Remembering the Martyrs—in a season of immense happiness

Commemoration of St. Thomas of Canterbury, d. 29 December 1170

In a beautiful liturgy at Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the Anglican Communion, St. Thomas, Martyr was remembered as an inspiration to those who suffer for their faith in our own day.

Historically, Thomas Becket, also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1155 to 1162, and then notably as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his death in 1170. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the King in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonized by Pope Alexander III. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. (Wiki)

He is remembered annually on this day, amidst present wars, human rights violations, and suppressions of those oppressed and kept poor in almost every place on the globe.

Pope Francis recently issued the following letter beginning his “Commission of New Martyrs-Witnesses of the Faith.” Extracts from the Pope’s statement were read at the Canterbury service.

Martyrs in the Church are witnesses of the hope that comes from faith in Christ and incites to true charity. Hope keeps alive the deep conviction that good is stronger than evil, because God in Christ conquered sin and death.

Indeed, martyrs have accompanied the life of the Church in every age, and flourish as “ripe and excellent fruits of the Lord’s vineyard” even today.

As I have said many times, martyrs ‘are more numerous in our time than in the first centuries’: they are bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, lay people and families, who in the different countries of the world, with the gift of their lives, have offered the supreme proof of charity.

It is therefore a matter of continuing historical research in order to gather the testimonies of life, up to the shedding of blood, of these sisters and brothers of ours, so that their memory can stand as a treasure cherished by the Christian community.

The [present] research will concern not only the Catholic Church, but will extend to all Christian denominations. Even in our times, in which we are witnessing a change of epoch, Christians continue to show, in contexts of great risk, the vitality of Baptism that unites us.

A not insignificant number, indeed, are those who, despite being aware of the dangers they face, manifest their faith or participate in the Sunday Eucharist. Others are killed in the effort to assist in charity the lives of the poor, in caring for those rejected by society, in cherishing and promoting the gift of peace and the power of forgiveness. Still others are silent victims, as individuals or in groups, of the upheavals of history.

To all of them we owe a great debt and we cannot forget them.

The Pope’s words are a powerful response to those who suggest the Church in our day is impotent, irrelevant, and self-seeking. Certainly in some places, a more strident and mature faith must be raised up. In my own experience however, I think of those who protect and support persons living with albinism, often at great personal cost, especially in Tanzania, I have learned of beautiful and courageous lives, well lived, each inspired by faith in a Godly future, allowing for the pursuit of justice and its realization in the dangerous shadows of history.

Literally, thank God for the martyrs.

Should you wish to watch the Canterbury Cathedral service, made rich through readings from T. S. Elliot’s Murder in the Cathedral and a fine sermon from the Bishop of Chelmsford whose brother is a twentieth-century martyr, go here.