Thomas Becket, Martyr

"The last temptation is the greatest treason: / To do the right deed for the wrong reason.'' Murder in the Cathedral, T.S. Eliot

Discernment of spirits is one of the most important tools adult Christians have.  To sift through many goods in order to determine what it is God wants us to do is slow, difficult, and painstaking, but without it we risk falling into the temptation to which St. Thomas Becket, an 11th century martyr, was subjected.

Thomas Beckett was canonized only two years after his martyrdom and has been memorialized not only in many biographies, but in T.S. Eliot's, "Murder in the Cathedral,"(2) and Jean Anouilh's,  "Becket." (3) Locked in a fierce political and spiritual battle with Henry II who, prior to his ordination, he served as chancellor, Thomas fled to France, lived as a Cistercian, and though every other bishop in England accepted the The Constitutions of Clarendon, which weakened both the authority of bishops and their relationship with the Roman Pontiff, Thomas refused on the grounds that he could not do the "right thing for the wrong reason."  As Eliot reminds us, Henry wanted Thomas to submit to his authority alone, but Thomas knew, as soon as he was ordained bishop, that he had to answer to a higher authority, and though he was buffeted by many temptations to conform to Henry's pleading for the sake of peace at any price, he resisted.

Although, in 1170, Henry II reached a compromise which respected Thomas' conscience and allowed him to return to Canterbury as Archbishop, the struggle continued. A short time after Thomas' return, Henry II died and Henry III, whom Thomas had helped raise as a child, was crowned King by three lesser Archbishops. Upon hearing this,Thomas, who as Archbishop of Canterbury had the exclusive right to crown the King, excommunicated them all. Furious, Henry III wondered aloud, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Interpreted as an order, several knights set out for Canterbury and after Thomas refused to go to Winchester and submit to the King's authority, he was assassinated in his own cathedral.

In the middle of the Christmas octave, Thomas' integrity challenges us all.  No matter what civil or ecclesial authority may want of us, adult Christians must discern what it is that God wants of them.  Obedience for the sake of avoiding conflict will eventually lead to more problems.  As adults, with the help of a spiritual director and a trusted friend or two, we must employ a careful discernment when we face decisions that do not fit neatly into legal categories, and we should not be afraid of this.  Thomas Becket's willingness to suffer martyrdom is a powerful reminder that we must always do the right thing, not simply to preserve our own independence or power, but for the right reason.

Today, ask God for the courage to submit to God's authority when making a difficult decision.