{"id":142769,"date":"2026-03-12T05:00:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T09:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/?p=142769"},"modified":"2025-11-24T15:38:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T20:38:51","slug":"st-maximilian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/st-maximilian\/","title":{"rendered":"St Maximilian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Max,<\/span> If you are afraid to take a stand for Christian morals now, while still in the insulated comfort of college, I blanche to think how you will fare in the exposed battlefields of Washington, New York, or Los Angeles. \u00a0Now you only have your reputation and popularity to lose, when you\u2019re in the working world, your livelihood will also be on the line. If you keep folding now, you may end up betraying the Lord completely then. I don\u2019t mean that you have to set up a soapbox in the student union (though that\u2019s not a bad idea, come to think of it \u2013 kind of like a primitive \u201copen mic\u201d night). \u00a0But if you, who have received so much more grounding in the faith than your peers, who understand what is really at stake in these issues, if you don\u2019t engage those moral vultures (maybe through articles in the student newspapers, maybe through round table discussions or debates, maybe in more creative ways), who will? Think about all the incoming students who sense that these behaviors are wrong, but have nothing solid to grab on to as they are slowly swept into decadence (either in their ideals, or their behavior, or both). \u00a0They need someone to take some leadership. If not you (and any of your friends that you can rally to join you), then who? Maybe you need to reflect a little bit on the example of the Christians who have gone before you, like today\u2019s saint.<\/span> Maximilian was 21 \u2013 the same age as you \u2013 and he lived in Algeria (called Numidia in his day). \u00a0The governor had issued a general draft order, so Maximilian and his dad were called before the court to be measured for military service. \u00a0The young man was a Christian, however, and knew that service in the Roman army of those days would require him to pay allegiance to gods other than Christ. \u00a0Therefore, when they asked his name, he replied, \u201cWhat is the good of replying? I cannot enlist, for I am a Christian.\u201d They proceeded to measure him, however, and he continued, \u201cI cannot serve, I cannot do evil. \u00a0I am a Christian.\u201d They ignored him. They presented him with his military badge, but he refused it, saying, \u201cNever! \u2026 My army is the army of God, and I cannot fight for this world. I tell you, I am a Christian.\u201d (Of course, if Roman soldiers had not been required to practice idolatry, the situation would have been a different \u2013 legitimate defense of one\u2019s country is not a sin, but a duty and a virtue.) \u00a0The official in charge of the proceedings gave a simple retort: \u201cYou must serve or die.\u201d Maximilian staid firm, \u201cI will never serve. You can cut off my head, but I will not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ.\u201d The official argued, \u201cThere are Christian soldiers serving our rulers Diocletian and Maximian, Constantius and Galerius,\u201d but the young saint would not be deterred. He answered, \u201cThat is their business. \u00a0I also am a Christian, and I cannot serve.\u201d The interview continued, and the young man showed noble courage and robust faith, parrying every thrust of the shrewd proconsul. Finally, he was led away to be beheaded for refusing the military oath.<\/span> The faith you have received, and the Church through which you have received it, have come to you through an unbroken chain of such heroic fidelity, starting with Christ himself, faithful to the Father\u2019s will even unto death on a cross. \u00a0Now you have a chance to join that worthy company, to extend the chain by one more link. Count on my prayers.<\/span> Your most loving uncle, Eddy<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Max, If you are afraid to take a stand for Christian morals now, while still in the insulated comfort of college, I blanche to think how you will fare […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":145992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3719],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-142769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncle-eddy"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSt Maximilian - Regnum Christi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/st-maximilian\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"St Maximilian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dear Max, If you are afraid to take a stand for Christian morals now, while still in the insulated comfort of college, I blanche to think how you will fare […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/st-maximilian\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Regnum Christi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RegnumChristiEn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T09:00:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Uncle-Eddy-Header.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fr. 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