Feast of St. Thomas More & St. John Fisher ~ July 9 (Traditional)

Today is the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher on the (Traditional/Latin) Catholic Calendar. My previous post contained a rather timely quote from St. John Fisher, and so I have decided to post one as well from More. It is also timely, but in a much more personal way. 

Many times in life we are asked to do things, we are accused of things, and have things placed upon ourselves which are unjust but that the world has no other way of doing. Our conscience must guide us to do as God wills, accept some pain, but escape harm. 

Saint Thomas More:

“My case was such in this matter through the clearness of my own conscience that though I might have pain I could not have harm, for a man may in such a case lose his head and not have harm.”
—“Letter to Margaret Roper,” from the Tower, June 3, 1535

Saints Thomas More and John Fisher

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Ora Pro Nobis 

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Saint Thomas More, Feast Day: June 22

Today is the feast of St. Thomas More, someone that is very important to me as someone trained in the law. His statue sat at the center of our library in law school and his example is one that should be followed by all.

I have read many descriptions and explanations of him today on various blogs. His fidelity to the church, his protection of marriage, his willingness to die God's faithful servant, and his commitment to his virtues. What I look to St. Thomas More for, is the nature of his leadership. His compass always pointed north, and based on his words we see that he was a steady and upright ship during his entire life, cut short by the sharp "knife" of a desperate and Machiavellian King. Compromise to him meant moving that which was moveable, and securing that which was fixed. Ultimately, his fidelity to the Church was the catalyst for his martyrdom.

As Catholics we would be well served to learn more about More and his life and using it as a template for our own lives, especially those of us in the law and in public service. He died to preserve the Church and to prevent it from becoming a cafeteria where those in charge could pick and chose those teachings which suited them best. He stood quiet when words would have no affect, and yet spoke loudly when others feared to use words that would cause them criticism and unpopularity but were demanded of by the faith.

St. Thomas More - Pray for the Church, for our leaders, and
St. Thomas More ~ Ora Pro NOBIS!


Links:
The Center for Thomas More Studies (Website)
A Man for All Seasons (Movie)
The Life of St. Thomas More (Book)

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John Corapi: "Unleashed!" - Closure? or New Beginnings?

A lot has been said in the past few days regarding John Corapi (fka - Father Corapi). Much of the commentary came as off the cuff comments by bloggers. I am sure some thoughtfully wrote their posts and a few might have even prayed before doing so.

Regardless, there was an onslaught of commentary and discussion surrounding the situation. Lost in all of that was what this all means moving forward for John Corapi, his old message, and his new one. Many felt that there was a lack of 'Closure' in all of this.

Well, John Corapi answered those cries with a blog-page called: "Unleashed!" which appears to be a portal for messages to the faithful. His first communication is a MP3 Audio clip. It appears to be a closure message and a "what's to come" sort of message. I wont dissect the audio, I am sure there are plenty of bloggers that will do so with much juicier adjectives than I would use, but I do have some thoughts to the situation overall.

My thoughts...

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If you are like me, and liked the old John Corapi, or at least his message then this whole thing came as a shock to you. Even if you weren't a fan of Corapi, as a Catholic, you took no joy in hearing that another "big name" priest had been accused of some wrong doing. The Ash Wednesday allegation, the weeks of blogging speculation, the questions over his shows on EWTN, etc... You wondered if you had been duped, lied to, tricked, or if this was just another case of a fallen man doing what we do best - failing and falling.

I thought back to the Midnight airings of his old programs that I would listen to on the way home during Law School, or the videos that I watched on VHS copied and loaned or given to me by other Catholics wanting to share his powerful message. I thought of what was being said, and could understand peoples frustration - for some a hero had fallen and for some there was little surprise because when you live by the sword it is often found that you die by that same sword.

Then it was a couple months of silence, until this past friday when: BAM! Like a bomb going off, a shockingly unexpected announcement with more questions than answers. All sorts of thoughts entered my mind. I had a way I wanted this to work out. I wanted him to be cleared of wrong doing, I wanted him to graciously come back to his ministry with a renewed vigor - and I guess he is, but not in the way I expected or wanted. So it raised all these questions, again, in my mind. Was his message always flawed? Was I foolish for liking him? Should I be supporting him now? Is he right?

There was half of me that wanted to say: "Yes, if what he is saying is true, than YES! His message needs to get out!" The other half said: "3 months really? Didn't Padre Pio suffer for years?" I also pained about his old message. Sure, we can try and remove a message from a man, but at what expense. More tangibly, all the old Corapi videos: can I watch them with the same respect and vigor? Do they say and mean the same thing that they once did? It was, and is, so confusing. I want to like him, I want to support him, and I want his message to carry on. It was, or is, or whatever - he says powerful things, always has and always will. I just guess, the stuff he said in the past was powerful because it was coming from a priest on the front lines of the battle of good and evil. Now... I don't know what or who he is. I want to support him, as a person, but can we separate a man from his message. 


Mindy from the Devout Life tweeted shortly after the announcement:

I understand that sentiment. There are tried and true Saints in our Church that we can cling to and look for for spiritual guidance. But mere men, that is a dangerous, dangerous thing. The Devil, powers and principalities attack those that do the most good - we know that, so we shouldn't be shocked to see Corapi attacked, we also shouldn't be surprised if that same man, a mere man, makes mistakes in how he responds to those attacks.

So those of us, that were or are Corapi supporters, we are left wishing and hoping things could be different. We don't know where this will all go, but for now it tears us up. Not that I ever pinned my soul to his back, but he was influential in my conversion and my strengthening in the faith. I want to support him... The last thing I want though, is to follow someone that I find instructive and admirable only to wind up more lost than when I started. I pray that isn't the case in the long run with Corapi, but we never can tell. With men... there is no certainty, only with God.

I guess the best thing I can do right now is pray, and to listen to the advice of St. Thomas More, someone that the Church has determined to be a valid source of reason and faith:

"I never intend, God being my good Lord, to pin my soul to another man’s back, not even the best man that I know this day living: for I know not where he may hap to carry it.”

—Dialogue on Conscience, to his daughter, in prison, August 1534

Credit

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PSA - Netflix: A Man for All Seasons

A quick Public Service Announcement:

I am house-sitting for a family that has Netflix. While searching for various movies to watch I realized that they have "A Man For All Seasons" in their "Instant" library. It is about the climax of St. Thomas More's life and his run-in with King Henry VIII.

If you have access... you should take the 2 hours out of your day and watch it.

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