Saint Maximilian follows in the footsteps of Jesus and Mary, who both suffered and offered everything to the Father on our behalf at Calvary. Their bestowal of mercy upon us — as a free gift of grace — cost them all that was dear to them on this earth.
Mary is Mother of Mercy. She is our Mother of Mercy.
Devotion to her concludes, not in pious recitation of litanies or Rosaries, but in the emulation of her virtues in daily life. For this reason, Venerable Casimir Wyszynski (1700-1755), following the teaching of Doctors of the Church, exhorts us to live this highest of all devotions to Mary, namely, imitating her virtues. This clarion call was repeated by Vatican II and by St. Paul VI.
Living Mary’s virtues
However, instruction on such a topic aids us only so much before we need living examples.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941) is one who not only taught about the Immaculata, but also lived in imitation of her merciful, tender Heart. A Polish Franciscan, Fr. Kolbe was the founder of the Militia Immaculatae and had established a major printing and radio apostolate dedicated to bringing all the world to Jesus through Mary.
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, he was arrested and thrown into the Auschwitz prison camp, where he lived a life of outstanding Christian charity. His feast day is the day of his execution, Aug. 14.
Most people know him for his intense communion with the Immaculata and for his self-offering to die on behalf of another prisoner. Fewer, however, know that the drama of his imprisonment in Auschwitz arose not only from Nazi disdain for Poles and Catholics, but also because he housed many refugees from Poland in his friary in Niepokolanow. Among that number were 2,000 Jews whom he hid.
Kindness
Another manner of expressing the word mercy in English is kindness. One Hebrew word for mercy is hesed, which expresses a covenantal bond by which two people are related as kin. That word — kin — is the root of kindness in English. To be merciful in the biblical sense is to treat others truly as kin, as brother and sister, like the story of the Good Samaritan.
This is exemplified in how St. Maximilian took care of our Jewish brethren, and how he chose to die. He treated the other prisoner as his own brother, as his friend. Jesus stated that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend (Jn 15:13). But it may be possible that St. Maximilian never had seen or met this prisoner before; so why ought he to lay down his life for him? Mercy enabled St. Maximilian to treat him as kin.
Is that not why Mary is Mother of Mercy? She treats each of us as her son and daughter, as her kin. She offers us what is most precious — her very Son, Jesus. She invites us to show that we are her children by our deeds of mercy, of kindness, toward others.
Costly grace
Saint Maximilian follows in the footsteps of Jesus and Mary, who both suffered and offered everything to the Father on our behalf at Calvary. Their bestowal of mercy upon us — as a free gift of grace — cost them all that was dear to them on this earth.
Similarly, in St. Maximilian Kolbe, we witness a man who doesn’t only evangelize and aid the poor from his surplus, while himself staying safe. Rather, we see one willing, like Christ and the Virgin, to give mercy and leave nothing for himself.
What does this mean for us? We may not be able to be, like St. Maximilian, a “martyr of charity.” How we die is appointed by our heavenly Father. We can, however, be a witness of charity by our daily actions and choices. In this sense, we are called to practice the works of mercy not only in the traditional sense, but always. Those who saw St. Maximilian in the concentration camp noted how he would not vie for food like the others. He exuded goodness, calm, and peace even while living in the horrible conditions of the concentration camp.
Self-giving
This does not mean that we need rid ourselves of every last penny, reducing ourselves to destitution, to help the poor in the world. It does mean, however, that showing and extending mercy to others ought to be an expression of self-giving.
We are invited to be generous in expending ourselves for the works of mercy. In performing the works of mercy, we are to give not only things to others; we are to give of ourselves to others, too. Saint Paul highlights this in 1 Thes 1:5:
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the holy Spirit and [with] much conviction. You know what sort of people we were [among] you for your sake.
He gave the Christians not only the Gospel, but shared his very self with them.
Let us, children of the Mother of Mercy, go and do likewise.
Immaculate Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for us!
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!
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