Gilt copper alloy, champlevé enamel and wood
Readings: Psalm 126; Matthew 10:16-22
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves … you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them … and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10
Andy Bramsen
December 29th is the feast of Saint Thomas Becket, martyred in Canterbury Cathedral 850 years ago today. Becket was trained in the church and ordained a deacon, then became a prominent political leader in the mid-1150s as second-in-command to his friend Henry II, whose desire for power and luxury he shared. Henry’s decision in 1162 to appoint Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury arose from the king’s desire to gain control over the church through his friend and ally, not from spiritual motivations. Yet as archbishop, Becket refused to cooperate with Henry’s royal schemes, insisting that the church was under a higher law and going into exile to uphold his point. When he and Henry finally agreed on his return to Canterbury, new disagreements quickly erupted, leading Henry to express deep anger toward Becket that was interpreted by some of his knights as a license to kill. Those knights went to Canterbury Cathedral and accused Becket of being a traitor to the crown. He denied the charges, but said that “for the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church I am ready to embrace death.” The knights then brutally murdered him.
In all honesty, I have often found it difficult to appreciate Becket. Accounts of his behavior show him to be difficult to deal with and he often comes across as unnecessarily intransigent and lacking in grace. In short, he is not the kind of saint who overwhelms us with his cradle-to-grave testimony of holiness. Yet in reflecting on Becket’s life again during Christmas 2020, it struck me that maybe this is exactly the reason to be grateful for his presence on the list of saints.
Becket’s testimony is encouraging because—despite his many flaws and struggles—when the moments of decision came, he knew with Whom he stood. He would seek to shepherd God’s flock, not fleece them for an earthly king, for his true master was not King Henry, but King Jesus. When accused of being a traitor, he declared his loyalty to the people and country of which he was a shepherd, but made clear that his much higher loyalty was to the Great Shepherd. Becket knew that he was hated and was a sheep among ravening wolves, and he realized that the path to salvation for him and those entrusted to his spiritual care was found not in returning hate for hate or using earthly weapons to combat evil, but in faithfully following his crucified Lord and enduring to the end. The path he chose and the example he provides remain as powerful and relevant in Christmas 2020 as they were in Christmas 1170.
Almighty God, you gave your servant Thomas Becket boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Andy Bramsen
Art: Reliquary Casket of Thomas Becket c.AD1200
Music: “There’s a Song in the Air” Adele Morgan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fBk5H2Pkhs