Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, priest and martyr
(Ezekiel 60:1-15.60.63; Matthew 19:3-12)
Both readings today esteem the marriage covenant. In the first, Ezekiel describes how God
married an undesirable Israel. The
marriage gave the bride prominence, but she traded it for pleasure and intrigue. Israel forsook the Lord’s loving care by worshipping
the gods of her neighbors.
In the gospel Jesus confirms the teaching implied in
Genesis that marriage binds a man and a woman for life. The Pharisees are divided on the issue, not on
divorce but on the grounds for it. Some
think that Moses’ permission of divorce requires a crime like adultery. Others argued a man could divorce his wife
(never vice versa) for almost any offense.
Jesus denies all grounds. He shows
his superior authority to Moses’ as he reinstates the permanency of the
marriage covenant.
Today’s celebrated saint, Maximillian Kolbe, died honoring
the marriage covenant. He was imprisoned
at Auschwitz when a prisoner escaped.
The Nazis wanted to execute a married man with a family to deter more attempted
escapes. St. Maximillian offered himself
for execution in the husband’s place.
Pope St. John Paul II called the act a true martyrdom because Maximillian
sacrificed his life for his religious convictions – love of neighbor and, we
might add, the goodness of marriage.
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