{"id":34205,"date":"2012-12-29T02:00:21","date_gmt":"2012-12-29T10:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=34205"},"modified":"2012-12-29T10:32:23","modified_gmt":"2012-12-29T18:32:23","slug":"34205","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/34205\/","title":{"rendered":"Becket and Chaucer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Saint<\/a><\/p>\n

Each year on this, his feast day, I write<\/a> a short article<\/a> about Saint Thomas Becket. Having the birth name “Thomas”, I take Becket and Aquinas as patrons.<\/p>\n

Last year<\/a>, I quoted a small passage from G.K. Chesterton on the matter of Becket’s martyrdom. <\/p>\n

T<\/span>his year, I’d like to focus a moment on the idea of pilgrimage<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Following his death, Thomas was recognized as a martyr and a saint almost immediately by the people of Britain. His tomb at Canterbury became a center of pilgrimage from all over Europe, and indeed Chaucer’s pilgrims <\/a>were bound for it.<\/p>\n

What is it that draws us to these holy places? The venerable Douay Catechism<\/em> of 1649 has this to say:<\/p>\n

\nQ.<\/strong> How do you prove it lawful to go on pilgrimages to the shrines of Saints?<\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Because, as you have read already, their relics are holy and venerable things, and God is pleased to work great cures and miracles by them for such as are devout honourers of them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While treating of the licety of pilgrimage, the Catechism also gives a spiritual reason: cures and miracles. In addition, many people also go as a penance. Some people go as a prayer, either for themselves or for others. Some walk in thanksgiving. Some are trying to fill that God-sized hole in their hearts. <\/p>\n

Some folks are just going for a long walk.<\/p>\n

As I’ve written elsewhere, I feel simply called to the Camino<\/a>. Who can know God’s reasons?<\/p>\n

Perhaps I am simply joining Chaucer’s company.<\/p>\n

\n

When fair April with his showers sweet,
\nHas pierced the drought of March to the root’s feet
\nAnd bathed each vein in liquid of such power,
\nIts strength creates the newly springing flower;<\/p>\n

When the West Wind too, with his sweet breath,
\nHas breathed new life – in every copse and heath –
\nInto each tender shoot, and the young sun
\nFrom Aries moves to Taurus on his run,
\nAnd those small birds begin their melody,
\n(The ones who ‘sleep` all night with open eye,)
\nThen nature stirs them up to such a pitch
\nThat folk all long to go on pilgrimage<\/p>\n

And wandering travellers tread new shores, strange strands,
\nSeek out far shrines, renowned in many lands,
\nAnd specially from every shire’s end
\nOf England to Canterbury they wend
\nThe holy blessed martyr there to seek,
\nWho has brought health to them when they were sick.<\/p>\n

Geofrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales<\/em>
\nPrologue (in Modern English)
\n(source<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Previous articles on Saint Thomas Becket:<\/p>\n

2011: Saint Thomas Becket<\/a> (G.K. Chesterton on Becket\u2019s martyrdom)
\n2010: Becket<\/a> (Becket, More, and Henry VIII (that jerk))
\n2009: Saint Thomas Becket<\/a> (Becket’s martrydom, an eyewitness account)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each year on this, his feast day, I write a short article about Saint Thomas Becket. Having the birth name “Thomas”, I take Becket and Aquinas as patrons. Last year, I quoted a small passage from G.K. Chesterton on the matter of Becket’s martyrdom. This year, I’d like to focus a moment on the idea of pilgrimage. Following his death, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40,15,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camino","category-meditations","category-saint"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s1aGBK-34205","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":106063,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/fifth-day-of-christmas-becket-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":34205,"position":0},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: Saint Thomas Becket","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Today the Church celebrates the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Even the White House has released a proclamation for the day. While the history is good, its conclusion - drawing a straight line from Becket to Magna Carta to the U.S. Constitution - is, to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/St-Thomas-Becket.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/St-Thomas-Becket.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/St-Thomas-Becket.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":107428,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-fifth-day-of-christmas-saint-thomas-becket-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":34205,"position":1},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: Saint Thomas Becket and His Liturgical Celebration","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Over the years, I've written many articles on this, one of my favourite saints. I've provided links to them below. Many of these articles focus on the saint himself, his life and martyrdom, and others on his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Holy Days"","block_context":{"text":"Holy Days","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/holy-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/martyrdom_of_st_thomas_becket.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109279,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-fifth-day-of-christmas-the-holy-family\/","url_meta":{"origin":34205,"position":2},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: the Holy Family","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, the Church usually celebrates the memorial of\u00a0Saint Thomas Becket. Because it's the Sunday in the Octave of Christmas, it is instead the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In the Holy Family, God gives us a living icon of family life: child, mother, father. Russian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Gerrit_van_Honthorst_Holy_Family_in_the_Carpentry_Shop_525.jpg?fit=525%2C440&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Gerrit_van_Honthorst_Holy_Family_in_the_Carpentry_Shop_525.jpg?fit=525%2C440&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Gerrit_van_Honthorst_Holy_Family_in_the_Carpentry_Shop_525.jpg?fit=525%2C440&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":110147,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-fifth-day-of-christmas-thomas-and-henry\/","url_meta":{"origin":34205,"position":3},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: Thomas and Henry","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, the Church celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Over the years, I've written many articles on this, one of my favourite saints. I've provided links to them below. Many of these articles focus on the saint himself, his life and martyrdom, and others on his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Annual"","block_context":{"text":"Annual","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/annual\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/St-Thomas-Becket.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/St-Thomas-Becket.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/St-Thomas-Becket.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":108230,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/the-fifth-day-of-christmas-saint-thomas-becket-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":34205,"position":4},"title":"The Fifth Day of Christmas: the Liturgy of Saint Thomas Becket","author":"Thom","date":"29 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Over the years, I've written many articles on this, one of my favourite saints. I've provided links to them below. 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