St Maximilian Kolbe

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Mt 18:20

Jesus' promise to be with us when two or three gather in his name is powerful, but not magic. Assuring us we are not alone no matter how we feel, Jesus asks us to trust him completely. His desire to be a part of our lives and to animate us to live in his presence never fails, but does not assure us of a worry free life.

St Francis made it clear in his Testament that once the Lord gave him brothers he knew that his vocation was from God and he no longer had to listen to those who doubted his vocation. God would guide him as long as he threw himself upon the Lord, lived a deep fraternal life and trusted God for direction. Francis believed this and acted upon it, but it was not always easy. His biographers tell us that once God assured him he need not worry, Francis literally came of the pit where he was hiding from his father, and almost immediately experienced new hardships.

Soon after his fear was lifted, Francis went to the piazza of Assisi to announce the Good News only to have people laugh at and throw stones at him. Not long after this harsh welcome, he was walking alone at night when robbers attacked him and threw him into the snow. Clearly, the promise of Jesus to be with him whenever he gathered with others in Jesus name would not be effortless. Though the Lord lived in him and among his friars, preaching the Gospel of simplicity and poverty was threatening to many.

Maximilian Kolbe, a son of St Francis, also knew the power of Christ's presence and trusted it, but his commitment to live the Gospel relying on the Lord for everything led him to death in the Nazi concentration camps. Because he hid Jews by the hundreds at his friary, the Nazis vilified, threatened and tried to intimidate him. Eventually, he was imprisoned at Auschwitz, and when a married man was condemned to death, Maximilian volunteered to take his place and was martyred.

Today, be grateful for the people with whom you share faith.

When is it most difficult for your to gather with other believers?