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St. Thomas More: A Father for Today

by Brian Caulfield 

We all know that Father’s Day is June 20 this year, but there is another day in the Church’s calendar that celebrates fatherhood and masculine virtues.

For fathers engaged in the daily struggles of the world, there is no more compelling model than St. Thomas More, whose feast day is June 22. More was a complete gentleman, conversant in the courtesies and wary of the treacheries of courtly life, who rose to the rank of Chancellor of England. Yet he was also a good husband and father, and a faithful and fervent Catholic who ranked the duties of religion above any earthly obligations to court or king.

More is known to most from the movie A Man for All Seasons, in which he is portrayed as a man of strong conscience who would not assent to the marriage of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn or to the king’s status as head of the Church in England. Yet More did not simply follow his conscience – any number of those who followed the king could have claimed to have done the same, according to their own judgment of the facts and application of the virtue of prudence. Every English bishop, save for John Fisher of Rochester, went along with Henry’s power grab, but even they may have justified their actions by saying that it was better to preserve some remnant of the Church in the land than to have the whole hierarchy fall to the axe.

Thomas More was a man of conscience, indeed. But his conscience was so clear because it was informed by unshakable principles, in this case the principles of papal supremacy and the sanctity of marriage. In the terrifying clash between pope and crown that Henry initiated, principle was the key difference between More and all the others who fell away. After all, he could have calmed his conscience with the thought that by appeasing the king he would live to work for change within the realm and save his family from ruin. But the principles he held rose above earthly concerns and even the legitimate care of his family.

Thomas More continues to speak to us today.

As a father I must ask myself if I bend my principles, and those of my Catholic faith, to get along in a secular society. Do I try to align the practice of my faith to the demands of a culture that says religion is fine as long as it is private and quiet, having no public effect in my life? Do I stand out, or stand up, for what is right and just, or do I tell myself it’s better to remain quiet for the sake of my family, which may be subject to ridicule or worse if I am seen as a “religious extremist”?

It is true that it may be prudent to choose my battles with the culture, and to preserve time and energy for instructing my children within the home, preparing them to face a world that will likely become even more hostile to the Catholic faith. Just think of the challenges to our faith – and the natural law – that such things as genetic manipulation and same-sex marriage will present to their generation. But I also must consider this very basic fact: If my children hear me talk about the faith, yet never see me risk to put it into practice in the public square, they may consider religion to be purely theoretical, a Sunday thing that has no application to the real world.

My children must know that I am willing to sacrifice for the faith. When it comes down to it, the truth of the Catholic faith is shown most eloquently in how it is lived, and whether one is willing to suffer for his belief, even unto death.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church” is dismissed by many today as an extremist sentiment. But even if you prefer the words of St. Francis – “Preach always, and if necessary use words” – you need to ask yourself if anyone can tell by your way of life that you are Catholic. Another way of saying it is this: if being Catholic were against the law, would I be convicted? Or do I keep my faith so much to myself that I would escape notice even during persecution?

Thomas More was pained to leave his wife and beloved daughter behind, and they would have gladly saved him from the executioner. But he knew the principle for which he lived was also worth dying for. What about me?

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(The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Headline Bistro or the Knights of Columbus.)