throughout their journey, stopping the flow of the River Jordan itself to allow His people to safely cross through to their promised land, just as He had done earlier with the sea that He had split open to allow them to escape the Egyptians and their armies and chariots. God reminded His people that whatever He has revealed and promised to them, He would continue to honour and fulfil, and if they remain in faith in Him, then they shall truly be blessed and happy, in the land that He has promised to all of them. He will never abandon them even though they themselves had frequently abandoned Him for the pagan idols or all sorts of worldly pursuits and desires that they had.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the parable of the ungrateful and unforgiving servant who had not treated his fellow servant in the manner of how he had been graciously treated by his master. In that parable, we heard of how the ungrateful servant had owed his master a large sum of money, and when he begged for mercy and patience from the master, his master showed that servant compassion and forgiveness, forgiving that servant everything that he had owed him, even though it was a rather large sum of money. And then, we heard of how this same servant then went to another fellow servant who owed him money and demanded that fellow servant to return him his money that the latter had borrowed, even though it was a far lesser sum than what he owed his master.

This parable is a reminder for all of us to show compassion and mercy to one another, to be kind and not to behave like that ungrateful servant. The servants themselves represent each and every one of us, while the master is a representation of the Lord, our God Himself. The debts which the servants owed to the master and to each other represent the sins which we have committed both against God and against one another. By looking at the master’s action in forgiving that ungrateful servant of the great amount of debt that he had owed him, and how the master expected his servants to do the same for one another, which the ungrateful servant obviously did not do, it is a reminder for all of us that God Who has forgiven us all our sins, despite how great they may be, also expect us all to forgive each other’s sins too, every faults and mistakes we did to one another, and to love one another as He has loved us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, do we remember the line from the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Forgive us all our trespasses, just as we have forgiven those who trespassed against us?’ This is precisely what we are reminded to do as Christians, to be loving, compassionate and forgiving to each other in all of our actions and dealings, in our interactions and in every moments of our lives. And unless we do so, we cannot truly call ourselves as genuine and true Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. We must be compassionate and merciful as God has been that way towards us, ever generous and compassionate with His love and mercy. This is how we should live our lives as Christians, as the ones who should embody our Christian faith not just merely in words, but also through real actions, in each and every moments of our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a great and renowned saint, a faithful martyr and servant of God who had dedicated his whole life to the service of God, and whose love and compassion for others inspired many people who heard his stories and experiences. St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland to a mixed German-Polish family towards the end of the nineteenth century, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire. He and his elder brother joined the Conventual Franciscans when they were teenagers and eventually going through the professions and was ordained as a priest after a tough experience in the First World War where his own father was caught and hanged as a traitor by the Russians during that war.

St. Maximilian Kolbe founded the popular Militia Immaculatae, a Catholic evangelisation movement that emphasised on evangelisation and conversion of sinners through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in whom St. Maximilian Kolbe had a deep devotion for. That popular organisation and its popular publication continued to grow as St. Maximilian Kolbe continued to work hard for the Lord and His people, gathering more and more followers. Then, St. Maximilian Kolbe himself endeavoured to go on missionary works in distant lands, proclaiming the Good News of God to more and more people. This came true when he went to the Far East in the early 1930s, ministering to the faithful in Asia as far as Japan, where he spent several years in missionary works.

Eventually, St. Maximilian Kolbe returned to his native Poland just before the beginning of the Second World War, which began approximately two decades after the end of the previous World War. He ministered to the people of God faithfully even during the years of the German occupation, when the NAZI regime conquered his native Poland and caused a lot of atrocities in the region. He was eventually arrested when his monastery was forcefully closed under the NAZI regime, and was brought into prison before being transferred to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. At that concentration camp, St. Maximilian Kolbe continued to minister to the faithful inmates, strengthening and encouraging them all amidst the difficult and challenging times.

Then, in one occasion, the escape of several inmates from the concentration camp led to the camp commander ordering the deaths of several prisoners as a punishment for those that escaped. And when one of the Polish man to be condemned to death cried out for his family and children, St. Maximilian Kolbe volunteered to take his place among the condemned. That was how St. Maximilian Kolbe was then put into the cell meant for those condemned to death, deprived of food and water for two weeks, and eventually, when the guards found that St. Maximilian Kolbe and three others were still alive, they were killed by lethal injection of carbolic acid. That was how St. Maximilian Kolbe encountered martyrdom for his faith in God, his endless dedication to God and his love and compassion for his fellow brothers and sisters.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples, faith and love shown by St. Maximilian Kolbe, and from what we have discussed earlier on through the Scripture readings, that we will always practice our faith in the manner that God Himself has shown, taught and reminded us, to be truly genuine in our love for God and for one another, reminding ourselves of God’s ever generous and patient love, and doing our best to show that love in each and every one of our actions as well. May God bless us all and strengthen us in our journey of faith in life, now and always. Amen.

by

Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 18 : 21 – Matthew 19 : 1

At that time, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offences of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

“This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven : A king decided to settle accounts with his servants. Among the first of them was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, his children and all his goods, as repayment.”

