Introduce Yourself To Maximillian Kolbe

From a paperback called 'Candles In The Dark', is the abbreviated story of Maximillian Kolbe.  It was the first time I'd heard of him.  I'm not a Roman Catholic, but this man showed the kind of fruit which draws people to the living God.

He died in 1941 in Auschwitz as prisoner number 16670, giving his life in the place of another prisoner.  There had been an escape from the prison and ten prisoners were called forward to be put to death as a deterrent to any others escaping.  He volunteered to take the place of man number eight because this poor soul was sobbing that he would never see his wife and children again.

Maxmillian Kolbe was born into and brought up in a Roman Catholic household.  As a young boy he had a vision of Mary holding out two crowns to him, one white, one red.  The white crown denoted purity while the red, martyrdom.  He chose both.

He worked in Poland and Japan in the promoting of Christianity.  The promotion was mainly through the work of printing houses which he opened and ran together with others of his order.  He was also instrumental in hiding and preserviing the lives of around 2000 Jews during the war.

One of the nicest things about this man's life is that there are living witnesses to what he did and what he was like. Even in his death, his good works followed him.  'After the war he became as powerful a symbol in Germany as in Poland, and the Germans were as eager as the Poles for his recognition.'

This is one man's life that worth reading about.Saint of Auschwitz: Story of Maksymilian KolbeAuschwitz: True Tales From a Grotesque LandA Man for Others: Maximilian Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz, In the Words of Those Who Knew Him