Saturday, December 29, 2012

To warn, to lead, to bring them back...

  

A martyr, a saint, is always made by
the design of God, for His love of men,
to warn them and to lead them,
to bring them back to His ways.”

~ St. Thomas Becket, homily excerpt,
Christmas morning Mass (1170),
four days before he was martyred


St. Thomas Becket
Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr*
England  (1118-1170)
FEAST DAY - December 29
 
 
 
*On December 29th, 1170, four knights from the court of King Henry II burst into Canterbury Cathedral as the Archbishop was on his way to Vespers. Just inside the cloister door, they murdered Thomas Becket, whose defense of the rights of the Church had angered the King. His last words were: 'I accept death for the name of Jesus and for the Church.'

The murder shocked the conscience of all Europe; miracles were announced immediately; the archbishop was canonized as a martyr by Alexander III in 1173; the king did public penance at his tomb, and much of what St Thomas had worked for all his life was accomplished by his death.
 
 
 
Thomas said this to a friend on his way to Ordination: "Hereafter, I want you to tell me, candidly and in secret, what people are saying about me. And if you see anything in me that you regard as a fault, feel free to tell me in private. For from now on, people will talk about me, but not to me. It is dangerous for men in power if no one dares to tell them when they go wrong." 

And at another time he was quoted as saying...

"Many are needed to plant and water what has been planted now that the faith has spread so far and there are so many people...No matter who plants or waters, God gives no harvest unless what is planted is the faith of Peter and unless he agrees to his teachings."  - St Thomas Becket

 
MORE on St Thomas Becket, incl UTube
 
St Thomas Becket, ora pro nobis!

5 comments:

  1. I don't expect this beautifully prayerful blog is set up to receive and post about "awards," but I have given it a mention at my latest post on The Breadbox Letters (my "visiting with others blog") at http://thebreadboxletters.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-awards.html. How wonderfully you glorify our Lord Jesus Christ!

    ReplyDelete
  2. St. Thomas Becket, pray for us! May you and your family Janette, have a Blessed Christmas Season!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nancy - Oh, my - humbled by the generous mention... maybe someday when I grow up I will understand a deeper dimension of blogging etiquettes and know-how and awards and such things! For now I just hum and crawl along in infancy...
    Noreen - THANK YOU! - Likewise - merry, merry and blessings, blessings to YOU and family! Our family is enjoying a most wonderfully blessed Christmas Octave. Our son, Deacon Spencer, is home from Rome and we are walking in the snowy woods, listening to his preaching at holy Masses, eating too many sweets and drinking just the right amount of good wines hand carried from Italy. His sister and her husband from Omaha join us too - and tomorrow on the Feast of the Holy Family we will re-new our home's consecration to the Immaculate and Sacred Hearts. Nothing could be sweeter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. O Janette, I beg to differ! I don't see you crawling along at ALL... I see you soaring!! I didn't think of you as perhaps wanting this blog to be sidetracked by "posting about awards" because the focus is so clearly, always, beautifully, totally on our Lord HIMSELF. Which is what I so love about this holy spot on the Internet, and why I like to let others know about it whenever and however I get a chance. A blessed continuation of Christmas to you and yours!

      Delete
  4. Nancy - yes, let us continue to know, love and serve our Eucharistic Lord - more and more - and encourage others along the Way... so be it!

    ReplyDelete