… from every shires end Of England, down to Canterbury they wend, To seek the holy blissful martyr, quick To give his help to them when they were sick. - Chaucer For those unfamiliar with his monumental work, The Canterbury Tales, I will surmise. A large number of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury Cathedral stop at a tavern for the evening. The narrator sets about describing each character and explores the particular motives for their journey. While these travelers differ in social rank, they share one thing in common, they have all come to visit the shrine of a holy saint. This article is not about The Canterbury Tales. Instead, I want to talk about the “blissful martyr” mentioned in its prologue. The saint whom the people of every rank from monk to miller sought throughout the whole of England for a miracle. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (1162-1170). Better known as St. Thomas of Canterbury. In Church History: A Complete History of the Catholic Church to the Present Day, Fr. John Laux PhD refers to this saint as the man who “delayed the Reformation in England by more than three hundred year,” In fact, it was not until the reign of the contemptible King Henry VIII that the saints memory began to be assaulted and his name intentionally blotted out. Prayer books and Psalters from the sixteenth century attest to this act of vandalism. Many manuscripts housed by the national library of the United Kingdom show where his name had been scratched from the divine office. The iconoclasts and thieves of the English deformation were not content with simply erasing history. Their rancor led them to despoil the saints tomb and burn his bones. We can take solace in a slice of irony. A relic of St. Thomas belonging to the Basilica of Esztergom in Hungary was placed on display in the crypt at Canterbury Cathedral in 2016. Mass was offered by the local Catholic parish therein. Even though this historic church is now occupied by a heretical religious sect, the glory of St. Thomas refuses to be extinguished. The Anglican Church continues to commemoration the feast day of this very Catholic saint; who stood against his own King Henry for the liberty of the Church in the twelfth century. In 1154 after the death of Stephen of Blois, Henry II was crowned King of England. While a capable ruler, his legacy has been overshadowed by other monarchs of his own lineage. The likes of ancestor William the Conqueror and son Richard the Lionheart. The sole man whom the young Henry held in his fullest confidence was Thomas Becket, and he demonstrated this trust and favor by making him chancellor. In this position, Thomas met with dignitaries and indulged in the finery of the court. He attended Henry on his wars in France and as Fr. Laux records, “his chivalric exploits in Normandy at the head of a large body of knights were more befitting the career of a military adventurer than that of a churchman.” This brings us to one of the primary critiques of our saint by the anti-Catholic revisionist historian. The argument goes, “Your so called holy saint led a life of luxury and took part in campaigns of genocide. How can a man of God condone such violence?” St. Thomas was indeed a sinner and partook in the diplomatic struggles of his day, which included accompanying his King in battle. But Saul of Tarsus persecuted the early Church before he was knocked from his horse and became Paul. In his Epistle to the Ephesians, he teaches us to “put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.” When St. Thomas received Holy Orders, he discarded his soiled worldly garment and put on the new man. As Jacobus de Voragine records in The Golden Legend, “The new dignity immediately made him a different and perfect man.” He took up his Archbishopric in all sincerity and began to apply himself to the corporal works of mercy. Before succumbing to decay, a hair shirt worn by St. Thomas was recorded among the relics housed in Canterbury Cathedral. A testament to his change from chancellor to churchman. He would wear the shirt under his alb in order to conceal the penance from his brothers. Unaware of the extra bulk it produced, some of the monks would quip that the Archbishop had yet to master his appetite. This was not the only act of charity for which the Archbishop was unjustly mocked. Intentionally rising each day in the early hours before Lauds, he would wash the feet of thirteen poor. He provided them with a meal and dispensed four silver pennies to each. Despite performing these deeds before dawn to detract attention, word spread of his righteousness among the people. Those critical of him claimed that he was no better than the hypocrites in the synagogue who sought the honor of men. Another typical assault against St. Thomas is the claim that he was an obstinate man who sought to aggrandize his own wealth and power. As we will see, this claim is completely dubious considering the chain of events following his opposition to the King of England. Including the seizure of property belonging to his family and associates, half a decade in exile, and a violent death. A prudent man seeking wealth and power does not bite the hand that feeds him. The Church's liberty at stake, Thomas made an enemy of his close friend and benefactor Henry II. Desiring to codify the alleged customs observed by the predecessors of his realm, Henry moved to draft a document infringing on the authority of the Church in England. The result was the Constitutions of Clarendon. A series of sixteen articles which Pope Alexander III would go on to condemn. Some of the more offensive articles which the Church rejected include:
