The Hunger Games: Hidden Catholicism & St. Maximilian Kolbe

Beauty in Plain Sight: *The Hunger Games* and St. Maximilian Kolbe If you could live for one thing, what would you live for? I’m going to tell you about someone who answered that question with his life. But first, I’m going to tell you about the most Catholic book ever written—other than the Bible. Did you expect *The Lord of the Rings*? It’s actually *The Hunger Games*, which hides its Catholicism in plain sight. Panem is the name of the world, and it comes from the Latin phrase *panem*, meaning “bread.” It also echoes the Our Father and the bread of the Eucharist. Peeta, the male lead, is a type of Peter, the first pope. He is the baker’s son, which evokes Eucharistic imagery. Early in the series, he suffers to bring Katniss bread so that she can have life. The symbol of the rebellion comes from Catholic iconography. It consists of three fingers pointing upward, symbolizing the Trinity, while two fingers are held down, symbolizing that Christ is fully God and fully man. The character Cinna is a repentant sinner who clothes Katniss in the garment of faith and then in the fire of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the story is about the triumph of the family—the battleground of our times—over the evil of the world. Why did Suzanne Collins, the author of *The Hunger Games*, hide Catholicism in plain sight? Because she realized that people may not openly accept our faith, but they still hunger for beauty and transcendence. Father Maximilian Kolbe found himself in his own version of the Hunger Games. He proclaimed Mary, the Immaculate Conception, and was eventually sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. There, the guards gave prisoners inadequate amounts of bread and watched them fight over it for sport. Father Kolbe would smile and give his bread away to others so that they could have life. He gave his life by taking the place of a father who was going to be executed, allowing that man to return home to his family. Why did he do it? Because he lived and died for Mary, the Immaculate Conception. He died to bring beauty into the world. How about you? What will you live for? Or, better yet, who will you live for?