THE MEMORIAL OF ST MAXIMILIAN MARY KOLBE. PRIEST AND MARTYR.
MEMORIAL OF ST MAXIMILIAN MARY KOLBE OFM. PRIEST AND MARTYR.
"Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”
"He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
"So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”
"They said to him, “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”
"He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
"I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”
"His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
"He answered, “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” (Matthew 19: 3 - 12).
Friday 14th August 2026 in the 19th Week of Ordinary Time is the Memorial of St Maximilian Marie Kolbe, OFM. Priest and Martyr.
1894–1941
St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe was a Polish Conventual Franciscan priest, missionary, publisher, and martyr of charity.
Born Raymund Kolbe in Zduńska Wola, Poland, he entered the Franciscan Order as a young man and gave his life to Christ through total consecration to the Immaculate Virgin Mary.
In 1917 he founded the Militia of the Immaculate, an apostolate dedicated to conversion and holiness through Mary.
He used the press boldly for evangelization, establishing the great Franciscan centre of Niepokalanów and publishing The Knight of the Immaculate.
His zeal extended to Japan, where he helped establish a mission and Catholic publication.
Arrested by the Nazis in 1941, Father Kolbe was sent to Auschwitz.
When ten prisoners were chosen to die by starvation after an escape, he volunteered to take the place of Franciszek Gajowniczek, a husband and father.
He died by lethal injection on 14 August 1941, after suffering in the starvation bunker.
Pope St. John Paul II canonized him in 1982 as a martyr of charity. His witness reveals the fruit of Marian consecration: a heart conformed to Christ, ready to love without reserve.
“Only love creates.” —St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe.
In the Gospel of today, we confront the question:
“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” (Matthew 19: 3).
Is divorce permitted? The Pharisees asked Jesus.
Jesus used this question to teach us God's original plan for marriage between one man and one woman.
God joined man and woman together to become one for life.
If this is so, what is the reason for the prevalent heart-wrenching divorces?
Hardness of heart or sin is the cause, Jesus answered.
This is how the Church explains the progression of the hardness of heart:
"The harmony in which they had found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties over the body is shattered;
the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions, their relations henceforth marked by lust and domination.
"Harmony with creation is broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man.
Because of man, creation is now subject "to its bondage to decay".
Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will "return to the ground", for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history." (CCC 400).
What sin has torn asunder, Jesus Christ has reconciled in His body by giving man and woman the means and tools to live in harmony.
The Church accompanies the married couples on their journey of faith with the Sacraments:
Matrimony, Eucharist, Reconciliation.
The Church provides a number of effective tools as aid to harmony:
marriage preparation classes, counseling, Cursillo, Encounters, etc.
Like any vocation, it is impossible for marriage to work outside the framework of the sacraments, tools and resources provided by the Providence of God for the institution today.
August is the Month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary says: "In the end. My Immaculate Heart will triumph."
St. Maximilian Kolbe – Martyrdom of Love.
St. Maximilian Kolbe lived total consecration to the Immaculata, giving his life for another out of perfect charity.
Prayer:
Jesus, through St. Maximilian and Our Lady, make me an instrument of Your selfless love.
For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:
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