There are those today, who claim that it is 'disobedient' to attend the Tridentine Latin Mass; that the Bishop must be obeyed in all things, even when he claims that the origins of paedophilia within the Church stem from adherence to lacy vestments and the like and refuses to admit traditionally minded young men to train for the priesthood.
The great mass of Catholics, certainly in England and Wales, would not know the meaning of obedience if it leapt up and savaged their nether regions.
Less than five hundred years ago, England and Wales were in a similar episcopal state as they are today.
Bishops caved in to the cunning and conniving State and many, many, priests, monks and nuns followed in their footsteps.
They gave up all they believed in to embrace the new religion that dispensed with chantry prayers for the dead, the care and nursing of the old and infirm of society, the education of the young and the employment of thousands.
Statues were dragged out of the churches, pulled by horses and altar slabs ripped out and placed across church doorways so that all who entered had to walk over the sacred stone and defile it in so doing.
Religious books were piled in heaps and set on fire, up went the work of thousands of monk hours as the illuminated manuscripts were consumed by flames.
Few men or women stood in the path of such crushing opposition; but among the few, St Thomas More (representing the laity) and St John Fisher (representing the hierarchy) were, arguably, the most outstanding of our Reformation martyrs.
More had witnessed St John Fisher being taken off for execution, just a few days before he was to make the same journey and the Catholic world must have appeared most bleak and hopeless to him.
Nonetheless, he was constant to the very end and in no way a coward as some modern Catholics argue (because he did not submit to his trial but attempted to challenge the King's authority to gain freedom).
Here is a prayer composed by St Thomas More that has a certain resonance today:
The great mass of Catholics, certainly in England and Wales, would not know the meaning of obedience if it leapt up and savaged their nether regions.
Less than five hundred years ago, England and Wales were in a similar episcopal state as they are today.
Bishops caved in to the cunning and conniving State and many, many, priests, monks and nuns followed in their footsteps.
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| One man who did not yield to either the State or the Church, when all others apostatized - St John Fisher |
Statues were dragged out of the churches, pulled by horses and altar slabs ripped out and placed across church doorways so that all who entered had to walk over the sacred stone and defile it in so doing.
Religious books were piled in heaps and set on fire, up went the work of thousands of monk hours as the illuminated manuscripts were consumed by flames.
Few men or women stood in the path of such crushing opposition; but among the few, St Thomas More (representing the laity) and St John Fisher (representing the hierarchy) were, arguably, the most outstanding of our Reformation martyrs.
More had witnessed St John Fisher being taken off for execution, just a few days before he was to make the same journey and the Catholic world must have appeared most bleak and hopeless to him.
Nonetheless, he was constant to the very end and in no way a coward as some modern Catholics argue (because he did not submit to his trial but attempted to challenge the King's authority to gain freedom).
Here is a prayer composed by St Thomas More that has a certain resonance today:
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| "His truth shall compass thee as a shield" |
Gracious God, give me Thy grace so to consider the punishment of that false great council that gathered together against Thee, that I be never, to Thy displeasure, partner nor give mine assent to follow the sinful advice of any wicked counsel.
Amen.
St John Fisher suffered for his faith on 22nd June 1535 and St Thomas More on July 6th
We celebrate their feastday today - 9th July - Ss John Fisher and more - Ora pro nobis
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