Love Without Limits

THE VERY NAME Auschwitz evokes memories of the hellish cruelty of all the Nazi prison camps. Yet these camps also produced heroes, and Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who was canonised by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982, was one glorious example.

Baptized Raymond, Kolbe was the son of poor, devout Polish villagers. He was a lively, mischievous child, and his mother once sighed, “What is to become of you?” Little Raymond decided to ask Our Lady. When he came home from church he told his mother that Mary had appeared to him there, shown him a white crown (for purity) and a red crown (for martyrdom). “Which do you choose?” she said. “I choose both,” he replied. Mary smiled and vanished.

Assisted by generous friends, Raymond received a good schooling. In 1910 he entered the Conventual Franciscans, receiving, with their black habit, the religious name Maximilian. Though torn at first between friardom and science (he was brilliant in natural sciences), he stuck out the novitiate and took his vows. The superiors then sent him to Rome for priestly studies. An outstanding student, he won doctorates in philosophy and theology, and was ordained a priest in 1918.

Martyr of charity

By that time he had already discerned his particular mission. Appalled by the lukewarmness of Catholics in serving God, he decided to form a pious confraternity, the Immaculata Movement (Militia Immaculatae or Crusade of Mary Immaculate) which would undertake a vigorous apostolate of the press. Its ‘knights’ would work for the salvation of souls, especially of enemies of the Church. The result was the foundation of the friary of Niepokalanow, or the ‘City of the Immaculate’, which contained a self-sustaining press centre. Despite financial problems and the founder’s bout with tuberculosis, it succeeded. Fr. Kolbe then went to Japan, where he set up another ‘City’, and a third one was established in India.

In 1939 Fr. Kolbe was recalled from Japan and named superior at Niepokalanow. But the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. They showed no fondness for Catholic publication enterprises. Fr. Kolbe was arrested briefly that same year. In 1941 he was again arrested. Although his lung trouble reasserted itself in captivity, he and 320 other Polish prisoners were transferred to the prison camp that the Nazis had erected at Auschwitz in Poland.

Because he publicly acknowledged himself to be a Catholic priest, Fr. Kolbe, despite his physical frailty, was saddled with the heaviest and most degrading tasks. On one occasion he was severely beaten and left for dead. But he constantly sacrificed himself for those around him, and was their sole comfort. A Protestant camp doctor later said, “In Auschwitz I knew of no other similar case of such heroic love of neighbour”.

One evening in the summer of 1941 a prisoner managed to break out. The vicious camp rule declared that if any escapee was not caught, ten other prisoners would be killed in reprisal. Now the commandant lined up his prisoners and selected ten victims at random. One of them, Sgt. Francis Gajowniczek, cried out in anguish, “What will happen to my family?” Thereupon Fr. Kolbe approached the commandant, doffed his cap politely, and said, “I am a Catholic priest from Poland. I would like to take his place, because he has a wife and children”.

Surprisingly, the commandant consented, so Kolbe and the other nine were locked up in a starvation bunker. For two weeks they suffered excruciatingly but, led by the priest, raised their voices not in pain or blame, but in singing hymns and reciting the rosary. Only the priest and three others were still alive on August 14. They were finished off that day by lethal injection.

Fr. Zdzislaw Kijas

It is clear from this brief biographical sketch that Fr. Kolbe had a special link to the Virgin Mary. To gain greater insights into this saint’s soul we decided to turn to Zdzislaw Kijas, a Polish priest who has dedicated his entire life to researching this extraordinary saint of our times. Fr. Kijas, a vigorous 47-year-old Conventual Franciscan, holds a post-graduate degree in theology, and is President of the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure-Seraphicum in Rome. He is also the principal founder of the Cattedra Kolbiana, a course of studies on the thought, writings and Marian spirituality of Fr. Kolbe.

Fr. Kijas was delighted that the Messenger had remembered the important anniversary, and went out of his way to expound Fr. Kolbe’s spirituality to this journalist as clearly as possible.

In a letter written in October 1941, Fr. Kolbe’s mother revealed that her son had a vision of the Virgin Mary holding the two crowns. Episodes of this kind are frequent in the lives of medieval saints, but rare in modern times. This has led many a scholar into speculating that these visions are the fruit of hallucinations or exaggerated legends. As a modern ad open-minded theologian, do you believe similar episodes are authentic, and that they can also occur in our times?

Life in the spiritual world is more real than our mortal lives in this world. God, the Virgin Mary and the saints are much more tangible and alive than we are. The Mother of God was assumed in Heaven not only with her soul, but with her mortal (physical) body as well. This was a special and unique privilege afforded only to her by God for the purpose of showing us that we are all able, if sufficiently open to God’s love, to enjoy God’s presence in our hearts and communion with our brothers and sisters even during this dark existence in our mortal bodies. The truth of the dual spiritual and corporal presence of the Virgin Mary in our midst defies our comprehension, and fills us with awe and wonder.

In the course of history there are times when the Lord decides to give us ‘signs’. These appear as extraordinary events for us mortals, locked as we are within the narrow confines of time and space, but in the eyes of God they are but ‘everyday occurrences’, normal communications, and express His fatherly love for us.

Now we must make a clear distinction in the field of spiritual manifestations: there are inner visions, intellectual revelations, and visions which have an external and tangible dimension. This last type of manifestation is exemplified by events such as those which occurred at Lourdes or Fatima, and constitute a clear signal from God designed to strengthen humanity’s faith or sustain certain individuals destined for a particularly difficult mission. An example could be the Transfiguration of Jesus and the apparition of Moses and Elijah to the corporal eyes of Peter, James and John: this revelation was given to prepare the three apostles for the scandal of the Cross.

Something similar probably occurred to Saint Kolbe, who was destined for a very intense and difficult life which was to end in martyrdom.

Fr. Kolbe has dedicated his whole life to furthering Marian spirituality. Despite his frail health there is something titanic in the tasks he performed. Do you think the Marian revelation he received in his youth is the origin of the force driving him?

This may well be possible. However, we must bear in mind that extraordinary experiences do not constitute the greatness of a person. I’m inclined to believe that Fr. Kolbe’s true source of strength stemmed from his intimate union with the Mother of God – that union with God’s love with which the Virgin Mary is replete.

An authentic Christian life in which one does not live only for oneself, autonomously, but in which one seeks above all the good of one’s brothers and sisters, is an extraordinary source of life-giving strength. It is a life in which one expands one’s horizons and lives in a more universal dimension.

Fr. Kolbe’s strength originated from this dimension, and enabled him to sacrifice his life for another person, and infuse strength and light to his nine companions during the final agony in the starvation bunker.

One striking aspect about Fr. Kolbe was that he was both a profound mystic and a powerful man of action at the same time. He founded the Immaculata Movement and travelled the world to extend its influence. He established a newspaper called The Knight of the Immaculate, and various centres around the world where it could be printed. How did Fr. Kolbe harmonize these two opposite forces within him?

True contemplation requires great inner activity. By the same token, an outer activity devoid of thinking would be spiritually meaningless. Even from a purely practical point of view, no one can be always on the move and at the same time be capable of discerning the subtler aspects of life. This is even more so in the religious life. If we browse through Fr. Kolbe’s writings we find that he was always able to stop and pray.

Once a Polish priest, while visiting one of the printing-centres, asked him, “What would Saint Francis, who loved poverty, say if he saw these very expensive printing presses?” Fr. Kolbe retorted, “Saint Francis would surely wind up his sleeves and, without further ado, set about working day and night to make them function to their best of their capacity, just like all these good labourers here. As a 20th century saint, Francis would be working in this way for the greater glory of God and the Virgin Mary!”

Fr. Kolbe, however, also loved life. He loved games, relaxation, and long stays in the mountains to cure his consumption. Those who lived with him testify that he ate and slept just like any ordinary human being, only that he slept little. Even in his sufferings he was just like any ordinary person. In a letter he wrote while returning from Lourdes he confided that he was feeling slightly depressed.

The saints are ordinary men and women who have allowed God’s Love to fill their hearts. To be a saint it is not necessary to ‘mortify’ any aspect of one’s humanity, but merely allow one’s whole being to be incorporated into the Divine Fire.

