Dec
29
Power, Anger & Fear
December 29, 2007 |
Yesterday, we dealt with the devastating consequences of one man’s fear for his power - Herod and his massacre of the Holy Innocents.
Today, we deal with the devastating consequences of one man’s anger arising from his thirst for power - King Henry II and the assassination of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Here’s how the story shapes up - St. Thomas was a former Lord Chancellor for Henry II (think of a modern day presidential chief of staff). He was very good at advising Henry and became very close to the king. St. Thomas was then appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury, the primary see in England.
As archbishop, St. Thomas turned against Henry and took him on when the king tried to usurp the Church’s authority and use Church property for his benefit. Henry got angry, brought St. Thomas up on charges against the crown, and St. Thomas escaped off to exile in France. After six years, Henry relented (under threat of excommunication) and St. Thomas returned to his see - and he continued his stout defense of the Church. It is at this point that things get really ugly.
Henry was in Normandy, sick and bed-ridden. He was informed of recent actions of St. Thomas that showed the Archbishop wasn’t backing down. The king then let loose with an outburst something along the lines of “who will rid me of this turbulent priest”. Four knights heard his “command” and went off to Canterbury to find and murder St. Thomas. They succeeded on this date in 1170 while St. Thomas was in the Cathedral.
Reaction was swift. The faithful unleashed an outpouring of devotion for St. Thomas - people started declaring him a martyr. Pope Alexander III canonized him in 1173 (three years after his death). Henry II ended up going to St. Thomas’ tomb in 1174 and doing public penance.
So, what do we take from this unfortunate tale? For me, it’s that the thirst for power can lead us down a road so dark that eventually we get to a place from which we can’t find our way back. And that our anger can lead to some rather tragic and ugly consequences. For Henry, his thirst for power and his impetuous anger led to a grave crisis in the Church, turmoil in his realm, and the murder of a shepherd of Christ.
Whether it’s Herod or Henry - or you or me - we must check our thirst for power in whatever form that thirst may take. And we must hold in check our fear and anger in all instances - or watch these emotions devolve into unintended and potentially castostrophic consequences.
Fear and anger take us away from Christ. We cannot carry out his plan for us if we are afraid and angry. Let’s keep in mind that the opposite of fear is hope - the opposite of anger is love - both are two of the three theological virtues. We need those two virtues now more than ever. We have a plethora of modern day tragedies akin to the Holy Innocents and St. Thomas Becket occurring on our watch. A little more hope and a little more love in this world will ensure these types of tragedies become a thing for the history books.
Painting: Earliest known portrayal of the murder of St. Thomas Becket
