No Greater Love. . .

Maximilian Kolbe — Martyr

In one of his books, the great theologian, Henri Nouwen refers to Maximilian Kolbe as an example of a person who loved others to such a degree that he literally laid down his life for a stranger.  Today, during these difficult and painful times I think that it is important that we are reminded of the power of love.  So, gentle reader, I offer us Maximilian Kolbe as an example and a role-model.

In 1919, as a young priest, Maximilian Kolbe returned from his studies in Rome to his native Poland.  At the start of the Second World War, Kolbe was residing in the friary at Niepokalanow, the “City of the Immaculata.” By that time, it had expanded from 18 friars to 650 friars, making it the largest Catholic monastery in Europe.

When Poland was overrun by Nazi forces in 1939, he was arrested under general suspicion on 13 September, but was released after three months.

Kolbe and many Polish and Jewish refugees sought sanctuary in the monastery. Kolbe and the community at Niepokalanów helped to hide, feed and clothe 1,000 Polish refugees and 2000 Jewish refugees. In 1941, he published an edition of “The Knight of the Immaculate” offering strong criticism of the Nazis.  He wrote:

“What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is an inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the hecatombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?”

Shortly after this publication, on 17 February 1941, he was arrested by the Gestapo for hiding Jewish refugees. He was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp and branded prisoner #16670.

Despite the awful conditions of Auschwitz, people report that Kolbe retained a deep faith, equanimity and dignity in the face of appalling treatment.  In July 1941, three prisoners appeared to have escaped from the camp; as a result the Deputy Commander of Auschwitz ordered 10 men to be chosen to be starved to death in an underground bunker.

When one of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, heard he was selected, he cried out “My wife! My children!” At this point Kolbe volunteered to take his place.

The Nazi commander replied, “What does this Polish pig want?”

Father Kolbe pointed with his hand to the condemned Franciszek Gajowniczek and repeated “I am a Catholic priest from Poland; I would like to take his place, because he has a wife and children.”

 Rather surprised, the commander accepted Kolbe in place of Gajowniczek. Gajowniczek who miraculously survived Auschwitz later said:

“I could only thank him with my eyes. I was stunned and could hardly grasp what was going on. The immensity of it: I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me – a stranger. Is this some dream?

 I was put back into my place without having had time to say anything to Maximilian Kolbe. I was saved. And I owe to him the fact that I could tell you all this.”

 The condemned men were led away to the underground bunker where they were to be starved to death. It is said that in the bunker, Kolbe would lead the men in prayer and singing hymns to Mary. When the guards checked the cell, Kolbe could be seen praying in the middle. Bruno Borgowiec, a Polish prisoner, later gave a report of what he saw:

“The ten condemned to death went through terrible days. From the underground cell in which they were shut up there continually arose the echo of prayers and canticles. As they grew weaker, their prayers were only whispered. At every inspection, when almost all the others were now lying on the floor, Father Kolbe was seen kneeling or standing in the center as he looked cheerfully in the face of the SS men.

 One of the SS guards was heard to remark: ‘This priest is really a great man. We have never seen anyone like him…”

 After two weeks, nearly all the prisoners, except Kolbe and three others had died due to dehydration and starvation. Because the guards wanted the cell emptied, Kolbe and the others were executed with a lethal injection. Those present say he calmly accepted death. Their remains were unceremoniously cremated.

The deed and courage of Maximillian Kolbe spread among the Auschwitz prisoners, offering a rare glimpse of light and human dignity in the face of extreme cruelty. After the war, his reputation grew and he became symbolic of courageous dignity.

Kolbe was beatified as Confessor of the Faith in 1971. He was canonized as a martyr by Pope John Paul II (who himself lived through the German occupation of Poland) in 1981.

Pope John Paul II decided that Kolbe should be recognized as a martyr because the systematic hatred of the Nazi regime was inherently an act of hatred against all religious faiths, meaning Kolbe’s death equated to martyrdom. At his canonization, Pope John Paul II said:

“Maximilian did not die but gave his life … for his brother.”