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 28 – Work makes free
Week 30 – Auschwitz »

Week 29 – Pawiak Prison

The 75th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe
Week 29
Pawiak Prison

Auschwitz was not the only prison, nor was it the first prison Maximilian faced.
On February 17, 1941, the Gestapo came to arrest Maximilian and he greeted them by saying,
“Praised be Jesus Christ!”
Like Pilate and the Sanhedrin, the Gestapo began to interrogate Maximilian about his teaching
and he gave them a tour of Niepekalanow after which he was arrested in his office along with 5
other Franciscan priests and taken to Pawiak Prison, never to see his brothers or Niepekalanow
again.
There were about 30 prisoners in the cell and the spirit of Maximilian was one of calm.
Kolbe had the ability to turn prisons into chapels.
By his questions and discussions, he brought about calm.
By his prayer, other prisoners could see his union with God.
By his refusal to take off his Franciscan habit he showed his willingness to accept persecution
for being a priest.
By his taking the less comfortable place in the cell, he showed his willingness to suffer for
others.
From his Franciscan habit hung a rosary with a crucifix.
For which he was beaten repeatedly.
His death in the starvation bunker was no accident.
Without realizing it, everything Maximilian did in his life was in preparation for his death in
Auschwitz.
On March 13 Maximilian wrote a postcard from prison which said,
“All the Brothers must pray very much and well. Work with fervor and do not worry too much
about us because nothing can happen to us without the permission of God and the
Immaculata.”
Prayer :
O holy St. John the Baptist who was imprisoned for preaching the Truth, give me strength and
courage to preach the Truth to those who are imprisoned by hatred, selfishness and falsehood.
Mediations and Questions
1. Have I ever visited anyone in prison?
2. How do I treat those around me who are imprisoned by suffering, sorrow or falsehood?
3. What imprisons my heart and soul?
4. How does my Faith and Consecration set me free?

 

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2016 at 11:00 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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