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The patron saint of prisoners and addicts.
It is completely counter-intuitive for human beings to love their enemies, to welcome and embrace those who would harm them, and pray for their persecutors. When Nazi soldiers came to carry him off to die in a concentration camp, he welcomed them as though they were family or long-lost friends -- offering them tea and cookies! Later, as a prisoner in the death camp, Auschwitz, Fr. Kolbe achieved the ultimate in perfect charity by offering his own life in exchange for that of another prisoner who was condemned to death.
How was he able to do it? By cooperating with God’s grace. The Church calls Fr. Kolbe the patron saint of many things – of the chemically addicted, of the family and of journalists. He was a brilliant writer and philosopher, and a very holy priest. But he achieved sainthood because of heroic charity. Fr. Kolbe’s example of humility, self-denial and sacrifice is an inspiration to all who seek true holiness.
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