Opening Prayer
Lord, I address You as the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of my existence and my ultimate happiness. I petition for a renewed commitment to my Vocation of Love, realizing that my life only finds its strategic purpose when it is given away in service to You. Help me to see that the glory of dying for my faith can be practiced daily through the death of my own ego in the theater of daily life.
I commit my soul to the science of salvation, seeking to advance in perfection through the imitation of the saints. Let my heart be stretched by a holy desire to be filled with Your Spirit, making me a champion of Your truth in a world that often ignores You. May I live this day with an awareness of my final destination, prepared for the glory that awaits those who have mastered the science of sacrifice.
Amen.
John 15:12-17
12This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. 13Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you. 15I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. 16You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17These things I command you, that you love one another.
St. Maximilian Kolbe
St. Maximilian Kolbe demonstrate the vocation of love by taking the place of a stranger in the hunger bunker. Kolbe compares “natural inclinations” from “fiery charity”. His narrative is the perfect model of the “King of kings” who gives His life for His friends. He lived the spirit of martyrdom to save souls through prayer and sacrifice. In conclusion, St. Kolbe reiterates that love is a decision, not a feeling. Kolbe didn’t “feel” like starving to death, but he “chose” the ultimate good.
The “vocation of love” is the primary mission of every Christian and the ultimate end of all devotional practice. This “total gift of self” is the only foundation that can satisfy the heart’s deepest longings and lead to true perfection. Whether in hidden service or public witness, the love of Christ must be the singular motive for every action.
“The vocation of love is the highest calling. We must see sin for what it truly is—a kind of madness—and choose instead the love that gives all for Christ.”
— St. Maximilian Kolbe
Mary and the Magisterium
True love is a vocation that may lead to dying for the faith, the ultimate act of worship. Kolbe’s sacrifice is the perfect imitation of Mary’s life, which was a continuous, self-giving offering.
- Am I "indifferent" to my neighbor, or do I see him as "Bone of Christ’s bone"?
- Is my love "all leaves and no fruit," or is it ready to "fall and die"?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, let me love as You have loved.
Amen.
