St. Thomas Becket died for the rights of the Church, under the reigning king, Henry II. He was martyred while he was giving mass and he was enabled to be willing to die for the faith that he loved. Thomas stands for the principle of God against Caesar. Somewhere between these two points, between these respective duties, comes a dividing line, where the territories meet. A man of conscience must decide on which side he …showed first 75 words of 1669 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1669 total…men. Even the king made reparation and did penance at his shrine. He teaches us that we must be prepared to face persecution and even death for our faith and for the rights of the Church against the state. In most European countries today the state is supreme--God and religion have no place. We are soldiers of Christ, confirmed and anointed with the holy chrism; let us be strong and fearless then in our endeavor.