Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest & Martyr
First Order ☩ Feast
Maximilian Mary Kolbe was born in Poland, January 7, 1894. He entered the Order of Friars Minor Conventual and was ordained priest in Rome in 1918. His ardent love for Mary the Virgin Mother of God inspired him to found a sodality which he called the Militia of Mary Immaculate. This he promoted in his native land and in other countries as well. His missionary activity in Japan was also placed under the patronage of the Immaculate Virgin. On returning to Poland, he endured many trials as he worked in the area of Oswiecim in the district of Cracow during World War II. He brough his life of activity to a close by offering himself as a victim of love at Auschwitz. He died August 14, 1941.
Evening Prayer I
Hymn
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Mary’s faithful son.
Through harsh trials of martyrdom, paradise you won.
Devoted to the Virgin Queen, you became her slave.
All your joys, your pains, your word, and thoughts to her you gave.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Franciscan priest of God.
Christ’s own mother walk with you, Along the road you trod.
She gave you strength and courage, to serve until the end.
As Jesus taught no greater love, could you have shown your friend.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, you took his place in death.
And lovingly forgave the foe, as you drew your last breath.
O martyr saint of Poland, we pray this day to you.
That through our Queen Immaculate, we will e’er be true.
Sr. Mary Patrick Lennox, AMMI, MI
Sr. John Marie Hopkins, AMMI, MI
2000 AD
Psalmody
- If anyone declares himself for me before men, I will declare myself for him before my Father.
Psalm 118
I
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love endures for ever.
Let the sons of Israel say:
His love endures for ever.
Let the sons of Aaron say:
His love endures for ever.
Let those who fear the Lord say:
His love endures for ever.
I called to the Lord in my distress;
he answered and freed me.
The Lord is at my side; I do not fear.
what can man do against me?
The Lord is at my side as my helper;
I shall look down on my foes.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in men;
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
The nations all encompassed me;
in the Lord's name I crushed them.
They compassed me, compassed me about;
in the Lord's name I crushed them.
They compassed me about like bees;
they blazed like a fire among thorns.
In the Lord's name I crushed them.
I was hard-pressed and was falling,
but the Lord came to help me.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he is my savior.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.
The Lord's right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me.
The Lord's right hand has triumphed;
I shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds.
I was punished, I was punished by the Lord,
but not doomed to die.
- If anyone declares himself for me before men, I will declare myself for him before my Father.
- Whoever follows me does not walk in the dark; he will have the light of life.
II
Open to me the gates of holiness:
I will enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord's own gate
where the just may enter.
I will thank you for you have answered
and you are my savior.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.
O Lord, grant us salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.
Go forward in procession with branches
even to the altar.
You are my God, I thank you.
My God, I praise you.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.
- Whoever follows me does not walk in the dark; he will have the light of life.
- If we share fully in the sufferings of Christ, through Christ we shall know the fullness of his consolation.
Canticle
1 Peter 2:21-24
Christ suffered for you,
and left you an example
to have you follow in His footsteps.
He did no wrong;
no deceit was found in His mouth.
When He was insulted,
He returned no insult.
When He was made to suffer,
He did not counter with threats.
Instead, He delivered Himself up
to the One who judges justly.
In His own body
He brought your sins to the Cross,
so that all of us, dead to sin,
could live in accord with God's will.
By His wounds you were healed.
- If we share fully in the sufferings of Christ, through Christ we shall know the fullness of his consolation.
Reading
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? Yet in all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us. For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Responsory
The Lord loved him and adorned him.
— The Lord loved him and adorned him.
He put a robe of glory on him
— and adorned him.
Glory to the Father...
— The Lord loved him and adorned him.
Canticle of Mary
- The way we came to understand love was that the Lord laid down his life for us; we too must lay down our lives for our brothers.
Intercessions
This is the hour when the King of martyrs offered his life in the upper room and laid it down on the cross. Let us thank him and say:
We praise you, O Lord, our Savior, inspiration and example for every martyr, for loving us to the end:
—
For calling all repentant sinners to the rewards of life:
—
For entrusting to your Church the blood of the new and everlasting covenant poured out for the remission of sin:
—
For our perseverance in your grace today:
—
For incorporating our dead brothers and sisters into your own death today:
—
Our Father...
Prayer
O God, who filled the Priest and Martyr
Saint Maximilian Kolbe
with a burning love for the Immaculate Virgin Mary
and with zeal for souls and love of neighbor,
graciously grant, through his intercession,
that, striving for your glory by eagerly serving others,
we may be conformed, even until death, to your Son.
