More, Fisher – and More

On the feast of St. Thomas Becket, it’s fitting to recall just how exacting the clash between religious faith and earthly powers can be. Some ages, like his, create martyrs. Our own age more often bullies people out of martyrdom pre-emptively, as secular intimidation derails many from fidelity even in small matters. Either way, the lesson bears scrutiny: we aren’t here for long; a comfortable pilgrimage is never guaranteed, with or without a murder in Canterbury Cathedral.

On a brighter note, Becket’s feast day is also the perfect moment to celebrate an outstanding new book about that other well-known English martyr venerated both by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, St. Thomas More; and his fellow companion in exemplary courage, Bishop John Fisher. How fortunate that we now have an extraordinary new volume of meditations on their legacies, delivered to us by an extraordinary author.