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From a letter written in prison to his daughter, Margaret, by Saint Thomas More

With Good Hope I Shall Commit Myself Wholly To God

Although I know well, Margaret, that because of my past wickedness I deserve to be abandoned by God, I cannot but trust in his merciful goodness.His grace has strenghtened me until now and made me content to lose goods, land, and life as well, rather than to swear against my conscience.God's grace has given the king a gracious frame of mind toward me, so that as yet he has taken from me nothing but my liberty.In doing this His Majesty has done me such great good with respect to spiritual profit that I trust that among all the great benefits he has heaped so abundantly upon me I count my imprisonment the very greatest.I cannot, therefore, mistrust the grace of God.Either he shall keep the king in that gracious frame of mind to continue to do me no harm, or else, if it be his pleasure that for my other sins I suffer in this case as I shall not deserve, then his grace shall give me the strength to bear it patiently, and perhaps even gladly.

By the merits of his bitter passion joined to mine and far surpassing in merit for me all that I can suffer myself, his bounteous goodness shall release me from the pains of purgatory and shall increase my reward in heaven besides.

I will not mistrust him,Meg,though I shall feel myself weakening and on the verge of being overcome with fear.I shall remember how Saint Peter at a blast of wind began to sink because of his lack of faith, and I shall do as he did:call upon Christ and pray to him for help.And then I trust he shall place his holy hand on me and in the stormy seas hold me up from drowning.

And if he permits me to play Saint Peter further and to fall to the ground and to swear and forswear, may God our Lord in his tender mercy keep me from this, and let me lose if it so happen,and never win thereby!Still,if this should happen, afterward I trust that in his goodness he will look on me with pity as he did upon Saint Peter, and make me stand up again and confess the truth of my conscience afresh and endure here the shame and harm of my own fault.

And finally,Margaret,I know this well:that without my fault he will not let me be lost.I shall, therefore,with good hope commit myself wholly to him.And if he permits me to perish for my faults, then I shall serve as praise for his justice.But in good faith, Meg,I trust that his tender pity shall keep my poor soul safe and make me commend his mercy.

And,therefore,my own good daughter, do not let your mind be troubled over anything that shall happen to me in this world. Nothing can come but what God wills.And I am very sure that whatever that be, however bad it may see,it shall indeed be the best.

Saint Thomas More's Feast Day is now June 22nd.

A little "more" on "A Man For All Seasons."

Great post. Thanks.

God grant me such courage of my deepest convictions.

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Prayer for Ave Maria School of Law
Alumni Day of Prayer

June 22
Feast of St. Thomas More

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Ave Maria
School of Law and for the formation we
received there. We come before You today,
asking You to anoint our minds to better
serve You and Your people. Continue to form
our hearts to be responsive to the promptings
of Your Spirit. Enlighten us with the true
counsel that only You can give. May our lives
and our work always be pleasing to You, and
may our integrity, virtue and high ethical
standards never cease to reflect the education
we received. Preserve Ave Maria in its mission
and bless its efforts to create the culture of life
that you desire. We also ask that you grant
the Ave Maria School of Law graduates the
perseverance to study hard so that they might
be successful on their bar exams. We ask this
through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

Wonderful, thank you!

BTTT on the Feastday of
St. Thomas More
St. John Fisher
St. Paulinus of Nola

06-22-05!

American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

June 22, 2005

St. Thomas More

(1478-1535)

His belief that no lay ruler has jurisdiction over the Church of Christ cost Thomas More his life.

Beheaded on Tower Hill, London, July 6, 1535, he steadfastly refused to approve Henry VIII’s divorce and remarriage and establishment of the Church of England.

Described as “a man for all seasons,” More was a literary scholar, eminent lawyer, gentleman, father of four children and chancellor of England. An intensely spiritual man, he would not support the king’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn. Nor would he acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the Church in England, breaking with Rome and denying the pope as head.

More was committed to the Tower of London to await trial for treason: not swearing to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy. Upon conviction, More declared he had all the councils of Christendom and not just the council of one realm to support him in the decision of his conscience.

Comment:

Four hundred years later, in 1935, Thomas More was canonized a saint of God. Few saints are more relevant to the 20th century. The supreme diplomat and counselor, he did not compromise his own moral values in order to please the king, knowing that true allegiance to authority is not blind acceptance of everything that authority wants. King Henry himself realized this and tried desperately to win his chancellor to his side because he knew More was a man whose approval counted, a man whose personal integrity no one questioned. But when Thomas resigned as chancellor, unable to approve the two matters that meant most to Henry, the king had to get rid of Thomas More.

Interesting biography.

Great Quote:
Nothing can come but what God wills.And I am very sure that whatever that be, however bad it may see,it shall indeed be the best.

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Thanks for posting this on the greatest and best of all Englishmen.

Saint Thomas More, Martyr

Saint Thomas More, Martyr
Optional Memorial with Saint John Fisher
June 22nd

Sir Thomas More
Hans Holbein the Younger
1527
Tempera on wood, 74,2 x 59 cm
Frick Collection, New York

Saint Thomas More was born in London and was Chancellor of King Henry VIII. As a family man, a public servant, and writer, he displayed a rare combination of human warmth, Christian wisdom, and sense of humor.

Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003

Voices Young Writer Award - Pentecost 2004
A Life Lived with Faith and Reason - by Anna Maria Mendell

Collect:
Father,
you confirm the true faith
with the crown of martyrdom.
May the prayers of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More
give us the courage to proclaim our faith
by the witness of our lives.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading: I Peter 4:12-19
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God. For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? And "If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear?" Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 10:34-39
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes will be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.