The Ultimate Sacrifice

Some people say that the ultimate sacrifice is dying for a person. Others counter that it's "easy" to die for someone, but hard to live for them.
My view point on it is this: live so that you would be willing and ready to die for your fellow man.
We read the story of Maximilian Kolbe this morning. He is an amazing example of living and dying with the pure love of Christ in his heart.

Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894, became a Franciscan monk as a teenager, and was later ordained as a priest who served a small parish community. But when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, tragic events of human suffering where set into motion in which Kolbe's destiny would be sealed.
... In his labors to protect many Jewish refugees, Kolbe found himself a Nazi target, was arrested, and sent off to Auschwitz in 1941. There, in the midst of the death camp's unimaginable daily horrors, he worked to encourage his fellow prisoners by setting an example of faith and hope.
One day a prisoner escaped, and, in order to bring an end to any future plans of the same, the guards decided to punish 10 inmates of cellblock 14 by condemning them to death by starvation in an underground bunker. One of the ten ... began to weep and cried out, "My poor wife and children! I will never see them again!" At that moment, Father Kolbe calmly and purposefully stepped forward.
"I wish to die for that man." Such an unusual offer surprised the deputy commandant, who asked Kolbe to identify himself. His response was simple and direct: "I am a Catholic priest." Those words said far more about the saint than any name possibly could. The commandant agreed to grant the request.
Thrown into the dank, crowded underground bunker with the other men, Maximilian Kolbe continued to set an example of faith and hope, leading them in prayers of praise and adoration to God, singing hymns, and encouraging them to focus on the certain and irrevocable promises of Christ. ...Weeks later it became necessary to kill him by lethal injection.

 As Easter gets closer, I start to think about Christ and His sacrifice for us. When I searched "easter" on Google, the pictures that came up were of bunnies, eggs, and flowers. But Easter is about much more than any of those things.
Easter is our time to recognize the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made. His Atonement allows us to follow in His footsteps. We are able to correct our course through His grace.
Because of the example of love He showed us, we can also reach out to others with love.

I know that as we pray for His love and for His Atonement, He will answer our prayers and bring us peace.