Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2“Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations. 3And you shall say: Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your root and your lineage is from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Cethite. 4And when you were born, on the day of your nativity, your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were not washed with water for health, nor salted with salt, nor wrapped with cloths. 5No eye took pity on you, so as to do even one of these things to you, out of compassion for you. Instead, you were cast upon the face of the earth, in the abjection of your soul, on the day when you were born. 6But, passing by you, I saw that you were wallowing in your own blood. And I said to you, when you were in your blood: ‘Live.’ I tell you that I said to you, in your blood: ‘Live.’ 7I multiplied you like the seedling of the field. And you were multiplied and became great, and you advanced and arrived at the ornament of a woman. Your breasts rose up, and your hair grew. And you were naked and full of shame. 8And I passed by you and saw you. And behold, your time was the time of lovers. And I spread my garment over you, and I covered your disgrace. And I swore to you, and I entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine. 9And I washed you with water, and I cleansed you of your blood. And I anointed you with oil. 10And I covered you with embroidery, and I put violet shoes upon you, and I wrapped you in fine linen, and I clothed you with delicate garments. 11I adorned you with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon your hands and a necklace around your neck. 12And I put gold upon your face, and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head. 13And you were adorned with gold and silver, and you were clothed in fine linen, woven with many colors. You ate fine flour, and honey, and oil. And you became very beautiful. And you advanced to royal power. 14And your renown went forth among the Gentiles, because of your beauty. For you were perfected by my beauty, which I had placed upon you, says the Lord God. 15But, having confidence in your own beauty, you fornicated in your fame. And you presented your fornication to every passer-by, so as to become his.

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60And I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth. And I will raise up for you an everlasting covenant.

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63So may you remember and be confounded. And it will no longer be for you to open your mouth, because of your shame, when I will have been pacified toward you over all that you have done, says the Lord God.”

2Behold, God is my savior, I will act faithfully, and I will not be afraid. For the Lord is my strength and my praise, and he has become my salvation.”

3You will draw water with gladness from the fountains of the Savior.

4And you will say in that day: “Confess the Lord, and invoke his name! Make his plans known among the peoples! Remember that his name is exalted!

5Sing to the Lord, for he has acted magnificently! Announce it to the whole world!

6Exult and give praise, O habitation of Zion! For the Great One, the Holy One of Israel, is in your midst!”

3And the Pharisees approached him, testing him, and saying, “Is it lawful for a man to separate from his wife, no matter what the cause?” 4And he said to them in response, “Have you not read that he who made man from the beginning, made them male and female?” And he said: 5“For this reason, a man shall separate from father and mother, and he shall cling to his wife, and these two shall become one flesh. 6And so, now they are not two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate.” 7They said to him, “Then why did Moses command him to give a bill of divorce, and to separate?” 8He said to them: “Although Moses permitted you to separate from your wives, due to the hardness of your heart, it was not that way from the beginning. 9And I say to you, that whoever will have separated from his wife, except because of fornication, and who will have married another, commits adultery, and whoever will have married her who has been separated, commits adultery.” 10His disciples said to him, “If such is the case for a man with a wife, then it is not expedient to marry.” 11And he said to them: “Not everyone is able to grasp this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12For there are chaste persons who were born so from their mother’s womb, and there are chaste persons who have been made so by men, and there are chaste persons who have made themselves chaste for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever is able to grasp this, let him grasp it.”