Militia of the Immaculata: M.I. Canada
  • Week 52 - HOMILY AT THE CANONIZATION OF ST. MAXIMILIAN MARY KOLBE
  • Week 51 - A Holocaust of Sacrifice
  • Week 50 The Tree of Life
  • Week 49 The Other Nine
  • Week 48 I Am A Catholic Priest
  • Week 47 - Francis Gajowinczek
  • Week 46 - The Holy Spirit and the Immaculate Conception
  • Week 45 - The foolishness of following Jesus
  • Week 44 - The Role of Christians and Humanity in the Holocaust
  • Week 43 - God and the Holocaust
  • Week 42 - Why does God not intervene?
  • Week 41 - The Garden of Auschwitz
  • Week 40 - The Shoah
  • Week 39 - Hannah Arendt
  • Week 38 - Adolf Eichmann
  • Week 37 - The Banality of Evil
  • Week 36 - Kolbe and Antisemitism
  • Week 35 - Did Hitler Win
  • Week 34 - Ashes to Ashes
  • Week 31 - Kolbe in Auschwitz Part 1
  • Week 30 - Auschwitz
  • Week 29 - Pawiak Prison
  • Week 28 - Work makes free
  • Week 27 - The Final Solution
  • Week 26 - From Nurnberg to Auschwitz
  • Week 25 - The Roots of Anti Semitism
  • Week 24 - Cain and Abel
  • Week 23 - Blessed are ye
  • Week 22 - Blessed are the peace makers
  • Week 21 Blessed are the pure in heart
  • Week 20 Blessed are the merciful
  • Week 19 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for holiness
  • Week 18 - Blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit the earth
  • Week 17 - Blessed are those who mourn
  • Week 16 - Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
  • Week 15 Missionary in Japan
  • Week 14 Niepekalanow
  • Week 13 The Martyrdom of Self Reliance
  • Week 12 Martyrdom of Disunity
  • Week 11 - The Martyrdom of Work
  • Week 10 - The Colosseum
  • Week 9 Persecution of the Church
  • Week 8 - The Founding of the Militia of the Immaculata
  • Week 7 - Martyrdom of Health
  • Week 6 - The Martyrdom of Obedience
  • Week 5 - Growing up
  • Week 4 - The Martyrdom of Leaving Home
  • Week 3 - Two Crowns.
  • Week 2 - The Martyrdom of Country
  • Week 1 - Accepting daily crosses

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« Week 23 – Blessed are ye
Week 25 – The Roots of Anti Semitism »

Week 24 – Cain and Abel

75th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe

Week 24

Cain and Abel

In order to understand the martyrdom that St. Maximilian experienced in Auschwitz it is necessary to first understand the historical roots that led to it. Roots that go back centuries and continue to spread and grow even today from Rwanda to Kosovo to the killing fields in Cambodia, to wherever people of a different race, creed and culture are persecuted and rejected.
Roots that go back to Cain and Abel and Original Sin where jealously, pride and fratricide began.
And continue even to this day in the human heart.
The only solution is not politics but Christ.
For only in Christ is there “no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for all are one in Christ.” Gal. 3:28
In order to understand the martyrdom of Maximilian and the Holocaust one must begin with oneself.
Children begin to see that others are different from them, physically, racially, culturally, and religiously.
This can lead to
Appreciation or rejection.
Acceptance or bullying.
Apathy or empathy.
These attitudes then transfer to adulthood and continue to be expressed in other forms.
St. Maximilian experienced what it meant to be a minority as he lived in occupied Poland where Russian passports were required, Russian was taught in schools, the calendar was Russian and the official Church was Orthodox, all in order to make people think and act like Russians.
St Maximilian embraced other cultures as he studied in Italy and was a missionary in Japan.
Maximilian was a man who experienced and embraced people of different race, culture and religion with a spirit of respect when he disagreed and love for all.
Prayer : Heavenly Father, the color of your skin is black, brown, yellow, red and white for we
are all made in your image and likeness. Help us to see your face in all we meet today. Amen.

Question and Meditations:
1. Did I see or experience bullying or rejection as a child?
2. How did it affect me and how did I respond?
3. Who do I know that is different from me racially, culturally or religiously?
4. What has been my experience of people who are different than me racially, culturally or religiously?
5. How can I break down stereotypes that divide?
6. Am I ever afraid of people who are different from me racially, culturally or religiously and how do I respond to that fear?
7. How is Jesus a part of every race and culture?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2016 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Fr. Patrick’s reflections on St Maximilian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


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