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There’s an old Swedish proverb, “Those who wish to sing always find a song.”

In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, those who wish to sing always find a song.

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Today is the Feast of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, priest and martyr.

Some of us remember his story. He was one of the millions of prisoners sent to Auschwitz, the most infamous death camp in history. 

One day while working in the camp, another prisoner tried to escape. Furious over the attempt, the camp guards selected ten other men to be put to death.

Before they were shot, one of the men pleaded for mercy, telling the guards he was a father and a husband.

Maximillian stepped forward and said, “I am a Catholic priest. Let me take his place.”

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He and the nine other men were thrown into a hole, condemned to a slow death by starvation.

Maximillian led those men in prayer for nearly two weeks. Personal accounts told how singing could be heard rising from the ground, making it sound like a church hidden inside Auschwitz.

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“Those who wish to sing always find a song.”

Maximilian lifted those men from the pit of despair showing us that, like St. Paul, “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”

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No matter where we find ourselves today – in good times or in bad, in sickness or in health – we have a reason to sing.

Jesus Christ has died for us and has been raised from the dead. 

Sing with all the Saints, “Amen. Alleluia!”

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As a priest, I’m humbled every time I hear confessions. 

The honesty, maturity, and self-awareness people bring often reminds me of my own weaknesses, and likewise, my desire to repent.

Regardless of what the person’s sins may be, the Lord always says, “I absolve you.”

You’re forgiven. 

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Hearing those sacred words should inspire us to say them to others.

“I absolve you. You’re forgiven.”

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In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about two men who are in need of forgiveness financially.

One of them has a debt reaching into the millions of dollars. Yet the king says to him, “I absolve you. Your debt is forgiven.”

Shouldn’t this man pay it forward and forgive those who are in debt to him?

Surprisingly, he doesn’t; he sweats the small stuff, strangling his neighbor over a few pennies owed.

Pettiness at its best.

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Like this man in the Gospel, some of the anger that fills our hearts can be over petty stuff.

We have a difference in opinion; someone interrupts us mid-sentence or cuts us off on the road; someone leaves their dishes in the sink overnight.

If the Lord forgives us every time we sin, then shouldn’t we extend that same kindness to others?

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“I absolve you. You’re forgiven.”

Words of mercy that we often need to hear and, in return, should extend to others.

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Wolves are incredible animals. 

Most often we see them in movies howling in the night. But if you studied them in nature, then you’d learn some interesting things.

For example, every wolf travels in a pack. 

Within the pack, there are old wolves that need to be cared for, pups that need learn, teenagers that push the boundaries, and two leaders – one male and one female – that instill order.

Life for a wolf is never a solo affair.

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We human beings are no different.

Our strength is often derived from the relationships we hold most dear: our families, our friends, our church, our colleagues, and, of course, our God.

COVID has reminded us just how much we need one another, and how we should never to take one another for granted.

Like wolves, life for human beings should never be a solo affair.

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But sometimes we get lost; separated; cut off from the pack.

Think of family members quarantined in nursing homes; single parents working from home while raising their children; a friend whom you haven’t heard from in a while.

Can you think of anyone who may be feeling disconnected from the group?

Call them. Send them a text. Invite them back into the pack. As Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name (even virtually), I am there in the midst of them.”

Like wolves, life for us should never be a solo affair.

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