ST, THOMAS MORE - 1

St. Thomas More - 1
The website – cinops be gone – Sunday, December 21, 2008

It is an honor to review a classic biography of St. Thomas More. He is the patron and model of this website. The Life and writings of St. Thomas More is the subtitle to James Monti’s “The King’s Good Servant But God’s First” Ignatius, /97
Introduction - Excerpts

In the vast sweeping drama of human history we sometimes encounter individuals whose lives especially captivate each succeeding generation – men and women who shaped their own time have helped to shape our own….

Just such a figure is St. Thomas More. Over the course of time this popular humanist scholar and Lord Chancellor of England has won the hearts of many with a universal appeal that often seems to transcend religious and ideological boundaries. Unfortunately, this very popularity has tended to obscure the underlying force that molded More’s destiny – his faith. …

If More has been misunderstood, it is undoubtedly due in part to the fact that for most of the four and a half centuries have passed since his death,…
It is hence our purpose here to present a new portrait of Thomas More in the light of his writings – most especially his writings on the Church and on the spiritual life. … we will discover a fundamental theme of More’s apologetical writings: a passionate dedication to the unity of the Church, a unity of faith that he saw as necessitating assent to all her teachings and obedience to her ordained ministers....

Thus we will be able to see More’s trial for treason in Westminster Hall and his execution on Tower Hill, not as the product of some sudden impulse of heroism, but rather as the concluding and crowning act of witness in a long-fought battle to preserve England’s thousand-year communion with the See of Peter.

It is likewise important to understand that Thomas More not only believed in Catholicism, he lived it. … Key to our understanding will be the recognition of three fundamental traits of the saint’s inner life: his consciousness of the mystery of man’s mortality, his pervasive devotion to the passion of Christ, and his deep love for the Holy Eucharist. … But it is also possible to discern other characteristics of More’s spirituality: his intense prayer life, his acts of penance and works of mercy, his devotion to the Heart of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as his love of the Scriptures and the sacred liturgy….

What the author has attempted to do is to give the reader an outline of the major facets of the Reformation relevant to the life of Thomas More, … Over the last twenty years it seems that the saint has been put on trial again, charged with the supposed “treason” of being too ardent defender of Catholic orthodoxy. …
It will be our purpose here to demonstrate that the secret to More’s greatness lay precisely in the reasoned ardor of his Catholic convictions….
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PUBLIC NOTICE: It is with regret that CINOPS BE GONE - Censures Catholic-label politicians Attorney General Jerry Brown, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi for their WRITTEN and SPOKEN support of same-sex marriage. Hopefully other individuals or Catholic groups will do likewise.

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