St Thomas More
Today we celebrate the feast day of St. Thomas More. St. Thomas’ belief that it was true that not one lay ruler has jurisdiction over the Church of Christ is what cost St. Thomas his life.
St. Thomas was born on February 7, 1478 and he lived a very devoted life to Christ and he stood up for the truth. St. Thomas was beheaded on July 6, 1535 in Tower Hill, London. St. Thomas had decided to refuse to approve King Henry VIII’s divorce and desire to remarriage and his establishment of the Church of England.
St. Thomas is actually described as “a man for all seasons,” because St. Thomas was a man who was many different things including; a literary scholar, an eminent lawyer, a gentleman, a father of four children, and a chancellor of England. St. Thomas was also a very spiritual man, and he could not and would not support the king’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon in order to marry another women named Anne Boleyn. St. Thomas also did not acknowledge King Henry as a supreme head of the Church in England, which broke away from Rome, and denied the pope as head.
St. Thomas was eventually taken and brought to the Tower of London to await his trial for treason: and not swearing to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy.
Upon St. Thomas’ conviction, St. Thomas decided to declare that he had all the councils of Christendom and not just the council of one realm to support him in his decision.
St. Thomas is the patron saint of mostly people in law this includes; attorneys, civil servants, court clerks, lawyers, and politicians. St. Thomas’ feast day is celebrated on June 22.
Prayer to St. Thomas More
St. Thomas help us to gain the strength and courage we need to defend the truth. Help us to protect what is right so that we may make sure that we may help bring others closer to Christ. St. Thomas help us to accomplish God’s will regardless of the obstacles we may face and help us to be a light for everyone.
Amen
St. Thomas pray for us
St. Joseph pray for us
May we continue to strengthen our journey to sainthood and keep others in our prayers.
Works cited:
Information (read from, not taken):
Franciscan media. “Saint Thomas More. ”Saint Thomas More | Franciscan Media. Accessed June 22, 2021.
Images:
Saint Thomas More. June 22, 2021. Saint Thomas More - Google Search.