Today we honor the life and martyrdom of St. Thomas More, a husband, father, lawyer, author, and statesman who lost his life opposing King Henry VIII’s plan to subordinate the Church to the English monarchy. Although Thomas never joined the clergy, he would eventually come to assume the position of Lord Chancellor in England. Nonetheless, St. Thomas More steadfastly refused to approve the king’s divorce and remarriage and the establishment of the Church of England.
Described as “a man for all seasons,” he was a literary scholar, eminent lawyer, and gentleman. An intensely spiritual man, he chose to obey his conscience and would not support the king’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn. Nor would he acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the Church.
St. John Fisher was an accomplished preacher and writer. His sermons on the penitential psalms were reprinted seven times before his death. With the coming of Lutheranism, he was drawn into controversy. His eight books against heresy gave him a leading position among European theologians. In 1521, in his capacity as Bishop, he was asked to study the question of King Henry VIII’s marriage. He incurred the king’s anger, as did St. Thomas More, by defending the validity of the marriage and later by rejecting the king’s claim to be the supreme head of the Church of England.
St. John and St. Thomas More were both imprisoned the Tower of London for over a year without trial. They were eventually condemned and executed.
Let us pray. “O God, who in martyrdom have brought the true faith to its highest expression, graciously grant that, strengthened through the intercession of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, we may confirm by the witness of our lives the faith we profess with our lips. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.”
For more on the life of St. Thomas More: https://www.nationalshrine.org/blog/st-thomas-more-integrity-in-public-life/
For more on the life of St. John Fisher: https://www.stjohnfisherchurch.com/who-was-saint-john-fisher-
