St. Thomas More

Today the Church celebrates the life and martyrdom of St. Thomas More, a former friend and confidant of King Henry VIII . When he would not condone Henry's divorce and remarriage and acknowledge the King of England as the head of the Church, he spent several months imprisoned and finally was beheaded in 1535. He was truly a "man for all seasons" and was respected throughout England for his integrity and moral uprightness, despite being involved in politics! He as well as many other Catholics were martyred for their faith in 16th Century England and there were a fair amount of hangings, torture and imprisonments carried out by the Church of England against Catholics. Interestingly, before he broke away from the Catholic Church to become the head of his own, King Henry had been honored by the Pope Leo as a "Defender of the Faith" for his treatise against Martin Luther and the Reformation. (There are some who believe that St. Thomas More was the real author of this treatise). I recommend the video " A Man for all Seasons" if you haven't seen it yet. It can be had at most video stores and is an inspiring story of a man who honored his faith and his God above all else costing him his life.