(Optional) Memorial of Saint John Fisher, bishop and martyr, and Saint Thomas More, martyr
(II Corinthians 11:1-11; Matthew 6:7-12)
In today’s gospel Jesus instructs his disciples to pray that
God’s kingdom comes. St. Thomas More gave
his life as a witness to that kingdom. The
story of his martyrdom is well-known because of the powerful movie made in the
1960s. Yet it is worth retelling because
of the need for testifying to faith today.
More was chancellor of England, the highest-ranking minister
in the state. He was well-loved by King
Henry VIII until he refused to sign a document legitimating the king’s second marriage
in defiance of the Catholic Church. Imprisoned,
More refused to comment on the king’s assuming leadership of the Church in
England. For saying nothing, he was doomed
to execution! On the way to the scaffold
he clarified his position saying, “I am the king’s good servant but God’s
first.”
Recently, the Los Angeles Dodgers gave an award to a drag
queen group that mocks the Church. Proponents
of distorted sex now openly heap disdain on the Catholic Church. They cannot tolerate the Church’s consistent
teaching that sexual intimacy is reserved for marriage. One major league ballplayer criticized the
award. For the sake of a sound society, good
people like this ballplayer must give witness to the legitimacy of the Church’s
teaching.
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