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

  • Home
  • About
  • Consecration
  • KFC
  • MI Villages
  • News
  • Prayer
  • Contact
 
« Week 36 – Kolbe and Antisemitism
Week 38 – Adolf Eichmann »

Week 37 – The Banality of Evil

The 75th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe
Week 37

The Banality of Evil

Auschwitz was Maximilian’s Calvary.

One must, therefore, understand the Holocaust and Auschwitz if one truly wants to understand Maximilian and the impact his life offered not just to one man but to all of humanity.

When we think of Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief implementors of the Holocaust, we often think of two things. First of all, an individual, a criminal;
But secondly and more importantly he is a symbol of evil in the world.

His individuality is important only for the sake of delving deeper into the broader spectrum of evil; Its reality, its form, its causes, and manifestations in the world.

Evil is usually thought to be something demonic, where men and women filled with pride and envy are spurred on by a powerful hatred for good.
Eichmann was none of this. He was “ordinary.” He was “thoughtless.”

He would do anything to advance his own selfish ends without really “thinking” about why or how or who he was hurting.
Instead, he shielded himself from his own “thoughts” and conscience.

So much so that he could plead “not guilty” to each count of genocide. Half a dozen psychiatrists declared him as normal and a minister who visited him in prison said he had some very “positive ideas”.

No horns or tail were evident!

The danger of evil that is banal, is that it is so subtle.
It fooled the entire country of Germany and even a few Jewish elders.
It is not so obvious as nuclear weapons.
Instead, it slowly worms its way into the social and personal consciousness like a spiritual and moral cancer.
People must not only reflect on what is best for them but also what is best for society.
Eichmann only cared about himself.

So much so that he did not see or hear or feel the suffering of others.
The sad and horrifying truth is that Eichmann only “thought” of himself and never “thought” of anyone else.
How does one live in a family, society, a world and not “think” about others?

“Think” about their lives, their joys, their sorrows, their suffering and their pain?

Adolf Eichmann’s evil flowed out of his refusal to “think,” not out of a deep desire to do evil.
Many people are not aware of the evil that they do, because they do not stop to “think” about it. They silence their conscience and inner voice with clichés, stock answers, and rationalizations.

Eichmann however, was the incarnation of Evil in its most Banal form, in that he was able to never think about what he was doing or the cries, or the tears, the gassing and the murder of millions of Jews and others.

This is the most horrifying evil of all.

For he was able to go home to dinner, kiss his wife and children goodnight and turn the light off and go to bed thinking he had done a good days work.

Hannah Arendt once wrote, “Most evil is done by people who never made up their minds to be or do either evil or good. ” This is why Jesus said, “be either hot or cold, for if you are lukewarm, I will spit you out. Rev. 3:16

Prayer :

When I no more behold thee, think on me.
By all thine eyes have told me, think on me.
When hearts are lightest, when eyes are brightest, when griefs are slightest,
Think on me.
In all thine hours of gladness, think on me.
If e’er I soothed thy sadness, think on me.
When foes are by thee, when woes are nigh thee, when friends all fly thee,
Think on me.
When thou hast none to cheer thee, think on me.
When no fond heart is near thee, think on me.
When lonely sighing o’er pleasure flying,
When hope is dying,
Think on me.”
Mary Queen of Scotts from Prison

Questions and Meditations :

1. Where is there evil in the world?
2. How do I know what is evil?
3. How is the unreflective life not worth living?
4. Am I hot, cold or lukewarm?

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related articles

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 23rd, 2016 at 11:17 am 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.


Home | About | Consecration | Knights of the Foot of the Cross | MI Villages | News | FAQ | Contact
copyright ©2006 MI Canada   |  designed by true|media   |  powered by wordpress