St. Maximilian Kolbe: In His Own Words
Part 2
Introduction
1 Scritti di Massimiliano Kolbe, Editrice Nazionale M.I., Rome, 1997. References to this work will be made by the initials SK followed by a number corresponding to the number used in this edition to identify all the various writings of Fr. Kolbe.
2 Konferencje Swietego Maksymiliana Marii Kolbego, Wydwnictwo OO. Franciszkanów, Niepokalanów, 1990. References will be made to this work by the simple initial K followed by the number of the conference. Critics generally question the absolute reliability of these notes, but even though it is certain that they are not always complete and perhaps sometimes not precisely accurate, they were obviously prepared with great effort and a scrupulous care not to attribute to him things he did not say. They remain an invaluable source of his doctrine that must not be neglected, for they are a precious witness of his personal teaching to his closest disciples.
Instrument
Let us imagine ourselves to be a little brush in the hand of an infinitely perfect painter. What must the little brush do so that the painting will be as beautiful as possible? It must let itself be directed most perfectly. A little brush could still advance pretexts to improve the painting done by an earthly, limited, fallible painter, but when God, the eternal Wisdom, uses us as instruments, then we will do the most, in the most perfect way, when we will let ourselves be guided most perfectly and totally.
By the act of consecration we have offered ourselves to the Immaculate as Her absolute property. Without doubt She is the most perfect instrument in the hands of God, while we, for our part, must be instruments in Her immaculate hands.
When, therefore, will we destroy most rapidly and most perfectly the evil that exists in the whole world? When we will let ourselves be guided by Her in the most perfect way. This is the most important thing, the unique thing.
I said unique. In fact, each one of us must occupy himself solely in harmonizing, conforming, fusing, as it were, completely his own will with the Will of the Immaculate, just as Her Will is completely united to the Will of God, Her heart with the Heart of Her Son Jesus.
That is the unique thing we have to do. Whatever we do, even if it were the most heroic act, capable of overthrowing the foundations of all existing evil on earth, it has a certain value uniquely if, in performing this act, our will puts itself in harmony with the Will of the Immaculate and, through Her, with the Will of God. One thing alone, therefore, that is, the fusion of our will with Hers, has a certain value, or rather a total value. This is the essence of the love (not sentiment, although that be beautiful too) that must transform us, through the Immaculate, in God, that must burn us and, through us, set the world on fire and destroy and consume in it all evil. It is the fire of which the Savior spoke: “I have come to bring fire on the earth: and how I would wish that it be already lit!” (Lk. 12:49).
After having been inflamed ourselves by this divine love (I repeat that it is not a question here of sweet tears or sentiments, but of the will, even amidst aversion and repugnance), we will set on fire the whole world.
Nonetheless, it is we who must inflame ourselves, we who must not let ourselves grow cold, but burn ever more intensely; we must fuse ourselves with, become one sole thing with God, through the Immaculate.
We must, therefore, concentrate all our attention on this, uniquely on this: to unite ourselves most closely with the hand of our Mistress, our Leader, to melt ourselves into it, so that She might do with us what She wills. This is the essential condition for belonging to the M.I. : “Consecrate oneself totally to the Immaculate as an instrument in Her immaculate hands.”
Then and only then will we subject to the Immaculate, and through Her, unite, fuse the whole world and every single soul with the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus through the fire of love. (SK 1160, Rycerz Niepokalanej, May 1932)
It is necessary for us, as quickly as possible, to renounce ourselves. It is necessary that we have nothing, but nothing of our own, that She act, that we be Her instrument. How easy it is for each of us to let ourselves fall into wanting to work with great zeal, but often according to our own opinions. But here it is necessary that the Immaculate act through us, and it is a matter of being an instrument in Her hands and not of doing the greatest things possible according to our own ideas. She is the most perfectly capable of making everything turn to the glory of God. Often we just ruin things for Her. Everything depends on this, on how much we are Her instruments. Nothing else is left for us other than just to conform our will to Hers. There is no higher summit of perfection than this—the most perfect union of our will with Her will. (K 131, Feb. 17, 1938)
Obedience
How can we know that the Holy Mother is asking something from us ?…How must we know, where is revealed to us the divine will, the will of the Immaculate?
In holy obedience.
Our Lord Himself, although He was infinite Wisdom, did not choose for Himself any other way but obedience. He, being God, knew much better than the Holy Mother how to do this or that thing, but nevertheless He was obedient, because He saw in this the will of the Father.…
Obedience, then—this is the consecration to the Immaculate—accomplish it as She Herself desires of us.…Let us deepen in ourselves every day (the knowledge) of this truth by spiritual reading, by mediation, by conversations during recreation and especially in practice in our lives, in order to unite our will to the will of the Immaculate and by Her will sanctify our will.…
We must execute our obedience willingly and with joy, in order to prove that we have truly consecrated ourselves to the Immaculate, and not be like “one who has to be pushed”: [who says,] “There where they put me, there will I stay.” Rather we must add energy and effort on our part in order to execute in the best way the task confided to us. (K 31, Aug. 28, 1933)
I underline repeatedly the “Will of the Immaculate” because we are consecrated to her without limits, therefore She directs us. But, if one can put it thus, the Will of God and the Will of the Immaculate are not exactly the same thing, because the Will of the Immaculate is the will, not of the justice, but of the mercy of God, of which the Immaculate is the personification. We, then, in so far as we are instruments in her hand, are at the service not of the justice that punishes, but of conversion and sanctification, which are the effect of grace—and therefore of the mercy of God—and they pass through the hands of the Mediatrix of all graces. Consequently, as She is a most perfect instrument in the hand of God, in the hand of divine mercy, of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, thus we are an instrument in Her hand. And thus, through Her, we are an instrument of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that is of the mercy of God. Therefore our motto is: “through the Immaculate to the Heart of Jesus.” (SK 339, Apr. 29, 1931)
One of the brothers wrote me and asked me to write back to him and tell him how I love the Immaculate because he wants to love Her in the same way.… I (recently) said that the perfection of obedience is the essence of love. What does that depend on? On sentiment perhaps ? Sentiment isn’t the essential thing. Sentiment is a passing thing. It can even be or not be. Love does not depend on sentiment. We mustn’t be worried if it is absent.… Often sentiment is taken for love. If it is a matter of love for the Immaculate one can permit oneself a lot (of sentiment). Sentiment, then, also is good. However, above all is the perfection of obedience, the fusion of our will with Her will.
It is necessary to deepen always this supernatural obedience. We easily confound supernatural obedience and natural obedience. Often a soul is persuaded that she is supernaturally obedient when in fact it is shown that she is naturally obedient.
How can we know when obedience is supernatural? Let us consider some examples: a Jew will obey when what is said is wise and to his profit; an infidel, when what is said is in accord with his convictions; another, again, will obey because he will be praised for doing so. To obey in this way, even a pagan can do.
In order that obedience be supernatural it must not proceed from reason but from faith. Holy Scripture says: “My just one shall live by faith” (Rm. 1:17). The distance between faith and reason is infinite. The supernatural order is founded on faith. The soul, then, that bases itself on faith does infinitely more than a soul based on reason. It follows then that if we want our work for the conquest of souls to bear fruit, we must conform ourselves more to the Will of God, or, in our language, to the Will of the Immaculate.
When can we be sure that our obedience is supernatural? When in our obedience there are fewer natural motives. When our superior isn’t perfect and perhaps is even disagreeable, and if then we accomplish the order with the same contentment as if it proceeded from a virtuous and wise man, then our obedience is supernatural. If, instead, the opposite is true, then there is room for much improvement.…
The perfection of obedience, then, is the perfection of love for the Immaculate. If in spite of disagreeable feelings or a lack of sentiment we receive the order with the same contentment, then our obedience is perfect and one can say that it is supernatural obedience. If one thinks otherwise, if one is of another opinion, but one goes against this, then there is supernatural obedience. This doesn’t mean that one must not give one’s reasons when there is a need. If someone neglected to give his reasons that would not be a perfection. On the contrary, then, one can and must give one’s reasons. It is simply a matter of the fact that both on the side of the inferior and on the side of the superior there be the liberty to speak. The fact of giving one’s reason from one’s side is not an imperfection of obedience. Nevertheless, if the superior considers the reasons and nonetheless commands that the order be accomplished, one must leave aside one’s reasons and do what obedience commands.
The more we follow this road of supernatural obedience, the more the Immaculate will be able to direct us. Let us deepen, then, the perfection of supernatural obedience. (K 169, May 7, 1938)
When in 1939 the Conventual Franciscans of Poland divided into two provinces and our authority took up residence in Warsaw, Fr. Maximilian rejoiced saying that now it would be easier to know the Will of God because Father Provincial would reside so near Niepokalanów. I heard from the Brothers in Niepokalanów that in 1940 it was already practically certain that Fr. Maximilian would be arrested by the Gestapo. In the beginning, Fr. Maximilian wanted to hide somewhere in order to let the danger pass, but he didn’t want to decide alone. He addressed himself to Warsaw to the Father Provincial, asking him his opinion. Father Provincial responded that it would be better if he stayed at Niepokalanów. This sufficed so that Fr. Maximilian abandoned any idea of leaving, although shortly afterward he was, indeed, arrested. (Positio Super Virtutibus II, p. 152)