rescinded his oath. This incensed Henry, who then began to apply pressure against his former confidant and those who would not submit to his demands. Lamenting his complicity in the affair, Thomas ceased saying mass and traveled to see the pope for absolution. When he reached Pope Alexander III, then residing in France, the Archbishop proclaimed his unworthiness and offered his resignation. His termination rejected by the Supreme Pontiff, he was told to bear his suffering with patience. Our saint would spent the next several years in exile. For a time he studied and performed acts of penance at Pontigny Abbey. Meanwhile, Henry II sent appeals to Rome to prevent his kingdom from falling under interdict. His nobles did their best to slander the name of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but for all their sophistry, they were unsuccessful. The pope soon made Thomas his legate over England. John Morris presents the following letter in his, Life and Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Addressed from Thomas to Henry II, it clearly demonstrates the new found vigor he felt after being vindicated by Alexander III. "My lord, the daughter of sion is held captive in your kingdom. The Spouse of the Great King is oppressed by her enemies, afflicted by those who ought most to honor her, and especially by you; release her, reinstate her, and take away the reproach from your generation.” Tedious attempts at reconciliation between Thomas and the King were made in neutral locations. Eventually a compromise was reached, and the Archbishop was ensured a safe return to his See in Canterbury. After six years of exile, St. Thomas triumphantly returned to the adulation of his flock. This joy would be short lived. On the evening of December 29 1170, as he prepared for Vespers, report came of the approach of four soldiers. Thomas knew it was his final hour. In the very church he was consecrated bishop, he would suffer a martyrs death. And as the legend goes, on the very spot of his head where he was anointed with chrism, he received his death-wound. The knights guilty of spilling the martyrs blood were roused by the loose words of their king. Who while disparaging his nobles remarked, “Who will rid me of this traitorous priest?” Taking his rantings as a command, the four crossed the English Channel and stormed Canterbury Cathedral. The monks panicked and hurried to barricade the church's entrance. But the saint was ready to meet his accusers. He yelled, “Let the blind wretches rage: I order you, in virtue of obedience, not to shut the door: a church ought not to be fortified like a castle.” Three of the soldiers struck the saint down, but a popular legend tells of a single blow severing the crown of Thomas. The sword continued its trajectory and hit the floor so hard that the tip broke off. These two incidents would yield their own relics respectively. As for the murders, another legend claims that the pope sent them to fight in the Holy Land as penance. From whence they never returned. As for King Henry, most historians agree that he felt genuine sorrow upon word of his old friend's brutal death. Although a legitimate case for obstruction of justice can be made based on his actions. To avoid censure, he crossed into Ireland and “ordered that no cleric was to be permitted to leave the kingdom without an oath not to be a party to any measure against himself or the realm.” He also added that, “no one bearing letters was to have access to him.” Eventually the king’s ostensive hunt in the Emerald Isle had to come to an end and he agreed to an interview with two legates from Rome. Even though he bore no direct guilt for the murder, Henry submitted to an assignment of penance which included an oath to the Papacy and payment for 200 soldiers to be placed at the disposal of the Templars for one year. Within two years of his martyrdom, St. Thomas was canonized. Word of miracles attributed to his intersession spread throughout Europe. Phials of his blood became, “the mark of the pilgrim to St. Thomas, as the palm was of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and the scallop to St. James at Compostella.” Later in the middle ages, the pilgrim’s badge became the sovieneer for travelers to his tomb. Biographies of the saint began to appear from as far away as Iceland. More than three centuries after receiving the crown of martyrdom, Thomas was summoned to answer for allegations of crimes against his king. The jury content with hearing the prosecution and what passed for a defense, formal sentence was passed. Morris records: ... the King’s Majesty [Henry VIII] thought it expedient to declare to his loving subjects that he [St. Thomas] was no saint, but rather a rebel and traitor to his prince… all images and pictures of him should be destroyed, the festivals in his honour be abolished, and his name and rememberance be erased out of all books, under pain of his Majesty's indignation, and imprisonment at his Grace’s pleasure. All of the abortive efforts taken against this beloved saint have only gone on to make him a symbol of resistance. He stands as a paragon amongst the great English saints, and deserves our veneration as much as St. Thomas More or St. Augustine the Apostle to England. We sorely need more bishops with the courage of St. Thomas in the Church today. Holy men unafraid of exercising their spiritual authority, standing against secular tyrants, and excommunicating heretics. Defender of the Church and protector of Her liberty, St. Thomas of Canterbury, pray for us. Christ Our King; Thy Kingdom Come! *This article was previously published in The Remnant, January 31 2020. {Update; On Dec. 28 2020, President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation honoring the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket. The proclamation states "A society without religion cannot prosper. A nation without faith cannot endure — because justice, goodness, and peace cannot prevail without the grace of God. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 29, 2020, as the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. I invite the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches and customary places of meeting with appropriate ceremonies in commemoration of the life and legacy of Thomas Becket." (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-850th-anniversary-martyrdom-saint-thomas-becket/. Accessed 12/30/2020.) Author, Shawn Briggs Citations:
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AuthorShawn Briggs is a father, musician, and traditional Catholic with a love for the faith and dedication to Christ the King. Archives
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