For me, Maximilian Kolbe was one of those saints who just kept popping up in my life, like the Sisters of Life talk about in their podcast Let Love. He chose me more than I chose him. This quote, "a single act of love makes the soul return to life," is a constant reminder to get out of myself. When I am having a bout of depression or feeling lonely or the other internal struggles that I face, I hear him reminding me to make a simple act of love.
These acts can be in my own home - for my husband or daughter - or for my friends, community, or others who are in need. Instantly, the light of my soul returns. I only recently discovered that he is a patron saint of those who struggle with addiction. I have shared many times that Be A Heart was born out of the time of my life that I was getting sober from alcohol and needed something to help with my debilitating anxiety. In Alcoholics Anonymous, it is suggested to take regular service commitments to help recover from alcohol addiction. I can't help but see the prayers of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
My friends at Sherwood Fellows filmed a movie about what they imagined the last 10 days of Maximilian Kolbe's life in Auschwitz. I hope you'll watch it and take it to prayer.
Into Death and Beyond It from Sherwood Fellows on Vimeo.
You can you read more about Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe here.