St. Thomas Becket – December 29th
Thomas was born in London and after his parents died, he went to work in an office. As a young man, he loved hunting and other sports, and nearly lost his life in a roaring mill stream. When Thomas was about twenty-four, he found a position in the household of the Archbishop of Canterbury and began to study to become a priest. He was handsome, very intelligent and so pleasant to talk with that before long, he had become a great favorite of the King himself. People said that the King and Thomas had only one heart and one mind-such close friends were they. When Thomas was thirty-six, King Henry made him his Chancellor.
As Chancellor of England, Thomas had a great household and lived in splendor. Yet he was also very good to the poor, and although he was proud and quick-tempered, he made many mortifications and prayed even during the night. When the Archbishop of Canterbury died, the King wanted the Pope to give Thomas this position, after he had been ordained a priest. But Thomas told him plainly that he did not want to be Archbishop of Canterbury because he knew that at times the King would want him to give him what belongs to the Church. And Thomas realized that since he would have to defend the Church, there would be trouble. “Your affection for me would turn into trouble. “Your affection for me would turn into hatred,” he warned King Henry. The King paid no attention, and Thomas as was made Archbishop.
At first, things went along as well as ever, but all too soon, the King began to demand money which Thomas felt he could not rightly take from the Church. The King grew more and more angry with his former friend, and finally he began to treat him harshly. For a while, Thomas was tempted to give in a bit, but when he realized just how Henry hoped to control the Church, Thomas was very sorry that he had even thought of giving in to the King. He did penance for his weakness, and ever after held firm.
One day, the King, in a fit of anger, said, “Will no one rid me of this pesky archbishop?” Some of his knights took him seriously and went off to murder the Archbishop. They attacked him in his own Cathedral, and he died, saying, “For the name of Jesus and in defense of the Church, I am willing to die!”
All the people of Christendom were horrified at such a crime, and at once King Henry did penance for forty days and then again in public, and once more, after Thomas a Becket was canonized.
Who are my friends? I can recognize the good from the bad by what they say and what they do.
