Death and Virtue at the Tower of London

The story I'd like to talk about today is that of St. Thomas More.  Non-Catholics may drop the 'Saint' title from his name, but his story still stirs our hearts and minds nonetheless.  In fact, the movie adaptation of the end of his life, A Man for All Seasons, won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1966.  I'm sad to say that I haven't seen the movie.  If you haven't either, Fr. Robert Barron gives a much better recap and analysis than I could.

Thomas More stood up to Henry VIII when the king asked English clergy to recognize him as the head of the church.  More tried to resign his position as Chancellor of England quietly, and his resignation was eventually accepted.  What I love most about this bit of history is that More did everything he could to avoid scandal for others - he did not attend Anne Boleyn's coronation and continued to declare his civic duty to King Henry.  His religious duty still lay with God and the pope, however, and because that was unacceptable to Henry, More was tried and executed as a traitor to the crown.

From April 18 to July 6 in the year 1534, More was held in the Bell Tower of the Tower of London (pictured on right).  He was visited by family and friends, and by all accounts, retained his sense of good nature and peaceful spirit to the end.  More met his execution with fortitude and bravery.  To some, his memory remains that of a traitor; to others, including myself, he died the death of a martyr.

As I mentioned previously, I'm frequently finding myself an unintentional pilgrim to places of religious devotion.  I actually had no idea that the Tower of London was the resting place of the body of St. Thomas More (his head is located elsewhere).  Yet there I was, standing below the tower where he spent his final days, and walking the path that he tread to his death on Tower Hill.  St. Thomas More is a model for those of us who are asked to defend our faith when we say a quiet but firm 'no' in opposition to society.  We so greatly need his example today.

As I write, I am powerfully aware that, on this night 478 years ago, St. Thomas More was keeping vigil for the sunrise of his death; or rather, his rebirth into eternal life.  More was executed on the morning of July 6, 1534.  The collision of the past and the present is, at times, truly startling.

St. Thomas More, pray for us.

Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, containing the bones of St. Thomas More.