In Defense of Religious Liberty

Who can forget the great movie, "Becket," with Richard Burton as the embattled and conflicted Archbishop of Canterbury and Peter O'Toole as Henry II, King of England?  If you never saw the film, get a DVD. They were Oscar performances.  Thomas Becket, long-time friend of Henry, had to take the difficult position of defending the Church against Henry's threats to sanction its customs.  In the end, Henry had the Archbishop killed on December 29, 1170, at the altar, by soldiers he sent to do the deed. Today, December 29, is the Feast of St. Thomas of Canterbury, for indeed he is a saint, martyred for his beliefs. He knew how to prove himself as shepherd of his flocks.  The Gospel of the Good Shepherd (John 10. 11-16) is read in today's Mass......."and I lay down my life for my sheep."

A notation in the Missal for the Mass today: Against those who seek to enslave the Church, let us neither employ the craft of politics nor the weapons of warfare, but after the example of "the glorious Thomas who fell by the swords of the wicked in the defense of the Church" (words from the Collect or Prayer in the Mass), let us know how to withstand them resolutely with all the moral strength that the defence of the rights of God inspires.

And just today, a poll is being taken, asking if the rights of the Church are being trampled, re: forcing Catholic institutions to comply, and threatening them with sanctions, if they do not allow abortions or adoptions by homosexuals, against their firmly held religious beliefs.  So far those who think the rights of the Faith are not being trampled are winning, albeit by a slight margin.  Every day another slap at religious expression and worship is marked in some headline somewhere.  We need our Good Shepherds to stand with God in defense of the Faith and the faithful.

The Epistle today is Hebrews 5: 1-6.  St. Paul says,  "Every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God: that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins: who can have compassion on them that are ignorant, and that err: because he himself also is compassed with infirmity: and therefore he ought, as for the people so also for himself, to offer for sins. Neither doth any man take the honor to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. So Christ also did not glorify Himself that He might be made a high priest; but He that said unto Him: thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee. As He saith also in another place: Thou art a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech."

Every priest needs prayers to be able to combat the enemies of faith and the weaknesses within himself.  At the beginning of every Mass in the Latin rite, the celebrant and altar servers recite Psalm 42.
     Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause against an ungodly nation: deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.
     For Thou, O God, art my strength: why hast Thou cast me from Thee, and why go I sorrowful while the enemy afflicteth me?
     O send out Thy light and Thy truth: they have led me and brought me unto Thy holy hill, even unto Thy tabernacles.
     Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God, who giveth joy to my youth.
     I will praise Thee upon the harp, O God, my God, why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquiet within me?
     Hope thou in God: for yet will I praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.  12/29/11