Giving one's life for another

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who, in the concentration camp, gave his life for the sake of a man who was destined for death. This man had a family and Maximilian, a Franciscan friar, ask the "executioners" that he be allowed to replace this family man. The same heroic decision and unselfish giving of self for the sake of another occurred in Aurora, Colorado, when several young men shielded their girlfriends from gunfire and in Oak Creek, WI when the pastor shielded his parishioners. Every day, men and women, from all walks of life, all sexual orientations, all cultures, courageously follow the Spirit's direction to spare others from harm, to protect a child from abuse, even from being neglected and ignored; to save others from natural disasters and from violence in our streets and homes.

You and I may choose a direction that is heroic and about which only we know. In other words, our choices do not attract national attention but we know we have been courageous in what we have done or not done out of concern for another person. May God continue to give us that kind of courage on a daily basis as we live our lives according to the Gospels.