The Cell of St. Thomas More in the Tower of London
“Give me the grace, Good Lord… To walk the narrow way that leads to life.”
St. Thomas More
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls His disciples to follow Him on the way of the cross, embracing all trials and tribulations, and strengthened by the discipline of a loving Father to enter the narrow gate that leads to eternal life.
Because of His great love for us, Jesus invites us to repent and follow Him on the path of sacrifice and obedience that leads to life. Only in this way will we be strong enough to enter by the narrow gate. But now, perhaps more than ever, the full truth of Jesus’s message is often drowned out by false teachers who encourage God’s children to follow the wide and easy path to perdition. The world seems to prefer Christianity without the cross; mercy without truth; love without discipline; salvation without repentance. Sadly, many will reject the disciplined life in favor of the deceptively attractive path to destruction.
As Catholics, we are called to live out the fullness of the Gospel message with courage, even if it means standing against the tide of popular opinion. One subject of contention today concerns the Christian understanding of marriage. Marriage has already been “redefined” in some areas of law, which means that speaking in defense of Church teachings on marriage can lead to accusations of bigotry, intolerance, and even lawsuits. Still, Catholics are called to speak the truth on this important issue, with gentleness and love but without hesitation or compromise.
St. Thomas More, a wonderful example for our times, gave his life in defense of marriage. By quietly and steadfastly refusing to recognize King Henry VIII’s unlawful divorce and remarriage, he lost everything – his prestigious position as Chancellor was first to go, then his imprisonment deprived him of the comfort of home and family, until finally, he gave his life for his beliefs. Yet to the end, he considered his sacrifice as nothing, praying, “Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss at naught, for the winning of Christ.”
In these times, when the sanctity of marriage and family is under attack as never before, let us pray that we, too, have the courage stand for the truth despite the consequences, knowing we are always in the hands of a loving Father.
A prayer written by Saint Thomas More while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London, awaiting execution by King Henry VIII.
Give me the grace, Good Lord.
To set the world at naught. To set the mind firmly on You and not to hang upon the words of men’s mouths.
To be content to be solitary. Not to long for worldly pleasures. Little by little utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind of all its business.
Not to long to hear of earthly things, but that the hearing of worldly fancies may be displeasing to me.
Gladly to be thinking of God, piteously to call for His help. To lean into the comfort of God. Busily to labor to love Him.
To know my own vileness and wretchedness. To humble myself under the mighty hand of God.
To bewail my sins and, for the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity.
Gladly to bear my purgatory here. To be joyful in tribulations. To walk the narrow way that leads to life.
To have the last thing in remembrance. To have ever before my eyes my death that is ever at hand.
To make death no stranger to me. To foresee and consider the everlasting fire of Hell.
To pray for pardon before the judge comes.
To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me.
For His benefits unceasingly to give Him thanks.
To buy the time again that I have lost. To abstain from vain conversations. To shun foolish mirth and gladness. To cut off unnecessary recreations.
Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss at naught, for the winning of Christ.
To think my worst enemies my best friends, for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred.
These minds are more to be desired of every man than all the treasures of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen, were it gathered and laid together all in one heap.
Amen
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