Courageous, Faith-filled Fathers

06-21-2015Weekly ReflectionFr. Brian Jazdzewski

I continue to go back to one of my Polish brothers, and a brother to us all. We affectionately call him St. Maximilian Kolbe. He was born in Poland, becoming a Franciscan priest, founder of the Militia of Mary Immaculate and martyr for the faith. Perhaps we know his death more than we know anything. He was a prisoner at Auschwitz during WWII; dying there in 1941. In fact, he died on August 14, the day before the annual celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. The Nazis were about to separate a father from a son in that death camp. Kolbe courageously stepped forward and suggested they’d find more satisfaction killing a priest rather than the boy’s father. For reasons unknown, the Nazis let father and son remain united and killed Kolbe instead.

Over the years, including my formative years when my grandfather spoke of my uncle's death at an early age, there are unfortunately too many fathers and mothers whose children have died for countless reasons. I conjecture that most dads would rather exchange places with their children so their children could live. Those courageous thoughts are not limited to people like St. Maximilian Kolbe, that courageous spirit is alive in people in our church today! Many of us would rather sacrifice our lives so someone else could have it better. If that's where our thoughts often lead, then that's the work of Jesus calling us to live as He did. Remember, our Savior died so that others, like us, could live.

Courage and faith are not often closely linked together, yet on Father's Day we might just unite them for just a few fleeting thoughts. One principle reason St. Maximilian Kolbe courageously gave his life was simply because he had faith. He had faith that God would provide in any moment of need, especially in matters of family. Kolbe's faith was inspired tremendously through the intercession of the Blessed Mother to whom he had deep devotion. The Militia he formed set out to educate the world about the powerful intercession of Mother Mary's prayers. In fact, as they passed out religious medals, Miraculous Medals to be exact, he often referred to them as his "bullets."

Many of us are aware of the dangers we face on a regular basis. Often these dangers are not threatening to our physical well-being, rather they attack and erode our emotional and spiritual well-being. We all know what its like to see a loved one suffer from ailments of body, mind and spirit; and yet we can often feel so helpless in helping them overcome what harms them. In moments like these, prayer is one of the things we freely verbalize, and yet prayer is one of the things we least know how to do. Almost unanimously, we admit that we'd like to pray more; and pray more effectively.

Losing a loved one to physical death is arguably challenging; losing a loved one to emotional or spiritual death can be equally gut-wrenching. We might take this chance in observing Father's Day and consider the unique recipe of courage and faith. Maybe in spending some time reflecting upon these virtues we might realize that there is much more we can do to sacrifice for others, including our prayers for them. And, if we need to focus on particular spiritual exercises, we might turn to our Lady and use the Angelus, the Rosary, First Saturday Devotions and Mass or our favorite Marian prayers to build upon our spiritual life. Through the special intercession of Saints Mary and Maximilian Kolbe, may all of us continue to be like them and sacrifice for others in a way which leads people to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

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