“The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’ The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even cancelled his debt. When this servant left the king’s presence, he met one of his fellow servants, who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the throat and almost choked him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!'”

“His fellow servant threw himself at his feet and begged him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ But the other did not agree, and sent him to prison until he has paid all his debt. Now the servants of the king saw what had happened. They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord.”

“Then the lord summoned his servant and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed me when you begged me to do so. Were you not bound to have pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ The lord was now angry. He handed the wicked servant over to be punished, until he had paid the whole debt.”

Jesus added, “So will My heavenly Father do with you, unless you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters.” When Jesus had finished these sayings, He left Galilee and arrived at the border of Judea, on the other side of the Jordan River.

by

Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 113A: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Alleluia! When Israel came out of Egypt, the family of Jacob, from a people of foreign language. Judah became His Sanctuary; Israel, His possession.

At His sight, the sea fled and the Jordan retreated; the mountains skipped like rams, the hills frolicked like lambs.

Why is it, sea, that you flee? Jordan, that you turn back? Mountains, that you skip like rams? Hills, that you frolic like lambs?

by

Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Joshua 3 : 7-10a, 11, 13-17

Then YHVH said to Joshua : “Today I will begin to make you great in the eyes of Israel and they shall known that I am with you as I was with Moses. Give this order to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant : As soon as you come to the banks of the Jordan, stand still in the river.”

And Joshua said to the Israelites : “Come nearer and listen to the words of YHVH, our God. Do you want a sign that YHVH, the living God, is in your midst? See, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to cross the Jordan before you. When the priests who carry the Ark of the Lord of all the earth put their feet into the water of the Jordan, the water coming from the upstream shall stop flowing and stand in one single mass.”

When the people set out from their camp to cross the Jordan, the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant went before them. There was much water in the Jordan, for it was overflowing its banks at this time of the barley harvest. Nevertheless, when those who carried the Ark went down to the river and their feet touched the edge of the water, the water from upstream stopped flowing.

The water stood still, forming something like a dam very far from that place, near Adam, the neighbouring city of Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Dead Sea was completely cut off, and so the people could cross opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant remained in the middle of the river which dried up, until all the Israelites had crossed the Jordan.

by

Wednesday, 14 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that ultimately each and every one of us are beloved by the Lord and none of us are beyond His salvation and grace, as long as we are still willing to cooperate with Him and embrace Him as our loving Father and allowing Him to forgive us from our many sins and trespasses. Each and every one of us have been given many opportunities and chances to repent from our sins and turn away from our wickedness and evils, and God has also given us many assistance and help throughout our journey in life, strengthening our faith and encouraging us through His guidance and the Holy Spirit that He has sent to inflame our hearts with His love and zeal.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which God showed Ezekiel through the heavenly vision he experienced on what the people of Israel in Judah, in Jerusalem and all those who remained in the land of Judah would have to experience and endure, at that time when many among the people of God had been uprooted into exile in far-off and distant lands in Assyria and Babylon. Ezekiel himself witnessed this vision from his exile and time in Babylon during the years when the kingdom of Judah was in its final years of existence. Ezekiel was tasked to deliver the final fate of the kingdom of Judah and its people, to remind the rest of the people of God in exile not to continue to disobey the Lord just as their ancestors had done.

That was why God showed Ezekiel the vision of His glory passing through Jerusalem, as His Presence passed through out of the Temple, the House that King Solomon once built for Him, out of the city of God’s people, the city which had seen the lamentations of many prophets and messengers of God, persecuted and martyred for their faith in Him throughout the many centuries since the Temple was established. It was the coming of God’s judgment over all those who have profaned His Holy Name, desecrated His Holy Temple and House, rejected His messengers and servants who had kept on bringing to them the patient and ever enduring love of God, which He had kept on manifesting and reminding His people throughout the centuries since He brought them to settle in the land that He has granted to them.

It is a reminder for each and every one of us as well that while God is ever loving, forgiving, compassionate and kind towards us, and while He is always ever patient with His care and love towards each one of us, but we must not take this love for granted, and we must also realise that while He loves each one of us generously but He despises our sins and wickedness, all the things which we had done, which were all against the righteousness, justice and virtues which He has shown and taught us to do. The sins and wickedness that the people of Israel had done in the past all had to be accounted for, and God therefore told them through Ezekiel that they would have to bear witness and suffer the destruction of their city and kingdom, everything that they had found to be precious.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew about the Lord Jesus Who told His disciples to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with one another. He told them to get their fellow brethren to be forgiven and to be reconciled to the Church, especially when they had erred and become wayward in their paths and ways. God again showed His great mercy, forgiveness and love, calling on all of His people to return to Him, and He has provided us with the ways and means to embrace this great mercy, love and forgiveness. However, sin in all of its form is wicked and evil, and has no place before the Lord, and hence, we must reject those sins which we have committed, or else, they will keep us separated from God and His grace.

That is why we are reminded that we have been given the free will and the freedom to choose our path and course in life, on whether we want to follow the path of righteousness and God’s grace, or whether we prefer to continue walking down the path of sin and disobedience against God. If we continue to disobey the Lord and sin against Him, then we must realise that in the end there will be nothing left for us but destruction and damnation, eternal separation from God just as how those people in Judah had suffered from their sins and disobedience against God. However, if we choose to repent from our sins and return to the Lord once again with renewed love and commitment towards Him, we will then be blessed and be reconciled, reunited and returned to His Holy Presence.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a renowned Polish priest who was remembered for his great faith and piety as a missionary to many people in different parts of the world, and then finally in his perseverance and courage in faith in the face of great persecutions and hardships, as he faced the tyranny and the evils of the NAZI German regime during the Second World War, eventually dying as a martyr of the faith and became a great inspiration and role model for everyone of us. He was born in Poland and had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary since early on in his life, which eventually pushed him to dedicate himself to the Conventual Franciscans, a religious order founded upon the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi, where he became its member and eventually was ordained as a priest. Throughout all those years, St. Maximilian Kolbe championed and promoted strong devotions to the Blessed Mother of God.

St. Maximilian Kolbe would then assemble the Militia Immaculatae, or the Army of the Immaculate One, a powerful missionary movement centred upon the devotion to Mary, which worked hard for the conversion of sinners and the propagation of the faith, through their ceaseless prayers and missionary efforts, outreach and works among the people. He also founded the related publication Knight of the Immaculata dedicated to the propagation of the messages and ideals of his devotion. Then, St. Maximilian Kolbe undertook a period of six years of mission in East Asia, working first in Shanghai and then in Japan, as well as in India, performing missionary efforts and works before returning to Poland before the beginning of the Second World War. During that terrible war, many people suffered and St. Maximilian Kolbe helped many people through his connections and resources to hide from the terrors and tyranny of the NAZI regime.

This eventually led to the arrest and incarceration of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was then eventually transferred to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. In that concentration camp, St. Maximilian Kolbe continued to minister to the inmates as a priest, despite all the beatings and sufferings that he had to suffer from. And eventually, in July of the year 1941, when a prisoner escaped from the concentration camp, and the deputy camp commander ordered ten prisoners to be starved to death as punishment and warning for the rest of the inmates, a man named Franciszek Gajowniczek cried out, ‘My wife! My children’ which therefore prompted St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was there, to volunteer and take the man’s place to be executed by being starved to death. St. Maximilian Kolbe faced his final moments and death with peace, and when he was put to death by lethal injection in the end, having survived the starvation period, he remained calm and composed, surrendering everything to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard and discussed in our Scripture passages earlier, in everything that we have also discussed from the life and examples of St. Maximilian Kolbe, let us all therefore strive as Christians to abandon our sinful attitudes and actions, embracing once again God’s love and grace, His forgiveness and mercy, not taking all these for granted. Let us all also follow in the footsteps of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who has truly shown his love both for the Lord and for his fellow men, as a most exemplary Christian, and whose examples we should also follow as well. Let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord, and put our faith and trust completely in God from now on. Holy martyr, St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us sinners! Amen.

by

Wednesday, 14 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 18 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If your brother has sinned against you, go and point out the fault to him, when the two of you are alone; and if he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen to you, take with you one or two others, so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

“And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard him as a pagan, or a tax collector. I say to you : whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.”

“In like manner, I say to you, if, on earth, two of you agree in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by My heavenly Father; for where two or there are gathered in My Name, I am there, among them.”

by

Wednesday, 14 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 112 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Alleluia! Praise, o servants of YHVH, praise the Name of YHVH! Blessed be the Name of YHVH now and forever!

From eastern lands to the western islands, may the Name of YHVH be praised! YHVH is exalted over the nations; His glory above the heavens.

Who is like YHVH our God, Who sits enthroned on high, but also bends down to see on earth as in heaven?

by

Wednesday, 14 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Ezekiel 9 : 1-7 and Ezekiel 10 : 18-22

Then He shouted loudly in my ears saying, “The punishment of the city is near; see, each one of these has in his hand his instrument of destruction.” And six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each one with his instrument of destruction. With them was a man clothed in linen, with writing material at his side. They came; and stopped near the altar of bronze.

Then the Glory of the God of Israel rose from the Cherubim, where It rested; and went to the threshold of the House. YHVH called to the man clothed in linen; who had the material for writing at his side; and He said to him, “Pass through the centre of the city, through Jerusalem, and trace a cross on the forehead of the men who sigh and groan, because of all the abominations committed in it.”

I heard Him say to the others, “Now you may pass through the city, after him, and strike. Your eyes shall not look with pity; show no mercy! Do away with them all – old men, young men, virgins, children and women – but do not touch anyone marked with a cross.”

And, as they were told to begin with the Sanctuary, they struck the elders who were in front of the Temple. YHVH said to them, “Let the courts be filled with the slain and the Temple be defiled with their blood : Go out!” They went and slew the people in the city.

The glory of YHVH went from above the threshold of the House and went, to rest on the Cherubim. Then the Cherubim left, opening their wings and rising above the earth in my sight; and the wheels went with them. They halted at the east gate of the House of YHVH; and the Glory of the God of Israel was over them.

These were the living creatures I had seen under the God of Israel on the banks of the river Chebar. I recognised them as Cherubim. Each had four faces, each had four wings; and they had what seemed like human hands under their wings. As for the appearance of their faces, they were the faces I had seen by the river Chebar, the same likeness. Each one went straight ahead.

by

Monday, 14 August 2023 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the need for us all to obey the Law and the commandments of God, which He has given and provided to us so that we may find our way to Him and gain the path to eternal life. All of us have been given the assurance of salvation in God, and we have to do what we can to follow Him and His path, while at the same time still obeying the rules and ways of the world as long as they do not contradict that of the Divine Law and commandments. All of us should be truly faithful to God in all things, and be truly obedient to Him, in what He has told and commanded us to do, and not just paying lip service to Him or just merely having an outwardly obedience to His Law and commandments, but lacking in faith within us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which Moses, the leader of the Israelites, towards the end of their forty years long detour and sojourn in the desert, continued to remind the people of God to be faithful and true in their faith in God. It was part of his long discourse and reminders to the people of God to turn away from their usually stubborn and rebellious ways, and embrace at all times the path that the Lord has shown them. Back then, the Israelites had repeatedly disobeyed the Lord, His Law and commandments, and they had not been obedient to the reminders that He and His servant Moses had given them, and that forty years long journey was part of that punishment foe their lack of faith and commitment to the Law, and their rebellions against the most generous love of God.

Moses reminded the people of Israel of everything that God had done for them, for their ancestors before them, all that He had provided for their well-being. He reminded them of the Covenant which God has made and established with them and their descendants, and what they should do as part of that Covenant, which is to walk faithfully and righteously in all their lives, in their actions, words and deeds. That was what they were expected to do as part of their Covenant with God, that just as they have become God’s people and counted among His flock, His beloved ones, thus, all of them were expected to live their lives righteously and faithfully in accordance to what the Lord had taught them to do, through His Law and commandments. Just as the Lord has always proved to be ever true and committed to His Covenant, thus, the same was also expected of the people of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the encounter between the Lord and His disciples with the temple officials and tax collectors who asked the disciples whether they and their Master paid their temple taxes and dues, which the Lord then highlighted with a simple parable, showing that as God’s people, in fact none of them were supposed to have to pay those, as they have belonged to the Lord, and it is indeed to the Lord alone that they should give their full obedience and commitment. It means that they should be truly faithful to the Lord, in all of their actions and way of life, and give their best to the Lord in their obedience and actions, in how they interact with one another, in their adherence to the path and precepts that they have followed, instead of just merely obeying the Law externally, ironically, which was how many of those temple officials and the Pharisees had done.

Essentially, the Lord was making the point that while all of us should still follow and obey the customs and laws of the world, like that of paying taxes and obeying the rules and customs of the land, more effort should be done in how we follow the Lord and His Law and commandments wholeheartedly, more than how we put the effort and attention to obey the worldly laws and ways. Those Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and temple officials and tax collectors were often pious outwardly and were very particular in how the Law and the commandments of God were to be carried out and lived in the community, and they adopted a very particularly strict and rigid interpretation of those laws and commandments. However, in their preoccupation and overemphasis on their way of observing and practicing those laws and commandments, they ended up losing sight on what is important, and that is, to be truly devout and committed to the Lord.

They became proud of their actions and achievements, and ended up placing so much focus on themselves and their way of observing the Law of God, that the Lord ended up having no place in their hearts and minds. Their ego and pride, their ambitions and worldly attachments filled them up and prevented them from truly being faithful to God, and hence, we are reminded of the same things which Moses had reminded the people of God in our first reading today, that God loves every one of us equally and wonderfully, and He does not distinguish or discriminate against any one of us, unlike what those temple and religious officials liked to do against those they deemed to be sinners and unworthy of God, those who did not agree to their ways or those whom they deemed to be tainted and corrupted by sin, forgetting the fact that they themselves were also sinners in need of healing from God.

That is why, today all of us as Christians, we are all reminded that we need to grow in our true love and dedication to God. We should not allow our prejudices, biases and desires, our ego and pride to come between us and God. This is why we should seek and be inspired by the great examples set by our holy predecessors, the holy men and women who had lived their lives worthily and righteously in God’s path. Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the renowned St. Maximilian Kolbe, whose actions should be great inspiration for us all in how we ought to live our lives as faithful, loving and devoted Christians. St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish priest and missionary well-remembered for his works and dedication to God, in proclaiming Him to many people throughout his missions, in his time and efforts spent to reveal more of the Lord to those who have not yet known him.

As a Conventual Franciscan, St. Maximilian Kolbe spent some time in the Far East, in Japan and other places in Asia, in spreading the Good News of God, and was also active in promoting the devotion to the Blessed Mother of God, Mary in her Immaculate Heart and love for all of us. St. Maximilian Kolbe was also remembered for his publications and editorial works with the periodical Knights of the Immaculata, promoting devotions to the Lord and His Blessed Mother, calling on Christians to holiness. Eventually he returned to Poland where during the years of the Second World War, he was eventually arrested and brought to the infamous Auschwitz prison, where he and other priests and friars were incarcerated. It was there then another very well-known action that St. Maximilian Kolbe did, happened, as he offered himself in exchange of a Polish inmate who was to be executed because he failed to escape from the concentration camp.

At that time, the NAZI German regime oppressed many of the people and they indiscriminately tortured and executed many people in the many concentration camps they established, especially in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Many tried to escape, and while some succeeded, many including that Polish man failed and were bound to be executed. When that man, named Franciszek Gajowniczek cried out, ‘My wife! My children!’, St. Maximilian Kolbe offered his life in exchange of the man. Hence, St. Maximilian Kolbe was led to the execution cell, and was eventually executed after several days, dying as a martyr and a true Christian, devoting himself wholeheartedly to the Lord and doing what God Himself has done for us, that is to give his life for the sake of another, just as Christ Himself has suffered and died, and given His life for us and our salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded that we should all also be like St. Maximilian Kolbe and other saints, holy men and women of God, who have truly loved the Lord and loved their fellow brothers and sisters, even to the point of facing hardships, trials and even martyrdom in doing so. Let us all be truly faithful once again to the Lord, and let us all be inspiration and great examples to one another in faith just as St. Maximilian Kolbe and other saints have been our inspiration. May God be with us always and may He bless and empower us in each and every moments of our lives, now and forevermore. Amen.

by

Monday, 14 August 2023 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 17 : 22-27

At that time, when Jesus was in Galilee with the Twelve, He said to them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. But He will rise on the third day.” The Twelve were deeply grieved.

When they returned to Capernaum, the temple tax collectors came to Peter and asked him, “Does your Master pay the temple tax?” He answered, “Yes.” Peter then entered the house; and immediately, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Simon? Who pay taxes or tribute to the kings of the earth : their sons or strangers and aliens?”

Peter replied, “Strangers and aliens.” And Jesus told him, “The sons, then, are tax-free. But, so as not to offend these people, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and open the mouth of the first fish you catch. You will find a coin in it. Take the coin and give it to them for you and for Me.”