Who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Invitatory
- Come, let us worship Christ, the King of martyrs.
Invitatory Psalm, as in the Ordinary
Office of Readings
Hymn
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Mary’s faithful son.
Through harsh trials of martyrdom, paradise you won.
Devoted to the Virgin Queen, you became her slave.
All your joys, your pains, your word, and thoughts to her you gave.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Franciscan priest of God.
Christ’s own mother walk with you, Along the road you trod.
She gave you strength and courage, to serve until the end.
As Jesus taught no greater love, could you have shown your friend.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, you took his place in death.
And lovingly forgave the foe, as you drew your last breath.
O martyr saint of Poland, we pray this day to you.
That through our Queen Immaculate, we will e’er be true.
Sr. Mary Patrick Lennox, AMMI, MI
Sr. John Marie Hopkins, AMMI, MI
2000 AD
Psalmody
- Men will hate you because you are mine, but he who perseveres will be saved.
Psalm 2
Why this tumult among nations,
among peoples this useless murmuring?
They arise, the kings of the earth,
princes plot against the Lord and his Anointed.
Come, let us break their fetters,
come, let us cast off their yoke.
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord is laughing them to scorn.
Then he will speak in his anger,
his rage will strike them with terror.
It is I who have set up my king on Zion,
my holy mountain.
I will announce the decree of the Lord:
The Lord said to me: You are my Son.
It is I who have begotten you this day.
Ask and I will bequeath you the nations,
put the ends of the earth in your possession.
With a rod of iron you will break them,
shatter them like a potter's jar.
Now, O kings, understand,
take warning, rulers of the earth;
serve the Lord with awe
and trembling, pay him your homage
lest he be angry and you perish;
for suddenly his anger will blaze.
Blessed are they who put their trust in God.
- Men will hate you because you are mine, but he who perseveres will be saved.
- The sufferings of this life cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us in the life to come.
Psalm 33
I
Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
O sing him a song that is new,
play loudly, with all your skill.
For the word of the Lord is faithful
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.
By his word the heavens were made,
by the breath of his mouth all the stars.
He collects the waves of the ocean;
he stores up the depths of the sea.
Let all the earth fear the Lord
all who live in the world revere him.
He spoke; and it came to be.
He commanded; it sprang into being.
He frustrates the designs of the nations,
he defeats the plans of the peoples.
His own designs shall stand for ever,
the plans of his heart from age to age.
- The sufferings of this life cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us in the life to come.
- The Lord tested his chosen ones as gold tested by fire; he has received them for ever as a sacrificial offering.
II
They are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.
From the heavens the Lord looks forth,
he sees all the children of men.
From the place where he dwells he gazes
on all the dwellers on the earth;
he who shapes the hearts of them all;
and considers all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his army,
nor a warrior preserved by his strength.
A vain hope for safety is the horse;
despite its power it cannot save.
The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name.
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.
- The Lord tested his chosen ones as gold tested by fire; he has received them for ever as a sacrificial offering.
I have known tribulation and distress.
— But in your commands I have found consolation.
First Reading
From the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians
The power of Christ I made manifest in our sufferings.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.
We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.
What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Responsory
Blessed are you when men curse you and persecute you,and speak every evil against you because of me. Rejoice, be glad,
— for your reward will be great in heaven.
Blessed are those who suffer persecution for the sake of justice.
— For your reward will be great in heaven.
Second Reading
From letters of Saint Maximilian M. Kolbe
We must work with apostolic zeal for the salvation and sanctification of souls
Dear Brother:
I am filled with great joy because of the glowing zeal that motivates you to promote God’s glory. We see with sorrow that an epidemic of indifferentism in various forms is spreading in our times, not merely among people in the world but even among religious. Since God is worthy of infinite glory, it is our prime concern to render him the greatest possible glory even if, through human weakness, we fail to give him all he deserves.
God’s glory is especially resplendent in the salvation of souls redeemed by Christ’s blood. Let this, then, be the chief goal of your apostolic work, the salvation and sanctification of the greatest number of souls. I shall tell you briefly the most suitable way to attain the end. God who is infinite knowledge and wisdom, and who consequently knows best what we must do to promote his glory makes his will to us particularly through those who take his place on earth.
It is therefore obedience, and only obedience, which clearly shows us God’s will. It can happen, to be sure, that a superior makes a mistake, but it cannot happen that in following obedience we make a mistake. Only then there an exception to obedience when a superior commands something that would clearly be a violation of God’s law, even in a very small matter. In such a case the individual himself would not be the interpreter of God’s will.
