Monday, April 13, 2009

Mystic Monday: Dyngus Day Special



The Monday after Easter is known as Dyngus Day. In honor of that I am offering a special Mystic Monday. Today dear children we will visit with a Polish saint, St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a dear friend of mrangelmeg's and mine.




This particular saint may not be one who would be at first considered a mystic, but he did in truth have a mystical vision early on in his life. He saw the Blessed Virgin while at prayer. This is what he said later of that experience:




"That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both."






He went on to become a Franciscan who worked as a great evangelist, and used radio and new technologies of the time to spread the Good News. During the early years of the Second World War he hid many Jews, protecting them from persecution and death at the hands of the Germans. For this he was eventually arrested and sent to Auschwitz where he died in the stead of another man in a retributional killing by the guards.




I leave you, dear children with this prayer of Maximilian's as he was being led away by the Gestapo with his brother friars.






Courage, my sons. Don’t you see that we are leaving on a mission? They pay our fare in the bargain. What a piece of good luck! The thing to do now is to pray well in order to win as many souls as possible. Let us, then, tell the Blessed Virgin that we are content, and that she can do with us anything she wishes” (Maximilian Mary Kolbe, when first arrested).




Pax

1 comment:

Suzanne said...

He was so wonderful! He has a special place in the hearts of so many!