Sts. Fisher, Moore and Mom

Today is the feast of St. Thomas Moore and St. John Fisher. St. Thomas is well known to us from the movie A Man for All Seasons, but St. John is an interesting saint as well. Blogger and author Stephanie Mann  spoke on a Catholic  radio talk about how St. John had been friends with Henry VII and with Lady Margaret Beaufort (Henry VIII’s grandmother). In fact, he said the funeral mass for both of them. He was very close to the family and knew young Henry from boyhood. It amazes me then that Henry VIII so could be so stiff necked in his views that he could have John Fisher executed! But he did. That would be like having one of our beloved parish priests killed over a difference of opinion – it’s unthinkable.

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Thomas Moore was the epitome of a loving husband and father, as well as having a faithfulness to his position and a love and respect for knowledge.  But most of all he was “the King’s good servant, but God’s first.”

These are a few of my favorite scenes from A Man for All Seasons. I love the wit and the great logic of Thomas Moore. Please enjoy!

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Six years ago today my mother died.  So many times I still want to pick up the phone and talk to her about just anything.  I wonder what she would think of Calvin getting married, and about Sam and Gabe out in the world.  I know she would be going to meets with me to cheer for Rosie and Noah, and she would probably hang some of Izzy’s art work on her wall.  And I know she would hold her great-granddaughter as often and as long as she could.

I would have loved picking out dresses for the wedding with her. She agonized over her dresses as much as I did over mine.  I wonder what advice she would have for me being the mother of the groom?

I wonder what she would think of current events, like Chris Jenner and so-called same sex marriage?  She would always be kind, of course.  But she would not back down from the truth. Ever.  I know she would have been anxiously awaiting the supreme court decisions sometime this month.

It has always been interesting to me that God took my mother home on this particular Feast day.  St. Thomas Moore and St. John Fisher really died for the sanctity of marriage.  

As I always try to find the reason for things and why they happen when they do, it finally  made sense to me why God would call my mother home on this day. Mom had not made a wise marriage choice and she did not have a happy marriage, in fact she spent more time alone than with my father. But she always loved him, she remained loyal to him, she never divorced, she took care of him when he got ill and she grieved his death. So if there was ever anyone that suffered for marriage- she did!  I guess that gives her something in common with St. Thomas Moore and St. John Fisher.

And if one of the primary ends of marriage was to have children and raise them to love the Lord – she did that too, not only with her daughters but with her grandchildren as well.  She truly was God’s good servant.