Jesus Christ is the Christian exemplar of man because he is the perfect example of how to live a virtuous life. There have been many great people throughout history who have followed his example. We call many of these people saints because of how well they lived their lives of virtue, specifically the four Cardinal and three theological virtues. One saint who clearly lived out these virtues was St. Maximilian Kolbe. St. Kolbe was a Franciscan priest who lived during the early 1900s. As a man who lived out the seven virtues, he obviously lived out the mother-virtue of prudence. St. Maximilian Kolbe was an exemplar of prudence, the charioteer of the virtues. First off, one needs to know what prudence is to discuss how St. Kolbe lived out the
…show more content…
Kolbe made was when he was only twelve years old. He prayed to the Virgin Mary, asking her what he was supposed to do with his life. That night, she appeared to him, holding two crowns: one red and one white. She asked him if he was willing to accept either one of those crowns, “the white meaning he should preserve in purity and the red that he should become a maryter.” (CO) He accepted both of them. This was an extremely important life decision he made at the age of twelve! When accepting those crowns, he knew what God had in store for him. He used the first step of counsel to realize what each of the crowns entailed. He used the second step of judgement to weigh the options. He did this by using the principal “begin with the end in mind.” (SriAAD10) He thought of what his entire life would transpire with the white crown and living a life of purity. Likewise, he thought of how his life would end with the red crown and dying a martyr’s death. Finally, he took the third step of decisiveness by saying yes to Mary like how she said yes to God. St. Kolbe “determined and directed his conduct in accordance with this judgement” of conscience, provided by prudence. (CCC1806) Mary posed St. Kolbe with an extremely difficult question. She asked him to make his ultimate life decision before he really knew what he was going to do with his life. However, St. Maximilian Kolbe lived out the virtue of prudence to make the right
Kolbe made was when he was only twelve years old. He prayed to the Virgin Mary, asking her what he was supposed to do with his life. That night, she appeared to him, holding two crowns: one red and one white. She asked him if he was willing to accept either one of those crowns, “the white meaning he should preserve in purity and the red that he should become a maryter.” (CO) He accepted both of them. This was an extremely important life decision he made at the age of twelve! When accepting those crowns, he knew what God had in store for him. He used the first step of counsel to realize what each of the crowns entailed. He used the second step of judgement to weigh the options. He did this by using the principal “begin with the end in mind.” (SriAAD10) He thought of what his entire life would transpire with the white crown and living a life of purity. Likewise, he thought of how his life would end with the red crown and dying a martyr’s death. Finally, he took the third step of decisiveness by saying yes to Mary like how she said yes to God. St. Kolbe “determined and directed his conduct in accordance with this judgement” of conscience, provided by prudence. (CCC1806) Mary posed St. Kolbe with an extremely difficult question. She asked him to make his ultimate life decision before he really knew what he was going to do with his life. However, St. Maximilian Kolbe lived out the virtue of prudence to make the right