Post #6394

ST. THOMAS BECKET, BISHOP AND MARTYR The time of Christmas, manifesting us the divine filiation of the Child in the crib, show us that He is the Priest, as He was anointed by the same anointment of the divinity. His priesthood consists in offering to God his life to save the souls and defend them, and so the divine rights of the Holy Church, his beloved bride. St. Thomas Becket, who today we celebrate, imitated perfectly in the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ in this high work. Thomas Becket was born in London, England, the 21st of December 1118, from the merchant Gilbert Becket of Thierville and Matilda of Mondeville, established herself in England under the king Wilhelm the Conqueror. He was directed since childhood to the ecclesiastic carrier: after the first formation received near the abbey of Merton, he deepened his studies in Paris and, returned to his fatherland, he entered at service of the archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec. He, recognizing the capacities, made him one of his most near collaborator: he sent him to deepen the study of Canon Law to Bologna and to Auxerre: Thomas accompanied the archbishop to the council held in Rheims in 1148 and, in 1154, he was ordained deacon and nominated provost of Beverley and Archdeacon of the Cathedral. Henry II, king of England, counselled by the clergy, nominated him Chancellor of the Kingdom, after the coronation. Thomas Becket was the person most near to the sovereign and, custodian of the royal seal. Against the expectations of the episcopacy and of the barons who have subjected the nomination, the new chancellor subjected the great reforming works of the ruler, aimed at limiting the independence of the feudal lords and restablish order and crown authority: Henry II made use of the good knowledge of Thomas had on Roman Law to create a centralized administration, controlled by the regis Clergy. In 1162 Thomas Becket, succeeded to the aforementioned Theobald of Bec, became Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of England: he who exercised with honour the role of chancellor, presented himself strong and unconquered on the duties of the episcopacy. When in fact Henry II, king of England, summmoned to himself an assembly of bishops and the mighty of his kingdom, he wanted to bring some laws contrary to the interests and the dignity of Holy Church, he opposed the greed of theking for the defense of justice and ecclesiastical immunity with great constance, who didn’t bent over promises nor threats, saw himself obliged of retreating secretly to not be thrown in prison. Thus all of his relatives of all ages, friends and supporters were driven out of the kingdom, after having made all those whose age allowed him to swear that they would go to see Thomas, in order to shake him, with the sight of the pitiful state of his parents, from the holy resolution, that it had not been possible to overcome with the threat of personal sufferings. But he had no regard for either flesh or blood, nor did any human sentiment shake his pastoral constancy. He therefore went to Pope Alexander III, who received him with kindness and recommended him to the monks of the monastery of Pontigny, of the order of the Cistercians, where he went. King Henry II, having learned of this, sent threatening letters to the chapter of the Cistercians to force them to chase Thomas out of the monastery of Pontigny. Then the holy man, fearing that for his cause the Cistercian order would not suffer some evil, he left himself and retired to Louis VII, king of France, who had invited him; there he remained until, thanks to the intervention of the Supreme Pontiff and the same king recalled from exile, he returned to England on 1 December 1170, to the great satisfaction of the whole kingdom. But while he fearlessly applied himself to fulfilling the duties of a good shepherd, some slanderers report to the king that he was planning many things against the kingdom and public tranquility; so that the king often complained that in his kingdom there was only one bishop with whom he could not have peace.