Today is the memorial of St. Thomas More and Bishop Johns Fisher, martyrs for the faith in England in the 16th century. They were an interesting case of martyrdom because they died by being killed by their friends, not strangers or enemies in the usual sense of that word. Thomas More was a good friend of King Henry, and they often would have supper together and spend time together even away from the duties of their jobs. They possessed a strong affection for one another, and yet this affection was not strong enough to stop the king’s hand in anger when Thomas would not agree to go along with his wishes for a divorce and new marriage. Thomas’s witness to the truth of marriage and fidelity was quiet, calm, yet firm. He did not try and win the King over with lots of arguments, but neither would condone the action when asked his opinion.
Thomas offers for us a model of Christ-like love toward our friends. He is a reminder that fidelity to Christ may cause even friends or family to turn away from us if we take Christ as our model for love and let this dictate our actions. Thomas, however, never hated the King or those who killed them. He forgave them. As we pray the Our Father today, let us pray for the grace to have a heart that is always ready to forgive those in our life – friends, family, or enemies – in the spirit of Thomas More and in the spirit of Jesus Christ.