The inspiration to found the Immaculata Movement came to Saint Kolbe in 1917, while he was a student in Rome. He was witnessing a manifestation of Freemasons which had gathered under the Pope’s apartment at St Peter’s waving a black flag. The flag bore an effigy of Michael the Archangel being crushed under Lucifer’s feet. Placards were raised in praise of Satan, with the words: Satan will rule the Vatican and the Pope will serve Him like a Swiss Guard. This made a deep impression on Kolbe. He began to wonder why Masons were so active while Christians remained passive and never made their voice heard.

We are in a similar situation today. Christians are being violently attacked in practically every part of the world, yet we remain passive. Have we forgotten Fr. Kolbe’s example?

No, Fr. Kolbe’s example has not been forgotten. And the fact that we are here speaking about him is proof of this. Many people around the world are stimulated and fascinated by him.

The Immaculata Movement is still very active around the world and numbers millions of members from all walks of life. Not only this, but many religious institutes for both lay and religious have been established in his name.

Next year the Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure-Seraphicum, which I preside, will see the founding of the Cattedra Kolbiana, a higher course of studies on Saint Maximilian Kolbe.

Fr. Kolbe’s life and thought are of great relevance today because they point to the heart of the Christian life: to reach charity and love through Mary Immaculate. Humanity has become disillusioned with great ideologies and theories, and is turning more and more to that which is authentic.

Fr. Kolbe established the Immaculata Movement in October 1917. In that same month the Communists took over Russia and the Fatima apparitions came to a close. Should we see a connection between the events of Fatima and the founding of the Immaculata Movement?

I believe there is a definite connection between the two. The year 1917 was a landmark in world history, and the Lord made His presence felt in that year as if to say: matters are still under my control! God does not interfere with our freedom. That is, He even respects our wrong choices, and He is so kind-hearted that, when this happens, He always indicates a way out of the mess we have got ourselves in.

In the dark days of the October revolution in Russia, God was illuminating humanity’s spiritual sky from Portugal with the radiant beauty of His Immaculate Mother. The message from Fatima reassures us that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph in the end.

Fr. Kolbe had great devotion for the Miraculous Medal revealed by the Virgin Mary to Saint Catherine Labouré. He adopted it as the shield and emblem of his movement. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was also a great admirer of this medal. Unfortunately, many of the faithful today, and many theologians as well, look down upon these popular forms of devotion. There are streams within Catholicism which would like to do away with devotional objects, sacramentals, etc. As a theologian, how do you view this tendency?

Our faith is based on the Gospels, which give us Jesus’ words. They do not contain grey theories, but teachings we are to live by. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. This means that our faith is to be centred on the example of this one person, a man like any of us, but who was God at the same time – the essence of love and life in its fullness. This means that, though it is important to understand the basic truths of Christianity with our minds, this knowledge will be of no avail if it does not come to life within us.

The Catholic Church is pro-life in the broadest sense of this term. Every truth of faith, every dogma, every teaching of the magisterium, is not an end in itself, but a means to serve life itself. 

Not everyone is capable of understanding the subtle truths of our faith, but everyone is called to live the teachings contained in the Gospels. Things like the Miraculous Medal and sacramentals are small aids which the Good Lord has given for those unable to approach the faith in an intellectual manner. These physical signs speak more readily to our hearts and minds than subtle teachings, and theologians should always remember this.

Pope John Paul II declared Saint Maximilian Kolbe The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century. What, in your opinion, is the principal message this saint has left us to ‘overcome’ through our faith, this ‘difficult century’?

Rather than ‘overcome’ this ‘difficult century’, I believe we should battle to ‘live the good life’ in the midst of this Godless day and age. We can do this by bearing witness to God’s love where evil and error abide. When the Servant of God Pope John Paul II declared Saint Kolbe ‘Patron of Our Difficult Century’ he was highlighting the fact that Kolbe was a martyr of God’s infinite Love, and that he was able to help men and women of our age receive this love in their wayward lives through the mediation of His Immaculate Mother.