Remembering St Maximilian Kolbe; the importance of doing God's will

Today (as I was embarassingly reminded by Twitter), we remember St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Fransiscan friar who gave his life in exchange for that of a fellow prisoner at the death camp Auschwitz during the Second World War. Over the summer, I went (along with my college choir) to Auschwitz and saw for myself the cell he was detained in and the shrine which had been subsequently placed there. The story of Br. Kolbe was among the most moving of the many important stories which I heard that day, and I have since meditated on its importance and the sheer strength of mind needed to achieve such an action. I have thought long and hard about ways in which I might make similar sacrifices in my own life, and how I would ever find the personal strength to behave with such generosity.

Today on Twitter I read the following: "St. Max Kolbe was able to say yes in such a way because he practiced saying yes to God every day of his life."

Suddenly, the underlying source of Kolbe's strength became clear to me. By placing all of the responsibility and power in my own hands, I had unwittingly fallen into a trap which I wished to avoid; the illusion that I am on life's path alone (even if this illusion can sometimes appear all too convincing!). I had not entrusted myself to God, spent time discovering his will and endeavouring to live in accordance with that will. Because I'm going through a time of what feels like great personal change, I hope to take this forward into my own life; instead of worrying endlessly about what I can do to ameliorate suffering or to prevent myself from causing suffering to others, I ought to remember that I am held in a loving hand which would feed me if I asked.