 |
| A reading from a letter of St. Thomas More [1478-1535], written in prison, to his daughterhttp://achristianpilgrim.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/with-good-hope-i-shall-commit-myself-wholly-to-god/ |
Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, Martyrs
http://www.universalis.com/index.htm
Saint of the day: 22nd June
Saint John Fisher and Saint Thomas More
Both saints held high office in England but submitted to martyrdom rather than accept Henry VIII's claim to be head of the Church.
St John Fisher was a learned teacher and chancellor at Cambridge university and a friend of the humanist Erasmus. He became Bishop of Rochester in 1504 at the age of 35. When asked to accept the King as head of the Church he said he could not.
"I do not condemn any other men's consciences," he said. "Their consciences must save them and mine must save me."
He was tried and executed for treason on June 17 1535. He was 66.
St Thomas More was the Lord Chancellor. A younger man than St John Fisher, he had a large family and household to support and said he did not wish to die.
"I am not so holy that I dare rush upon death," he said.
But he could not accept the King as supreme head of the Church or condone his divorce. Rather than make a public pronouncement he resigned from his post and hoped to retire quietly. But the King would not accept his silence. St Thomas was arrested, imprisoned at the Tower of London for 15 months and then declared guilty of treason and condemned to death.
He was executed nine days after St John Fisher. He was 57. From the scaffold he said: "I die the King's good servant, but God's first."
Both saints held high office in England but submitted to martyrdom rather than accept Henry VIII's claim to be head of the Church.
St John Fisher was a learned teacher and chancellor at Cambridge university and a friend of the humanist Erasmus. He became Bishop of Rochester in 1504 at the age of 35. When asked to accept the King as head of the Church he said he could not.
"I do not condemn any other men's consciences," he said. "Their consciences must save them and mine must save me."
He was tried and executed for treason on June 17 1535. He was 66.
St Thomas More was the Lord Chancellor. A younger man than St John Fisher, he had a large family and household to support and said he did not wish to die.
"I am not so holy that I dare rush upon death," he said.
But he could not accept the King as supreme head of the Church or condone his divorce. Rather than make a public pronouncement he resigned from his post and hoped to retire quietly. But the King would not accept his silence. St Thomas was arrested, imprisoned at the Tower of London for 15 months and then declared guilty of treason and condemned to death.
He was executed nine days after St John Fisher. He was 57. From the scaffold he said: "I die the King's good servant, but God's first."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Second Reading | From a letter written in prison to his daughter, Margaret, by Saint Thomas More |
|---|
| With good hope I shall commit myself wholly to God |
|---|
Although I know well, Margaret, that because of my past wickedness I deserve to be abandoned by God, I cannot but trust in his merciful goodness. His grace has strengthened me until now and made me content to lose goods, land, and life as well, rather than to swear against my conscience. God’s grace has given the king a gracious frame of mind toward me, so that as yet he has taken from me nothing but my liberty. In doing this His Majesty has done me such great good with respect to spiritual profit that I trust that among all the great benefits he has heaped so abundantly upon me I count my imprisonment the very greatest. I cannot, therefore, mistrust the grace of God. Either he shall keep the king in that gracious frame of mind to continue to do me no harm, or else, if it be his pleasure that for my other sins I suffer in this case as I shall not deserve, then his grace shall give me the strength to bear it patiently, and perhaps even gladly.
By the merits of his bitter passion joined to mine and far surpassing in merit for me all that I can suffer myself, his bounteous goodness shall release me from the pains of purgatory and shall increase my reward in heaven besides.
I will not mistrust him, Meg, though I shall feel myself weakening and on the verge of being overcome with fear. I shall remember how Saint Peter at a blast of wind began to sink because of his lack of faith, and I shall do as he did: call upon Christ and pray to him for help. And then I trust he shall place his holy hand on me and in the stormy seas hold me up from drowning.
And if he permits me to play Saint Peter further and to fall to the ground and to swear and forswear, may God our Lord in his tender mercy keep me from this, and let me lose if it so happen, and never win thereby! Still, if this should happen, afterward I trust that in his goodness he will look on me with pity as he did upon Saint Peter, and make me stand up again and confess the truth of my conscience afresh and endure here the shame and harm of my own fault.
And finally, Margaret, I know this well: that without my fault he will not let me be lost. I shall, therefore, with good hope commit myself wholly to him. And if he permits me to perish for my faults, then I shall serve as praise for his justice. But in good faith, Meg, I trust that his tender pity shall keep my poor soul safe and make me commend his mercy.
And, therefore, my own good daughter, do not let your mind be troubled over anything that shall happen to me in this world. Nothing can come but what God wills. And I am very sure that whatever that be, however bad it may seem, it shall indeed be the best.
| Responsory |
|---|
In the midst of their sufferings, these martyrs of Christ fixed their minds on heavenly things, praying: Lord, help us to bring your work in us to a perfect end, that we may appear blameless in your sight.
Look upon your servants and upon your own handiwork. Lord, help us to bring your work in us to a perfect end, that we may appear blameless in your sight.
Let us pray.
Almighty, ever-living God,
you set the perfection of true faith in martyrdom.
Strengthen us by the prayers of the martyrs Saint John Fisher and Saint Thomas More,
so that our lives may bear witness to the faith we profess.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment