A Saint for all Seasons

Today is the feastday of St Thomas More, intellectual, lawyer, politician, poet, writer and...a great man.

This clip shows some of his witty remarks from the film 'A Man for all Seasons'.
 In the film he was played by Paul Scofield, also a great Catholic* (*apologies, I have since discovered that he was not a Catholic) as well as an accomplished actor.

But one of St Thomas More's most poignant lines is not included in the clip; it was made by him when he commented on the lamentable state of the Catholic Church in England and it could be just as applicable today.

More said (of the absence of backbone among the Bishops and, to a lesser degree, the priests), that the country suffered from:
                                 "........A weak clergy lacking in grace"

And this is one of the accounts of his execution on July 6th 1535......St Thomas was addressing his executioner at this point....

"After saying the Misere on his knees, he asked forgiveness, saying, 'Thou wilt do me this day a greater benefit than any mortal man can be able to give me. Pluck up thy spirit, man, and be not afraid to do thy office. My neck is very short; take heed therefore that thou strike not awry for saving thy honesty.'

Then, covering his eyes and laying his head upon the block, he removed aside his beard, saying that (he) had never committed any treason.

So with great alacrity and spiritual joy he received the fatal blow.

And then he found those words true that he had spoken often, that a man may lose his head and have no harm; yea, I say, unspeakable good and everlasting happiness.

And here is a prayer composed by the great man whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534, it is a good prayer for Catholic bloggers to adopt......a great prayer for Catholic bloggers to adopt....

Give me the grace, Good Lord

To set the world at naught. To set the mind firmly on You and not to hang upon the words of men's mouths.

To be content to be solitary. Not to long for worldly pleasures. Little by little utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind of all its business.

Not to long to hear of earthly things, but that the hearing of worldly fancies may be displeasing to me.

Gladly to be thinking of God, piteously to call for His help. To lean into the comfort of God. Busily to labor to love Him.

To know my own vileness and wretchedness. To humble myself under the mighty hand of God. To bewail my sins and, for the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity.

Gladly to bear my purgatory here. To be joyful in tribulations. To walk the narrow way that leads to life.

To have the last thing in remembrance. To have ever before my eyes my death that is ever at hand. To make death no stranger to me. To foresee and consider the everlasting fire of Hell. To pray for pardon before the judge comes.

To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me. For His benefits unceasingly to give Him thanks.

To buy the time again that I have lost. To abstain from vain conversations. To shun foolish mirth and gladness. To cut off unnecessary recreations.

Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss at naught, for the winning of Christ.

To think my worst enemies my best friends, for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred.

These minds are more to be desired of every man than all the treasures of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen, were it gathered and laid together all in one heap.

Amen

                                        St Thomas More - Ora pro nobis