Darkness, as we all know, can be quite powerful; amid suffering, it can be hard to see a way out. But as Holy Week shows us, love and hope are far more powerful than the forces of evil.
I’ve always been inspired by the story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a priest who lived in greater Poland. He provided shelter to Jews, including protecting 2,000 at his friary. He was imprisoned by the Gestapo and was eventually transferred to Auschwitz. His guards were vicious, but even in the horror of this prison, he never thought of himself; the meager portions of food given to prisoners he would often share and at night he was known to go from bunk to bunk and say, “I am a Catholic priest, is there anything I can do for you?”
When the guards could not find one of the prisoners, it was determined that 10 men would be left to starve in retaliation. One of the men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, “My poor children! What will they do?” Upon hearing this, Father Kolbe asked if he could take the man’s place. Father Kolbe and nine others were thrown into Building 13 and left there to starve. Over two weeks, they slowly died, Father Kolbe being the last alive. All during this time, he tried to keep the others’ spirits up as best he could through prayers, psalms and meditations on the Passion of Christ.
Throughout history, people have done horrible things to one another — some on a massive scale, but often in daily life. As humans, we harm one another, even people we love, and suffer so much, too. Like the fickle crowds who drop their palms and walk away, we do too. However, God stands with us in our suffering and invites us to look deeper into the good inside us all.
Take the Passion. Look closer, and we can see the good that we are capable of. Mary stands by her son. A centurion sees the events unfold and comes to faith. Joseph of Arimathea, a just man, extends kindness to someone who has been executed. And a criminal who is being executed for his crime defends an innocent man. And of course, we have as the central figure, Jesus — who, despite the physical and mental anguish he endures, freely lays down his life for us all out of love.
God can indeed certainly seem hidden from us, but this story shows us what our relationship with God is all about, which is love. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, says St. Paul, and how right he is.
As we enter this solemn week, let’s look at ourselves and see what we want to change, and the way we can change the world. What do we need to confront that is sinful? And what can we do to help others confront their sins and fears? Jesus is with us, and as St. John Paul II so often said, let us be not afraid.
Yes, evil is powerful stuff. We give in to sin and we harm one another. We look at the world and it can be so hard to see what people do to each other. God’s response was not to abandon us, but to show us the radical nature of his love, a love for which death and darkness are no match. Let us truly let go, and let God — knowing he will lead us through the troubled waters, together confronting the evil in our hearts and the world, never forgetting love will have the last word, a love unveiled on a throne of wood, a love unveiled in a concentration camp, and a love we too can unveil with our acts of love and mercy for one another.
Father Kammen is pastor of St. Joseph in Rosemount.
Sunday, March 24
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
