St. Thomas Beckett
One
Today is the Feast of Thomas Beckett, a martyr.
Thomas Beckett lived in 12th-century England. He came from a prosperous merchant family, and his early life was marked by a pursuit of worldly pleasures and ambitions. His charm, intelligence, and administrative abilities caught the eye of Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury, who appointed him Archdeacon of Canterbury and later recommended him to King Henry II.
At 36, he was appointed Chancellor by King Henry II, a position which made him the second highest authority in the kingdom. During his tenure, he lived a life of luxury and indulgence, enjoying a close friendship with the king. They shared a love for hunting, feasting and drinking, and military campaigns. Beckett's worldly lifestyle, however, took a dramatic turn when he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162. This position, traditionally reserved for a deeply religious individual, conflicted with his luxurious life.
After his consecration, Beckett underwent a profound personal conversion and transformation. He committed to a deep life of prayer, penance, and the duties of his office. This change led to conflict with King Henry II, especially over the rights and privileges of the Church. The most significant point of contention was the Constitutions of Clarendon, by which Henry sought to have authority and power over the Church which Beckett opposed and spoke out against. Beckett's opposition led to his exile in France for six years.
Upon his return to England in 1170, tensions escalated. In an outburst of rage, King Henry made some statement wishing someone would get rid of Beckett. Misinterpreting a frustrated outburst from King Henry II, four knights looking for a way to gain the favor of King Henry set out at once, traveled to Canterbury, and murdered Beckett in his own cathedral on December 29, 1170. Beckett’s final words as the sword struck him in the head were, “For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church I am ready to embrace death.”
Two
If you speak out against evil, you may suffer for it. So should you speak out publicly against evil and falsehood? And if so, when?
While there isn’t any exact formula, the following five prudential principles can help you make good decisions about when you should and shouldn’t weigh in on a given issue.
First of all, you don’t have to tell everyone everything. Sure, you can never speak or endorse a lie, but sometimes you can just keep silent. No one should be spouting their opinion on every issue, or every current event. If you’re constantly proclaiming your views to the world, that’s a sign, probably, that you need to step back and be more selective about picking your battles.
Secondly, one must determine the seriousness of the falsehood being disseminated. Is this a crucial issue, say, about Christ and His Church, or about life or death? Is it something you think immortal souls depend on? Or is it something less urgent, say, a pet peeve, or a false conception you’re tired of hearing about?
Thirdly, what is your authority and potential impact? A Bishop has a greater authority and potential to effect change in the minds of people than a layman when it comes to matters of faith and morals. A doctor may have a greater authority and impact defending the unborn than an accountant. So we must ask ourselves, do I have a competency or authority or potential impact that others will not have? If so, then I have a greater responsibility to speak out on that subject. Am I competent to respond effectively relative to others who might speak the truth?
Three
Appeal to a higher authority
One strategy could be that rather than speaking from your own authority, instead recommend to people some more competent authority to read or listen to on an issue. The best authority to lead people to is Jesus in the Gospel and his teaching in the Catechism.
However, if every competent authority is silent, then someone must speak out. It may be that you have to speak, because those who could speak better and more effectively have chosen not to.
Fourthly, what are the goods you realistically stand to lose for speaking the truth? Do you stand to lose the esteem of those who are complicit with sin and the persecutors of truth? Then, so what? Why would you want their esteem in the first place? Do you stand realistically to lose your job? Well, what is the likelihood you can get another? Do you stand you lose your company? How many families rely on you for work?
This isn’t the only consideration, but it is a crucial consideration. You owe those close to you, and especially your dependents, more than you owe an anonymous public. Of course, that includes your example, and your family may benefit from seeing you be publicly ridiculed. But in any case, you have to ask, how will your stand affect you and those around you?
Four
The fifth principle asks, what is your motivation? Why do you want to speak out or why would you choose to remain silent? There are good and bad reasons for both. Do you want to speak out because you are experiencing a personal inconvenience that makes you angry? Conversely, are you afraid to speak out because it may cost you some personal inconvenience but not a real loss of significant good things?
Our fears and disordered attachments to our ego, comfort, and selfishness can cause us to speak when we should be silent and to remain silent when we should speak out. We must examine our motivations and ask ourselves, “Am I the kind of person who is more likely to be timid and silent when I should speak out or am I more likely to be brash and speak out when I should keep my mouth shut?”
Know yourself and try to counterbalance your excesses so that you can stay in the middle course, which is closest to virtue.
Five
The Need for Prudent Courage
We must be courageous which means we must be willing to sacrifice lesser things for the sake of greater things, even to the point of sacrificing our lives. However, courage must be guided by prudence, therefore we need to be strategic. There are two tragedies in life: To die on the wrong hill and to not die on the right one. We must have the courage to lose things for the right cause. At the same time, we don’t want to stupidly throw away our reputation, our profession, or our freedoms, dying on every hill in sight.
Plan out ahead of time what hill you are willing to die on professionally, socially, and physically. What hill would you die on? What issue would you be willing to truly sacrifice for? Try to make this as realistic as possible.
Would you be willing to sacrifice lifestyle and comfort to have more children? Would you be willing to lose your reputation to defend the lives of unborn children? And are you willing to defend the truth that Jesus Christ continues to teach today through the Pope on matters of faith and morals therefore we owe our obedience to him in faith and morals and we refuse to attack the authority of his office. St. Thomas Beckett was not only willing, but he did give his life to defend the authority of the Pope.
Good people may disagree with you on whether you should die on this hill but that might be because it’s not their hill but yours. However, if there is no hill that you will die on, if there is no greater cause for which you’d sacrifice yourself, then that means you are a coward.
Finally, there are millions, maybe even billions of people in the world who think the atheistic secularism consuming our world is crazy. But they are scared and discouraged. They need and want to be encouraged by courageous Christians who are willing to sacrifice lesser goods in order to defend greater things. Discouragement is best overcome by the witness of the brave. So be among the brave. Not the reckless, not the cowardly, but the brave.