St. Thomas Becket
Feast day: Dec. 29
“Here I am, no traitor, but archbishop and priest of God.”
These are the words of St. Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, responding to the query of four knights as they followed him into Canterbury Cathedral to kill him in 1170. Once an intimate friend and hunting partner of King Henry II of England, St. Thomas Becket underwent a conversion when he was ordained a bishop and started to live a more austere lifestyle devoted to prayer. As he left his earlier worldly ways behind, St. Thomas knew that he would come into greater conflict with the king. Differences between the two men mounted as St. Thomas continually defended the Church’s rights to make decisions free from state encroachment. Their conflict culminated in St. Thomas’ murder in the cathedral, prompted by an angry outburst from the king. A strong personality with a temper, St. Thomas had imperfections, yet he stood boldly in defense of the Catholic Church to the point of martyrdom.
Born in London in 1118, St. Thomas Becket was raised by reasonably affluent Norman parents. He was educated by Catholic priests at Merton Abbey and in Paris and studied canon law in Bologna and Auxerre. As archdeacon of Canterbury, he acted as a negotiator between the Church and the English monarchy — such was his reputation for wisdom and clear judgment. When Henry II succeeded Stephen as king, he raised his friend Thomas to the position of chancellor of England. With the outward appearance of a worldly and extravagant cleric, St. Thomas served the king faithfully for seven years as a statesman and diplomat, and even as a soldier. Thomas even supported the king in his disagreements with the Church.
When Archbishop Theobald died, King Henry II proposed that St. Thomas be appointed as his successor. At this point in his life, St. Thomas was growing closer to Christ, changing, as he said, from being “a patron of play-actors and a follower of hounds, to being a shepherd of souls.” He began to be more generous in almsgiving, showed greater moderation in his food and drink, and rose early to read and reflect on sacred Scripture. St. Thomas initially resisted the appointment and warned Henry II that their friendship would be affected by his inability to accept a reduced role for the Church, which he knew Henry wanted. Nevertheless, St. Thomas accepted this new position per the encouragement of Cardinal Henry of Pisa to see the new role as a service to the Catholic faith. Still a deacon, St. Thomas was ordained as a priest June 2, 1162, and consecrated as bishop the following day.
What followed was a long standoff between the two men. Despite Thomas’ warnings, Henry II still believed that he would be his strong ally. But St. Thomas chose to give up the chancellorship and consolidate the land revenues of Canterbury under the Church’s control. A rift opened between Henry II and himself, and a series of legal conflicts followed. Of the many arguments between them, the two men differed significantly over the relative rights and responsibilities of the Church and state regarding clergymen who were convicted of crimes and the right of the English Church to appeal to the pope against the king’s wishes.
In 1164 at an assembly at Clarendon Palace, Henry II proposed laws that would curb clerical independence and weaken the connection with the pope in Rome. With positions entrenched, St. Thomas took refuge in France, where he lived in two different abbeys. He tried to resign from his position as archbishop, but Pope Alexander III would not allow him to do so, pushing St. Thomas to work for a diplomatic solution. After six years in exile, a shallow reconciliation was reached and St. Thomas returned to England, but he knew his death was imminent. In agreement with the pope, he excommunicated many of those in power who were responsible for disregarding the Church. Nevertheless, the English bishops were divided, although a majority was either hostile to St. Thomas or hesitant to support him.
As expected, St. Thomas crossed the king once again over the rights of the Church, and it was at this point that Henry II said the reckless words that some of his knights interpreted as demanding action: “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” Whether they were interpreting the king’s intention rightly or not, four knights looked to confront St. Thomas. They informed him that he was to go to Winchester to give an account of his actions. When he refused, they followed him into a side chapel of Canterbury Cathedral, where he was preparing for vespers, and demanded that he reverse his decision to excommunicate several bishops. When he refused again, the knights departed the cathedral but returned with a band of armed men. Unable to drag him outside, they killed St. Thomas where he stood. An eyewitness also wounded in the struggle claims that St. Thomas died as a saint by commending himself to God “for the name of Jesus and in defence of the Church.” It was found when he was prepared for burial that he wore a hair shirt as penance for his sins.
Humbled, Henry II was required to do public penance for his role in the assassination of St. Thomas, and the knights who killed him were sentenced to serve in the Crusades in the Holy Land for 14 years. The relics of St.Thomas Becket were honored at one of the Church’s most popular pilgrimage sites until they were destroyed by King Henry VIII, who despoiled St. Thomas’ shrine, burned his bones and erased his name from all service books.
Reflection
My Lord and my God, make me an instrument of your peace! Help me to try to understand the positions of other people, while giving me the courage to stand up for you and your Church even in public. St. Thomas Becket, pray for us!
Prayer
O God, who gave the Martyr Saint Thomas Becket
the courage to give up his life for the sake of justice,
grant, through his intercession,
that, renouncing our life
for the sake of Christ in this world,
we may find it in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
