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Thomas Becket Quotes:
"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."
"Remember the sufferings of Christ, the storms that were weathered...the crown that came from those sufferings which gave new radiance to the faith...All saints give testimony to the truth that without real effort, no one ever wins the crown."
"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."
(Thomas was talking to a friend on his way to his ordination.)
The Exile of St. Thomas
After 6 years of exile in France, Thomas Becket finally returned. He's shown here, on board a square rigged cog, with his hands raised in a blessing.
See: www.tudorshoppe.com
He was a very bright young man and was sent to study at the University of Paris. Around the year 1141, he entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, and eventually became the most trusted of all his clerks. It's a rare thing to have of our medieval saints, but a description exists of the young Thomas:
To look upon he was slim of growth and pale of hue, with dark hair, a long nose, and a straightly featured face. Blithe of countenance was he, winning and loveable in his conversation, frank of speech in his discourses, but slightly stuttering in his talk, so keen of discernment and understanding that he could always make difficult questions plain after a wise manner.The Archbishop recognized his worth and sent him to study civil and canon law abroad. He was ordained a deacon around 1154.
Around this time, Henry II acceded to the throne. But since he was very young (around 24 years old), he took his 36 year old teacher and mentor Thomas with him and appointed him as chancellor.
It is clear that the two were great friends. They hunted together (since he was a boy, Thomas had had a great love of falconry), pursued administrative reforms in the government, and various political schemes abroad. He also masterminded Henry's wars in France, and himself fought bravely in hand-to-hand combat. People declared that "they had but one heart and one mind".
Trouble began in 1161,with the death of Archbishop Theobald. Henry thought it would be useful to have his own man as Archbishop, and despite Thomas' protests, he was ordained priest and then consecrated 3 June, 1162. Thomas is reported to have said to Henry, "I know your plans for the Church, you will assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must oppose." Prophetic words!
Years of wrangling and struggling began almost immediately following Thomas' appointment to the Archbishopric. There were a number of issues concerning the separation of church and state that seemed to lead, almost inevitably, to the events of December 29, 1170.
Feeling that it was a conflict of interest, he resigned the Chancellorship, which Henry appears to have taken as a personal rejection. As a result, all the old friendship turned into hostility. From this followed a series of misunderstandings, some of them perhaps deliberate. King Henry attempted to pass some laws which would have brought the church under the crown. Not surprisingly, Thomas opposed him, as he had said he would.
In 1164, Thomas fled England for a monastery in France. He returned to Canterbury in 1170 under a tentative peaceful accord reached with the King while he was in France. At a dinner shortly after his arrival, the King exclaimed angrily, "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" Four knights hearing this thought they would gain the King's favor by getting rid of Thomas. On December 29th the knights followed Thomas to the Cathedral and killed him as he was preparing to celebrate Vespers. You can still see the place in the Cathedral where the attack took place. Almost immediately, miracles began to occur in the Cathedral.
Thomas was canonized by the Pope two years later and King Henry II in 1174 did public penance in reparation at the Shrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury. Because so many miracles occurred at this Shrine it became, for the rest of the Middle Ages, the wealthiest and most famous one in all of Europe.
Thomas certainly was not an easy man to deal with. He was a brilliant scholar and politician, but if you read any of his writings-some of which are really strident-- you see primarily a canon lawyer, not the wise and gentle kind of man most of us would popularly label a saint. He was probably arrogant and headstrong-as arrogant and headstrong as King Henry, which is why they made a good pair when they were both on the same side of the fence. Curmudgeon is one of the nicest words you could use for Thomas.
Yet, his private side was quite different. Luxury-loving Thomas the Chancellor, who surrounded himself with splendor, and hunting, and making war, appeared to have undergone a conversion, following his consecration. Although nothing has ever been said against his personal morality even when he was Chancellor-stories to the contrary again come from Jean Anouilh--following his appointment to the archbishopric, Thomas began to lead an ascetic life, spending many hours each day praying, fasting, going without sleep. By the end of 1162, he had given away much of his personal wealth to the poor. At night, he slipped out of his palace to tend to the beggars and lepers of Canterbury, and founded many hospices, where he himself would appear to take some of the work.
St. Thomas saw himself as the Shepherd of his flock, and his flock was the entire church in England. He felt it was his job to protect it from the Wolves, even if they were the government, and he used every bit of his formidable talent and training to do so. There is evidence from his writing that he was aware that returning to England would lead to his martyrdom, but that he welcomed it, because he knew it was the way to protect the church. Of course, in the long run, the church did come under the crown, but it took 400 years, from Henry the 2nd to Henry the 8th for that to happen.
Thomas is an example of what a difference a conversion can make. He is also an example of the strength that we are sometimes called to use, for the sake of the Truth. His last words are reported to have been "I accept death for the Name of Jesus and for the Church."
Some scholars have said that Thomas was a fool. That he should have gone along with Henry and tried to work with him from the inside. Perhaps they are right. Perhaps these are the same voices that would have said that Christ was a madman, not a martyr, to die for his cause.
©Laura Howell, 2002
Cross: Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of your love in the heart of your holy martyr Thomas Becket: Grant to us, your humble servants, a like faith and power of love, that we who rejoice in his triumph may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. -- BCP
Invitatory Bead: O God, our strength and our salvation, you called your servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of your people and a defender of your Church: Keep your household from all evil and raise up among us faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ the shepherd of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. -- BCP
Cruciform Bead: "...how great and how many are the wonders of the Lord God..." -- 2 Esdras 2:48
Week Beads: Psalm 126
1st: When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream.
2nd: Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy.
3rd: Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
4th: The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed.
5th: Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses of the Negev.
6th: Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy.
7th: Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
Exit Cross: Jesus told the twelve disciples, "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. " -- Matthew 10:16-22
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