16670

16670

On a summer afternoon in 1941 at Auschwitz concentration camp, many heard the piercing cry of Franciszek Gajowniczek, "Oh, my poor wife, my poor children. I shall never again see them."  On this particular day, Gajowniczek had been one of ten condemned to the airless, underground starvation bunker.  In the middle of hell on earth, hell was indeed getting worse. It would be his fate to die a slow and painful death below ground with no food or water.

In 1941, that very day, something unexpected happened.  Prisoner number 16670 stepped forward, "I would like to take his place, for he is a husband and a father".  Normally, this action would have warranted an execution on the spot.  However, the head guard responded, "Who is this Polish Pig?  Take him away". Within seconds, number 16670 and the other nine men were taken to the middle of Auschwitz where they were thrown underground to die.

After being shoved into their cells, 16670 began leading these men in hymns.  In the middle of their worst torment, this man consoled nine dying men with hymns, confessions and prayers.  One by one, as the men began to die, the singing continued until only four remained.  The Nazi's were so annoyed that they elected to kill the remaining by injecting acid into their veins. One of the guards who later gave testimony says that inmate 16670 did not even hear them coming.  He was found kneeling and so transfixed in prayer that he did not even bother to look up.  He simply stuck out his arm and accepted fates final blow.  Number 16670 was Father Maximilian Kolbe.

Upon hearing this story, I was literally brought to tears.  Tears for the pain & suffering that so many endured during World War II.  Tears for the men and women who were stripped of their dignity and could not be consoled. Tears for the courageous and heroic actions of Father Kolbe and the other martyrs our church history has known.  You see, Father Kolbe understood his fate when he offered to change places with that man.  By no means was he under the assumption that saying the rosary or hearing confessions would magically transport him from his place of torment.  This brave man knew, without a doubt, where his final breath would lead...and he found peace in it.

Yes, it is true that the story of the Catholic church has been marked by several era's of a dark and corrupt clergy.  With the recent sex abuse scandals, the church again has found herself in the midst of dark times.  But the darkness is not her only story...her story is about so much more.

Author/speaker Scott Hahn puts it perfectly:  "Do we see further in the day or at night?  Most people would say the day but I have to say at night.  At night we can see billions of miles away...all the stars come out at night". 

We are indeed in dark times; but the story of Father Kolbe, the stories of our Saints, and the preservation of Christianity through Church are our stars.  In my eyes, the Church and her stories are magnetic, mystifying, ritualistic, insightful, passionate, fulfilling...beautiful.  At times, it literally takes my breath away.  In my brokenness...in my suffering and sorrow, I am fully aware of my need for this church.   Through the story of Saint Kolbe, through your story and mine, let us be the bright stars in the night.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "Greater love than this no man has that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Through the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe whose life illustrated such love, we beseech you to grant us our petitions:
For those in our families who are enslaved to drugs, St. Kolbe pray for us.
For those in prison, especially those who have been falsely accused, St. Kolbe pray for us.

For those who are with child and considering abortion, St. Kolbe pray for us.