Thomas Griffin 8/14/24
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No one is too small or insignificant to radically change the course of history. Prisoner #16670 at Auschwitz concentration camp proves this to be true.
In the summer of 1941, Fr. Maximilian Kolbe gave his life in imitation of Jesus Christ.
He was in Auschwitz, one of the most deadly concentration camps during World War II. Over the span of only 3 years there were over 1 million prisoners who were killed or died of starvation there. Images from the camp and photographs of the human souls at Auschwitz have become infamous over the years. The story and sacrifice of St. Maximilian Kolbe has also become famous.
Towards the end of July three prisoners escaped from Auschwitz. As a result, the Nazi guards in charge of the camp followed the rule for such circumstances. They randomly selected 10 prisoners who would be placed in the starvation bunker until they died. This was meant to punish anyone who might’ve helped them escape as well as deter other people from considering the possibility of running away from camp.
As the guards randomly selected prisoners for the starvation bunker, Franciszek Gajowniczek cried out, “My wife, my children!” He began pleading for his life for the sake of his family.
Quickly, Fr. Kolbe said, “I am a Catholic priest from Poland; I would like to take his place because he has a wife and children.”
The guards were puzzled at first, but they ultimately didn’t care who was going to die. He allowed Kolbe to take the place of the man who was crying.
He was taken along with the other prisoners to an underground bunker. The prisoners were given no food or water. The Polish priest was known to lead the other men in prayer as well as songs to the Blessed Mother.
A Polish man who was given the duty of serving the bunker said that Kolbe was often seen kneeling in prayer or standing in the middle of the cell, smiling at the SS guards as they entered.
After two weeks, Fr. Kolbe and the remaining prisoners who were still alive were given lethal injections and killed.
Gajowniczek later explained how he felt in the moment when the priest saved his life. He said: “I could only thank him with my eyes. I was stunned and could hardly grasp what was going on. The immensity of it: I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me – a stranger. Is this some dream?
I was put back into my place without having had time to say anything to Maximilian Kolbe. I was saved. And I owe to him the fact that I could tell you all this. The news quickly spread all round the camp. It was the first and the last time that such an incident happened in the whole history of Auschwitz.”
Gajowniczek would survive the camp and he was present at the canonization of St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1982. He was there along with his children and grandchildren.
This priest from Poland was one man among millions who was treated in unspeakable ways by the evil powers of the world. Auschwitz even tried to remove your identity by giving you a number. They wanted to take everything away from the prisoners, including their name. However, in that concentration camp Fr. Kolbe never forgot who he was or Whose he was.
As a priest, he celebrated the Sacrifice of the Mass and stood in the place of Jesus Christ. This was the meaning and purpose of his life as a priest and disciple. This is what defined the way that he lived, and it also became what defined him in his death.
Even though he was only one man, he changed and saved the life of another man and all of his descendants. He stood in the place of the one who should’ve died and then gave him life, freedom, and hope. This is what the cross of Calvary does for you and for me.
Our reaction when we go to pray, or our present at mass should be the same as Gajowniczek when he looked at Fr Kolbe save his life. We should be amazed and speechless at the reckless love of our God.
Receiving that love and rejoicing in that sacrifice should also make us like this Polish priest in the face of our own trials and challenges. Thankfully, none of us live inside the heart of a concentration camp. However, for many reasons, life can often feel miserable, hopeless, and dark. So many normal people face unspeakable odds each day.
Whether we are worried about the health of a loved one, brought down by our own sin, or brought to despair because we think there are circumstances in our lives that seem unchangeable – Fr. Kolbe invites us to remain steadfast in prayer and in joy.
No matter our situation, these are two realities that remain completely in our control. Do we have an attitude of lifting our minds and soul to God throughout the day? Or do we choose to wallow in our challenges? Can we choose to be grateful for all that we have even in the face of tribulations? Can we make the commitment to be like St. Kolbe.
You are just one person. You are not just one among many. You are not just a number. You were worth the life of our God. For this reason, we can hope. For this reason, prayer should be our instinct. For this reason, we can rejoice even when it appears like evil is winning.
Remember that your identity is found in the cross of Christ. Remember that there was one man, who is God, who said, “ I am taking your place.” So, rejoice and be glad, because the victory is always his.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and two sons. He has a masters degree in theology and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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