19th Week, Thursday, August 14: Maximillian Kolbe
Joshua 3:7-11, 13-17 / Matthew 18:21 - 19:1
The Israelites cross over the Jordan; The waters backed up.
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How different is our life because of our crossing through the waters of baptism? "God the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin, [and] given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit…You have become a new creation." Baptismal rite
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In an epic style, imitating that of the crossing of the Sea of Reeds at the Exodus, the author of the Book of Joshua narrates how the people of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered into the Promised Land.
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To cross a river is certainly not an easy task. Rivers may vary in width but a river is still a river and there are also undercurrents that may not be noticeable on the surface of the water.
The 1st reading recalls the Israelites crossing the Jordan river into the Promised Land. Though it may not be as dramatic as when they crossed the Red Sea, nonetheless a river is still a river, and with the waters being stopped for the Israelites to cross over, then a miracle is still a miracle.
What is important is that it was the Lord who paved the way for them. It was He who stopped the flowing waters of the river when the priests carrying the ark of the covenant set their feet in the waters of the Jordan river. And the ark of the covenant remained in the middle of the river until the whole nation had crossed over.
A spiritual aspect that can be drawn from this river crossing is that the Lord God must be our first, our last, and our in-between option whenever we have to make decisions as to which direction to take or what to do.
More often that not, we turn to the Lord as our last option, when all other options had failed for us. But in the crossing of the Jordan river, the ark of the covenant carried by the priests, which represents the presence of the Lord God, was the first to step into the river, and the last to step out of it. So, in the various aspects of our lives, especially in the area of forgiveness, let us turn to the Lord God to step into our hearts and to soften it so that we can cross the waters of anger, resentment and bitterness towards the peace of forgiveness and reconciliation. May we always turn to the Lord in all things, because He wants to be our first, our last and our in-between choice.
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God is good and merciful by nature, forgiving, loyal, radiating generosity. It is natural for him to forgive. In our case, things are more complicated. Are we understanding and forgiving by nature? By calling, yes, but by nature? And second, in God’s case there is only one offended party, God. In our situation, quite often, there are two offenders and two offended parties. Shall the twain ever meet, if only one is willing to let bygones be bygones and to make a fresh start? When we are hurt, we have to tear the word or gesture of forgiveness from our hearts. And yet, we have to do it seventy-times seven times, says the Lord…
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Prayer
God of mercy and compassion, you know how sometimes we have to wring forgiveness from our torn hearts. Maybe we cannot pardon in others what we condemn in ourselves. We are at the same time guilty and offended. God, help us to understand ourselves, that we may be more understanding to others and that we may learn to forgive totally and without regret as you forgive us again and again through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
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Fr. Maximillian Kolbe: The number 16670 may not have much significance for us, nor does it have any meaning whatsoever in our modern world. But going back 77 years ago, on the 28th May 1941, when a man was transferred to Auschwitz prison, he was given a number - 16670, and he was known as prisoner #16670.
That man was Fr. Maximillian Kolbe, and he was arrested by the Nazis for harbouring Jews from the German invasion in his priory in Poland. While he was in prison, three prisoners disappeared from the camp, prompting the deputy camp commander, to pick 10 men to be starved to death in an underground bunker in order to deter further escape attempts. When one of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, "My wife! My children!", Kolbe volunteered to take his place.
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In that underground bunker, Kolbe celebrated Mass each day and prayed with the rest of the nine condemned prisoners and encouraged them with the hope of heaven. After two weeks of dehydration and starvation, only Kolbe remained alive and the guards gave him a lethal injection to put him to death.
It was just another case of the atrocities that happened at the Auschwitz prison. But it was a story of faith and courage, love and sacrifice. That is what we are celebrating as we remember St. Maximillian Kolbe and his sacrifice for another human being.
And as Jesus said in the gospel, where two or three are gathered in His name, He will be there. And we can see it clearly that St Kolbe was a sign of the presence of Jesus to the nine condemned men as they awaited their death. May we follow the example of St. Maximillian Kolbe and be a presence of Jesus for others and be for them a sign of faith and courage, love and sacrifice.
