June 22—Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More, Martyrs

June 22—Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More, Martyrs

Both St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More were martyred by King Henry VIII of England in the 16^th century because they refused to acknowledge Henry as the head of the Church of England.  Fisher previously had been Henry’s tutor, but supported Catherine of Aragon, the king’s wife when Henry appealed to Rome to annul their marriage.  Rome refused to annul the valid marriage and Henry asserted control over the Catholic Church in England, divorced Catherine, and married Anne Boleyn.  Fisher was beheaded for treason the day before the feast of the Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, whom he had invoked in his defense of Catherine.

More authored the book Utopia as well as being Speaker of the House of Commons.  More was elevated to the position of chancellor, which is like a prime minister.  However, he resigned due to the king’s declaration of supremacy over the Church in England in place of the pope.  When More was on the scaffold to be beheaded for treason, he said that he died “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”

Both St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More chose to oppose the unjust encroachment of the state on the Church’s prerogatives and on Church doctrine.  Henry had his church declare his marriage to Catherine annulled.  Henry had Parliament declare him the Supreme Head of the Church in England.  Further, Henry closed many monasteries and confiscated their lands.  All these actions were possible because of a people who allowed the state to take over the Church.  They valued the “liberties" of the government over the liberties of faith and religion.

We live in a similar time.  But we have the opportunity to speak up.  June 21 is the first day of the Fortnight for Freedom called for by the U.S. bishops.  It is a two-week period of prayer and action to address many current challenges to religious liberty, including the August 1, 2013 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate, Supreme Court rulings that could attempt to redefine marriage in June, and religious liberty concerns in areas such as immigration and humanitarian services.  St. Thomas More is the patron of statesmen and politicians.  We petition his intercession for just laws and the guarantee of the first amendment right to freedom of religion.