St. Maximilian Kolbe

St. Maximilian Kolbe is one of those heroes who shows that the life of a Christian is anything but boring: when you say yes to the Cross, you say yes to adventure that’s so much bigger than what you dream. You become most yourself when you realize that your life is not about you.
 
The mixed media symbols I include in this painting tell Kolbe’s humble and heroic narrative:
 
-Two crowns —The Blessed Mother had appeared to a young Kolbe and showed him two crowns: a white one signifying purity and a red one signifying martyrdom. When Mary asked Kolbe if he would accept either of these, he responded “I choose both.” Crowns universally represent victory. Like Christ’s crown of thorns, Kolbe’s crowns signify the triumph that comes from carrying the Cross.
 
-Franciscan habit and belt—Kolbe became a priest of the Franciscan Order. The three knots on his belt represent the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
 
-Rosary—Fiercely devoted to the triumph of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart, Kolbe understood that no conversion was impossible. He founded the Militia of the Immaculata movement dedicated to advancing the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus through a total consecration to his Immaculate Mother. Kolbe spread this devotion through creative means, including publishing a monthly magazine, Rycerz Niepokalanej (Knight of the Immaculate).
 
-Barbed wire frame and prisoner uniform—Kolbe was arrested on charges of aiding Jews and the Polish underground. He was deported to the death camp of Auschwitz where he was stripped of his habit and given the prisoner number 16670. Kolbe remained faithful to his priestly vocation and ministered to those around him—and this of course made him subject to violent and humiliating beatings by the guards. In spite of the horrific conditions, Kolbe remained steadfast in love, patience, and radical surrender to God’s providence.
 
-Blood red mosaic stones—Kolbe soon died as a “martyr for charity.” In July 1941, a prisoner escaped the notorious death camp, prompting the Nazis to select ten men for condemnation to starvation and dehydration in the death bunker. Fr. Kolbe was not one of the selected. One of the chosen men broke down and pleaded for his life, crying “my poor wife and my poor children…” Kolbe stepped out of the ranks and presented himself, calmly saying, “I want to die in his place.” The Commandment spat back, “who are you?” Kolbe replied simply, “I am a Catholic priest.”He witnessed the greatest love Christ himself witnessed: “No one has a greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”
 
In the starvation bunker, Kolbe spent his final days singing Marian hymns with his fellow prisoners and leading them in serene prayer. After Kolbe endured two weeks without food or water, the Nazis executed him with an injection of carbolic acid. Kolbe’s martyrdom took place on the eve of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
 
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.
 
This is an original mixed media gouache painting with hand-embellished elements, sealed in resin on a 5 x 7 inch wooden panel with gold leaf edging; signed by artist