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December 29
St. Thomas Becket
(1118-1170)
A strong man who wavered for a moment,
but then learned one cannot come to terms with evil and so became a strong
churchman, a martyr and a saint—that was Thomas Becket, archbishop of
Canterbury, murdered in his cathedral on December 29,
1170.
His career had been a stormy one. While
archdeacon of Canterbury, he was made chancellor of England at the age of 36 by
his friend King Henry II. When Henry
felt it advantageous to make his chancellor the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas
gave him fair warning: he might not accept all of Henry’s intrusions into
Church affairs. Nevertheless, he was made archbishop (1162), resigned his chancellorship and
reformed his whole way of life!
Troubles began. Henry insisted upon
usurping Church rights. At one time, supposing some conciliatory action
possible, Thomas came close to compromise. He momentarily approved the
Constitutions of Clarendon, which would have denied the clergy the right of
trial by a Church court and prevented them from making direct appeal to Rome.
But Thomas rejected the Constitutions, fled to France for safety and remained
in exile for seven years. When he returned to England, he suspected it would
mean certain death. Because Thomas refused to remit censures he had placed upon
bishops favored by the king, Henry cried out in a
rage, “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest!” Four knights, taking his
words as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral.
Thomas Becket remains a hero-saint down
to our own times.
Comment:
No one becomes a saint without struggle, especially
with himself. Thomas knew he must stand firm in defense
of truth and right, even at the cost of his life. We also must take a stand in
the face of pressures—against dishonesty, deceit, destruction of life—at the
cost of popularity, convenience, promotion and even greater goods.
Quote:
In T.S. Eliot's powerful drama, Murder in the Cathedral, Becket faces a final temptation to
seek martyrdom for earthly glory and revenge. With real insight into his life
situation, Thomas responds: "The last temptation is the greatest treason:
To do the right deed for the wrong reason."
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