Knightly Mortification – Conduct In The Face Of Setbacks – True Freedom

Blessed be Immaculate!

Dear Knights,

During Lent saint Maximilian reminds us that „Jesus unambiguously emphasized the need of atonement and Immaculate also pointed out a penance as Her wish towards Bernadette. „How we should perform penance?” this is the question of founder of Niepokalanow, who knew that everyone admit that their life is carpeted with crosses, but not in every case health and duties permit us to suffer severely”. This worshipper of Mary, when he was kneeling next to the miraculous cave, knew that „accepting these crosses is a great opportunity to practice penance. What is more, fulfilling duties and God’s will at every moment (both in actions and words) takes many sacrifices of what gives us pleasure — this is the most abundant source of atonement”. However, Saint Maximilian realized that we are humans, not angels. He proved it, when he noted „I am afraid of suffering and humiliation but I find it comforting that Jesus wanted to feel the same in the Garden of Gethsemane. Graces come exactly when we need it”.

Maximilian does not let us to sadden about ponderousness or even falls and he confidently taught, that „we should not be conned by the devil of discouragement even when our sins are intentional, heavy and often repeated. As soon as you feel guilty, give your fault without hesitation with a one word — Mary. He knew that we fall in order to rise and our every collapse is a rung in the ladder of perfection. „Mary Immaculate allows us to collapse to cure us of ego, vainglory, to teach us humbleness and to make us more submissive to God’s grace. — But devil pushes us toward mistrust and discouragement. If only we knew the truth about our misery, by no means we would not be surprised by our mistakes, but we would rather wonder and thank God that we do not fall even deeper and more often. There is no sin we would not be exposed to, without grace from God, without a merciful hand of Immaculate”.

Maximilian knew that Our Lady is a freedom from sins and evil and he was delighted by Her harmony of connection with God. In his view She is the only way for confused humankind. That is why he demanded from his Knights a missionary attitude — which means brave enduring illnesses or tough experiences, apostolate of a press and a fulltime either secular or monastic life. Everything has its meaning when it comes to conquering the world for Immaculate and to the Blessed Heart of Jesus through Her. In the chaos of this world we have to find the truth. Saint Maximilian did and this is why he remained free even in Auschwitz camp. He prayed for his tormentors and absolved his fellow inmates to the very end. Some people considered him as a „strange man” because in the hours of trial he did not break down. Even during times of difficulty and discouragement on his missions he knew that Immaculate would not push him away, he often repeated that „She will give me strength”. When we give our will to Mary, it becomes a tool in Her hands, tool that our Saint wrote about very often. He allowed to be led by Her because he knew the only She can form a heart inside him, the same heart that She gave to Her Son…

Saint Maximilian’s life was heroic not only in the hour of his death, but also during sickness, when his closest co-workers abandoned him, when he was betrayed by his friends or when huge projects collapsed. He even had to leave his beloved missions so as to be obedient to the authorities of his order. In every of this difficult moments he asked only one question — „What do you want, Immaculate?”. And then he followed a path that She prepared for him with a free heart. He bequeathed his free heart to his Knights, moreover he proved with all his life that a loving heart is always free…

Fellow knight in Immaculate