Subj : June 22nd - Saint John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr To : All From : rich Date : Sat Jun 20 2020 09:51:57 From: rich June 22nd - Saint John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr c.1469-1535 The long agony of the Church in England, beginning in the reign of Henry VIII, had for one of its first and most illustrious victims Saint John Fisher, the bishop of Rochester. =C2 Born in Yorkshire in 1469, Fisher was sent to Cambridge University at 14, was ordained there in 1491, and served there in various positions until he was named chancellor of the university in 1504. =C2 In 1502 he had been made chaplain to Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII. =C2 With her financial assistance, Cambridge developed into one of the finest universities of Europe. =C2 As chancellor, Fisher brought the humanist Erasmus to teach at Cambridge, restored Greek and Hebrew to the curriculum, and multiplied many times over the meager library of some 300 books. =C2 Unlike so many scholars of the time, Fisher had something besides learning: his spirit could not grow in knowledge alone, and love of the cross led him to associate a hair shirt and the use of a discipline with his scholarly work. Appointed bishop of Rochester when he was only 35 (he had refused richer sees), the saint was as conscientious and successful as he had been at Cambridge. =C2 Administering the diocese and the university, producing scholarly works in opposition to the Lutherans, Bishop Fisher was soon the outstanding prelate in England. =C2 This, at least, was the opinion of Henry VIII, who early in his reign often spoke glowingly of the qualities of "his Rochester." As time passed, however, and Henry became increasingly preoccupied with Anne Boleyn, his appreciation for the bishop grew considerably less. =C2 In 1529, when the king began divorce proceedings against his wife, Catherine, Fisher spoke against the legality of the action. =C2 Henry began insinuating that the bishop was a traitor, the charge that later became standard for anyone who opposed the will of the monarch, even in religious matters. =C2 The Oath of Succession, which acknowledged Henry as supreme head of the English Church, was the next test; when Fisher refused to take the oath (almost alone, with Thomas More, among the distinguished men of England to see the issue clearly and refuse), a trial for treason was the result, with a verdict of guilty that was never in doubt. =C2 This was in June 1535; Fisher had been in prison for months, and while there had been sent a cardinal's hat by Pope Paul III, an action that hastened his trial by further enraging the king against him. Awakened on the morning of June 21, and told that this was to be the day of his execution, the bishop asked to have a little more sleep, as he had had a restless night; after two hours of sound slumber, he awoke, ready for what was to follow. =C2 Taking up his New Testament he read the consoling text: "Now this is everlasting life, that they may know thee, the only true God, and him whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ. =C2 I have glorified thee on earth; I have accomplished the work that thou hast given me to do" (John 17:3-4). =C2 On Tower Hill, facing the huge mob that had come to see him die, the bishop spoke to the people calmly, telling them that he was dying--for "the faith of the Catholic Church and of Christ," and asking them to pray for him. =C2 He was beheaded, and Henry, in a last vengeful gesture, had the head of the saint exposed on London Bridge for two weeks and then thrown into the Thames. =C2 In 1935, Pope Pius XI canonized both Fisher and Thomas More, who was executed a few days after the bishop. This Version taken from: http://www.geocities.com/barats2000/Feasts.html Saint Quote A servant of God signifies one who has a great charity towards his neighbor, and an inviolable resolution to follow in everything the Divine Will; who bears with his own deficiencies, and patiently supports the imperfections of others. --St. Francis de Sales Bible Quote And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller's herb: And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice. (Malachias 3:2-3) DRB <><><><> God Our Preserver [3] In Him we live and move and are =C2 (Acts xvii. 28.) If God had merely created us and then left us to ourselves, there would have been some excuse for our forgetting how completely we belong to Him. But we are not like a picture that the artist finishes and then leaves to itself. God continues throughout our whole life the act of creation in the shape of preservation. Without this we should at once lapse into our previous nothingness. We depend upon Him for our being as the rivulet depends on the spring, or the smoke on the fire. But we not only live in Him, we also move in Him. He co-operates with our every action. We cannot lift a hand or move a finger, unless He not only sanctions the act but actually helps us to perform it. Every breath we breathe, every pulsation of our heart, depends on God's co-operation. How completely dependent we are on Him! How careful should we be that our every action is one suitable to the Divine co-operation! God does more than this. He not only preserves us, but tends us with watchful care, delivers us from dangers, warns us when we are going wrong, shows a never failing interest in us, and an unceasing desire for our happiness. For all this we are dependent on Him! What folly then to neglect one to whom we owe everything. Pray for a sense of continual dependence on God. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .