Imitation

FEAST OF SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE

14 AUGUST

J.M.J.

Dear Father Thomas,

My letter of today refers to a flight I took from Manila to Cebu. Before boarding, a woman named Angela was in the waiting list. She was pleading to the employee handling her case. her father was very ill and she needed to be at his side. But it was nothing that could be done. The flight was full and Angela would have to wait between three and four days to be able to confirm her seat.

At that moment something marvelous happened. A young man reached her and gave Angela his place. he was willing to wait hours, even days, in that uncomfortable and heated airport for the sake of Angela could leave quickly to be at her father's side.

While I was flying to Cebu, I was thinking on the generosity in the action of this young man. Then, I thought about Saint Maximilian Kolbe. How more emotive was the generous act that he carried out!

He is the priest that gave his life for the sake of a fellow prisoner in the concentration camp of Auschwitz. He was willing to die for a fellow prisoner that had family could be released.

Highlighted by his heroic sacrifice and great missionary work, founder of the movement Militia Immaculate, that count with millions of consecrated to Mary disseminated around the world, Maximilian Kolbe was one of the firsts saints canonized by Saint John Paul II.

Some criticized to the Holy Father for that canonization, because there wasn't any miracles that "proved" that Maximilian Kolbe were a saint. Of course, the obvious reason is that his life was a miracle of generosity. Today that generosity is an example for all of us in this age of egocentrism known as 'the generation of the self'.

What was that inspired to Maximilian Kolbe? It was the Holy Sacrament, dear Thomas. In the community of Niepokalanow he spoke to his brothers about Jesus in the Holy Sacrament as 'the big brother, the soul bridegroom, present in the Eucharist; He makes us brothers, He encourage our hearts with a reciprocal love.'

Father Maximilian promoted the Holy Sacrament adoration as "the most important activity." He dreamed with having the Lord Jesus exposed in the monstrance day and night at the Niepokalanow chapel. In 1938 proclaimed; "My goal is to establish perpetual adoration. When we reach out to the chapel, we acquire for us and for others many graces, especially if we dedicate a whole day to the adoration of the Holy Sacrament. With this adoration we make a tremendous good."

And talking about perpetual adoration, he added: "There flows an uninterrupted flow of prayer. Prayer is the greatest power of the universe, capable of transforming every one of us, capable to change the face of the earth."

In 1920, Father Maximilian took the determination to visit the Holy Sacrament thirty times a day. Father Pal, a colleague and comrade, certify that it was easy to find him and to know where he was doing because he was always at the adoration chapel.

This was what inspired to Father Kolbe to give his life forth of his fellow prisoner. Uncountable times he meditated over this truth in the presence of our Savior. Jesus chooses the death on the cross for us could have the fullness of His life in the Holy Sacrament. He chose hate so we could be full of His love.

He chose to be wounded to the point to be disfigured so we could be healed to perfection. He chose the darkness of the terrible abyss so we could have light and the joy of His royal presence. He chose the agony to be totally abandoned by heaven, so we could have Him always, to Him, Emmanuel, with us on earth.

Father Kolbe said to his brothers: "We all minor brothers should try to imitate to the big brother, Jesus in the Holy Sacrament."

And this was what Father Kolbe did when exchanged his own life for that of his prisoner fellow. The biggest effect of his devotion to the Holy Sacrament was the IMITATION. It could be that we won't be called to a so dramatic act of generosity, but every day we're called to many little acts of detachment, so we should all be motivated, influenced and driven by the biggest generous act, the witness of the generous Love of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament.

Fraternally yours in His Eucharistic Love,

Mgr. Pepe