Saints Thomas More and John Fischer were contemporaries, born in England, who gathered the wrath of King Henry VIII as they refused to give in to his selfish demands, betraying their conscience.

John Fisher was born in England in 1469. After he was ordained a priest, the royal family appointed him tutor for Prince Henry, who became King Henry VIII. In 1504, Fisher became bishop of Rochester and also chancellor of Cambridge University. He was very sympathetic and paid special attention towards the poor. Fischer wrote eight books against heresy, and Henry, then king, was proud to be his friend.

However, the friendship turned bitter when King Henry claimed that his marriage to Catherine, his brother’s widow, was not valid. Henry had become tired of Catherine and was interested in Anne Boleyn, who was quite young and beautiful. His request for a divorce was refused by the pope, and Bishop Fisher supported this decision. Fischer was strong enough to resist signing the document siding with King Henry, though all the other bishops of England had signed it.

Six months later, Henry had the parliament write another document, the Oath of Supremacy, claiming that he was supreme head of the Catholic Church in England. Again Bishop Fisher refused to sign on it. This made the king furious and the bishop was sentenced to prison in 1534 on the charge of high treason. Meanwhile, the pope declared the jailed bishop a cardinal. Fisher was kept in prison for 14 months without a trial and in June, 1535, he was condemned to death by beheading.

Thomas More was born in 1477 in London, as the son of Sir John More, who was a lawyer and judge. Thomas wanted to become a priest, but then entered law school.

Besides being a shrewd lawyer, Thomas was a charming, witty man, who won the friendship of the king. Henry VIII began his rule of England as a devout king. Later, the King asked Thomas to approve of the divorce he wanted and Thomas refused it. This obviously infuriated the King. In the meantime, Thomas had become chancellor of England. Henry wanted Thomas on his side. However, even while every bishop except John Fisher signed the Oath of Supremacy, Thomas refused to sign. He resigned as chancellor and retired to his country home, hoping for a quiet life with his family.

However, Thomas was sent to prison by the King. He was kept in the Tower of London for more than a year. All these while, the king tried hard to make him change his mind, but Thomas stood his ground. He knew that his stand would mean certain death for him and disgrace for his family, but he followed his conscience. Finally, after suffering hunger, cold, and loneliness, Thomas was led out to be beheaded on July 6.

Seeing that the masked swordsman was quite nervous, Thomas said, “Be not afraid, for you send me to God.” Then he said to the crowd, “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”

Other Saints of the Day
1. Saint Alban of Britain
2. Saint Consortia
3. Saint Eberbard
4. Saint Nicetas of Remesiana
5. Saint Paulinus of Nola

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