Scripture for
meditation: Galatians 6:14, Philippians 1:21-23
The world is crucified to me, and I to the world. For to
me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I wish to be dissolved and be with
Christ.”
Scripture for
reflection: Matthew 6:10
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
St. Thomas More
tells us: But as I was saying, to avoid falling into grave sin we must
throw off not merely a cloak or gown or shirt or any other such garment of the
body but even the garment of the soul, the body itself. For if we strive to
save the body by sin, we destroy it and we also lose the soul. But if we
patiently endure the loss of the body for the love of God, then just as the
snake sloughs off its old skin (called, I think, its “senecta”) by rubbing it
against thorns and thistles and, leaving it behind in the thick hedges, comes
forth young and shining, so too those of us who follow Christ’s advice and
become wise as serpents [Mt 10:16] will leave behind on earth our old bodies,
rubbed off like a snake’s old skin among the thorns of tribulation suffered for
the love of God, and will quickly be carried up to heaven, shining and young
and never more to feel the effects of old age (The Sadness of Christ, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, 1993).
St. Thomas More was
Chancellor of England for only thirty-one months. He resigned on May 16, 1532,
the day after Henry VIII and Cromwell manipulated the Parliament to take away
the traditional freedom of the Church, a freedom that had been written into
English law since the Magna Carta. At issue was the survival of the Church as
well as the nature of law and the scope of the state’s legitimate authority (my comment is this: sound familiar?).
Imprisoned in the Tower of London for fifteen months before his execution, More
was heavily pressured by his family and friends to sign the oath accepting Henry
VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church in England. More steadfastly refused but
never expressed animosity towards those who complied (my comment: we, too, must face opposition with dignity). During this time, he wrote a number of
devotional and exegetical works, including A
Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation, A treatise on the Passion, and The Sadness of Christ. That More was God’s
servant first and foremost was readily seen in his life of prayer and penance (my comment: note that he prayed. That is
where he got his strength). From the time he was a young man, More started
each day with private prayer, spiritual reading, and Mass, regardless of his
many duties (my comment: prayer first,
always prayer). He lived demanding mortifications in his characteristically
discreet and merry manner (my comment:
you attract more flies with honey than with vinegar). He generously cared
for the poor and needy, and involved his own children in this same work (my comment: remember yesterday’s discussion…
prayer, study, action). He had special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament,
to frequent meditation on the Passion, and to the rosary. More was executed on
July 6, 1535 and canonized on May 19, 1935. He has become a symbol of
professional integrity, famous for the balanced judgment, ever-present humor (my comment: as you stand up for religious
freedom, keep your sense of humor. It keeps the enemy wondering what you are up
to), and undaunted courage that led him to be known, even in his own
lifetime, as the “man for all seasons.” (Gerard Wegemer, Introduction to The Sadness of Christ by St. Thomas More,
Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, 1993).
St. Thomas More’s
prayer for his enemies: Almighty God, have mercy on N. and N., etc, and on
all that bear me evil will and would harm me. And by such easy, tender, and
merciful means as Your infinite wisdom can best devise, grant that their faults
and mine may both be amended and redressed; and make us saved souls in heaven together,
where we may ever live and love together with You and Your blessed saints. O
glorious Trinity, grant this for sake of the bitter passion of our sweet Savior,
Christ. Lord, give me patience in tribulation, and grace in everything to
conform my will to Yours, that I may truly say: “Thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven.”
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