St. Sir Thomas More lived during the reign of King Henry VIII of England and Martin Luther, rebels, whom were major figures of the Protestant Rebellion. More worked tirelessly to halt the spread of Protestantism and was a staunch defender of the Church. In his work A Dialogue Concerning Heresies he asserted that the Catholic Church was the one true Church, whose authority had been established by Christ and the Apostles, and that its traditions and practices were valid.
Early on, as the Luther’s movement was getting started, Henry VIII wrote a work with the help of More. It received the title of Fidei defensor (Defender of the Faith) from Pope Leo X, for his efforts in combating Luther’s heresies. But unfortunately Henry went the way of Luther and rebel against the Church.
Henry wanted to divorce his first and only legitimate wife Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. At this time, as it should be, divorce was illegal except by special annulment from the pope.
Although King Henry and Thomas were dear friends eventually Henry’s actions drove a wedge between them. The situation between Henry and the Church deteriorated as the pope would not grant Henry his annulment. Henry believed, in his pride, that he was the supreme head of the Church of England and that the papacy had no authority in his lands.
Thus in 1534 the Act of Succession was passed that required all citizens, if commanded, to swear an oath to recognize this Act as well as the King’s supremacy. It also acknowledged the anti-Papal power of Parliament in matters of religion.
Thomas More would not take the oath and violate his conscience. Furthermore he refused to uphold Henry’s annulment from Catherine. At first he was jailed in the infamous Tower of London. While there Henry had his cronies try everything they could to get Thomas to either accept or deny the Act. They even entrusted the matter at last to Alice, his wife. She tried to persuade him not to give up his wife, his children, his country, and his life, which he might still enjoy for many years to come. As she harped on this, More said to her, “And how long, my dear Alice, do you think I shall live?” “If God will,” she answered, “you may live for twenty years.” “Then,” said Sir Thomas, “You would have me barter eternity for twenty years; you are not skillful at a bargain, my wife. If you had said twenty thousand years, you might have said something to the purpose; but even then, what is that to eternity?
Eventually he was falsely charged with high treason and was beheaded on July 6th 1535. His last words being, “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
Now more than ever we can take note from Saint Thomas. As our government continues its assault on our religious liberties we should ask ourselves, “Will we serve God or will we serve the state?” Will we stand on the supremacy of our faith as Saint Thomas did or will we sell out for “20 more years”? What will it be; God or mammon?
As we look around and see the deterioration of our society, with a record number of divorces, 1/3 of our generation being slaughtered in the womb, the killing of our elderly, the assault on traditional marriage, the almost complete acceptance of contraception, pornography, and sexual immorality, the rise in violent crimes, the poor being impoverished, not only of material items but also of spiritual growth and direction, let us remember that there is always hope. The true hope that can only be found in Christ.
Unfortunately even nowadays most Catholics participant in one or more of the above list items but once again let us follow the example of this great Saint. The Catholic Church is the One True Church, whose authority has been established by Christ and the Apostles, and its traditions and practices are valid. We must obey the Church, the bride of Christ, in all matters. We must do this to our last breath. We must resist, with all our power, the corrupting influences of the world, even if we must stand alone.
St. Thomas More, pray for us!
Viva Cristo Rey!
The Lord of History 