Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr
Matthew 18:21-19:1
Forgiveness – The Key that Opens Heaven

In today’s Gospel, Peter asks Jesus, “How many times must I forgive? Seven times?” Jesus replies, “Not seven, but seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22)—a Hebrew way of saying: always. Forgiveness is not a rule to follow occasionally; it is the very heartbeat of Christian life.

But how do we forgive from the heart when the hurt runs deep? Jesus knows the difficulty of this call. That’s why He gives us the parable of the unforgiving servant—to show that forgiveness is not optional. If we want to receive mercy, we must offer it too.

This truth was lived heroically by Saint Maximilian Kolbe, whose feast we celebrate on August 14. A Franciscan friar and missionary, Kolbe was arrested by the Nazis and imprisoned in Auschwitz. When a fellow prisoner was sentenced to death, Kolbe volunteered to take his place—a total stranger. He did so not out of anger or revenge, but out of love. In that hellish place of hatred, he chose the Gospel of forgiveness and sacrifice.

Even in the starvation bunker, Kolbe prayed and led the condemned in hymns until the very end. He bore no hatred for his captors. His actions remind us that forgiveness is not weakness—it is the strongest form of love. Kolbe forgave with his life.

Jesus tells us: before you approach the altar, reconcile with your brother. The Eucharist is not compatible with resentment. Forgiveness is the door to communion—with God and one another.

So before we seek forgiveness in confession, we must ask: Do I forgive? The answer shapes our eternity.

May Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who mirrored Christ’s mercy to the point of death, intercede for us. And may Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us choose forgiveness over hatred, love over revenge—every single time.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025