God, and only God, is infinite, most wise, most holy, a most loving Lord, our father and creator, our beginning and end, our wisdom, power and love – God is our all. Everything outside of God has value only in so far as it is referred to him who is the creator of all things, the redeemer of mankind, the final end of all creation. He it is therefore who makes known adorable will through those who take his place on earth. He draws us to himself and through us, the soul of others he intends to unite to himself in more perfect love.
Dear brother, see the greatness of man’s dignity conferred by God’s mercy. By obedience we surmount, so to speak, the limits imposed upon us by our weakness, we are made of conformable to God’s will which in his infinite wisdom and prudence guides us to act correctly. As a matter of fact, by clinging to God’s will – and no creature can resist it – we surpass everything in power.
This is the way of wisdom and prudence; this is the only way we render the greatest glory to God. If there were another and more suitable way Christ surely would have showed it to us by his own words and example. But Sacred Scripture described his long sojourn in Nazareth in these words: He was subject to them and painted the picture of the rest of his life for us in the colors of obedience thus showing that he had come upon earth to do the will of his Father.
Therefore, my brothers, let us love our most loving Father in heaven with the greatest love and let our obedience be the proof of our perfect love which we put into practice especially when we are asked to give up our own will. There is no more authoritative book to teach us how to grow in God’s love than the book of Jesus crucified.
We shall achieve all this through the Immaculate Virgin whom a most loving God in his mercy gave us. There is no doubt that Mary’s will in our regard is the will of God. When we dedicate ourselves to her, we become instruments of God’s mercy just as she was in God’s hands. Let us be guided by her, led by her. Let us feel calm and safe under her guidance. She will look after all our needs, quickly provide everything necessary for soul and body. She will remove our difficulties and trials.
Responsory
Be imitators of God as his dear children. Follow in the way of love, even as Christ loved us.
He gave himself for us
— an offering to God, a gift pleasing fragrance.
Do God’s will with your whole heart as servants of Christ,
— an offering to God, a gift pleasing fragrance.
Hymn, Te Deum
Prayer, as in Morning Prayer
Morning Prayer
Hymn
Let us acclaim with joyful hearts
and offer fitting songs of praise
for triumphs of the Martyr Saints,
eternal vict’ries won for Christ.
Throughout the Churches, first in rank,
triumphant leaders in the fray
and soldiers of the heav’nly court,
they shed true light upon the earth.
They crushed the terrors of this world
and spurned the pains of flesh and blood;
their life cut short by holy death,
they each inherit blessed light.
The torture from a raging hand
sheds flowing streams of hallowed blood,
yet they remain unmoved and firm,
by grace and hope of lasting life.
The Saints’ sincere, devoted faith,
believers sure, unvanquished hope,
the full and perfect love of Christ,
defeat the ruler of this world.
In these the Father’s glory dwells,
in these the Holy Spirit’s will,
in these the triumph of the Son,
and heaven fills with endless joy.
We ask of you, Redeeming Lord:
unite your servants as we pray,
that they may join your Martyr Saints
and sing your everlasting praise. Amen.
Psalmody
- My lips will praise you, Lord, for sweeter than life is your merciful love.
Psalms and Canticle from Sunday, Week I
- Martyrs of the Lord, bless the Lord for ever.
- I will make the man who is victorious a pillar in my temple, says the Lord.
Reading
Praised be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from him. As we have shared much in the suffering of Christ, so through Christ do we share abundantly in his consolation.
Responsory
The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise.
— The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise.
The Lord is my savior,
— and I shall sing his praise.
Glory to the Father...
— The Lord is my strength, and I shall sing his praise.
Canticle of Zechariah
- Christ will be exalted through me whether I live or die. For to me “life” means Christ.
Intercessions
Our Savior's faithfulness is mirrored in the fidelity of his witnesses who shed their blood for the Word of God. Let us praise him in remembrance of them:
Your martyrs freely embraced death in bearing witness for the faith,
— give us the true freedom of the Spirit, O Lord.
Son of Man, just as Your martyrs professed their faith by shedding their blood,
— give us a faith, O Lord, that is constant and pure.
Your martyrs followed in your footstep by carrying the cross,
— help us to endure courageously the misfortunes of life.
Your martyrs washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb,
— Help us to avoid the weaknesses of the flesh and worldly allurements.
Our Father...
Prayer
O God, who filled the Priest and Martyr
Saint Maximilian Kolbe
with a burning love for the Immaculate Virgin Mary
and with zeal for souls and love of neighbor,
graciously grant, through his intercession,
that, striving for your glory by eagerly serving others,
we may be conformed, even until death, to your Son.
Who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.