Today, as we celebrate the Memorial of John Fisher and Thomas More, Tony Worner, Leader of Lay Formation for St Agnes’ Catholic Parish, reads and Matthew’s Gospel (7: 6, 12-14) in which Jesus says “always treat others as you would like them to treat you”. Tony then shares a little about the lives of these two saints.
For those that know their history, John Fisher (a Bishop and later Cardinal) and Thomas More were around in the time of King Henry VIII, both being put to death by him, within two weeks of each other, in 1535. Thus, making them martyrs.
Without expounding too much on the complexities of the historical reasons for their martyrdom, it was because they both refused to acknowledge Henry’s supremacy over the Church in England, and the nullity for his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The important point being, they remained steadfast, dedicated, and loyal to God’s law.
For our reflection Tony asks us to think about these questions: When was there a time that we remained so steadfast, so loyal, so unwavering to a cause that we felt burdened by it? Have we remained faithful and steadfast to our relationship with God? Have we remained unwavering to our dedication to prayer?
To close, Tony invites us to pray*:
God, through the intercession of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, may we confirm by the witness of our life, the faith we profess with our lips. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
An interesting postscript:
St Thomas More is the patron saint of difficult marriages, and in 2000 John Paul II added his patronage to lawyers, statesmen and politicians.
*adapted from the Opening Prayer used at Mass today
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