Saint of the Day:

St. Thomas Becket (1118-1170)

A strong man who wavered for a moment, but then learned one cannot come to terms with evil and so became a strong churchman, a martyr and a saint—that was Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in his cathedral on December 29, 1170.

His career had been a stormy one. While archdeacon of Canterbury, he was made chancellor of England at the age of 36 by his friend King Henry II. When Henry felt it advantageous to make his chancellor the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas gave him fair warning: he might not accept all of Henry’s intrusions into Church affairs. Nevertheless, he was made archbishop (1162), resigned his chancellorship and reformed his whole way of life!

Troubles began. Henry insisted upon usurping Church rights. At one time, supposing some conciliatory action possible, Thomas came close to compromise. He momentarily approved the Constitutions of Clarendon, which would have denied the clergy the right of trial by a Church court and prevented them from making direct appeal to Rome. But Thomas rejected the Constitutions, fled to France for safety and remained in exile for seven years. When he returned to England, he suspected it would mean certain death. Because Thomas refused to remit censures he had placed upon bishops favored by the king, Henry cried out in a rage, “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest!” Four knights, taking his words as his wish, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral.

Thomas Becket remains a hero-saint down to our own times.

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1244

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The Immaculate Conception:

December 8th is a Holy day of obligation for Catholics. The Immaculate Conception is often misunderstood by non-Catholics and Catholics alike. The Immaculate Conception is not the same as the Virgin Birth, rather it is the doctrine of the Church that Mary, the Mother of God was conceived without the stain of original sin. A lot of people take exception to this doctrine thinking that this equates Mary to some level of divinity. This is not so. Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin by the Grace of God, not by her own doing. Since it is a Holy day of obligation I invite everyone to take the time to read up on the Immacute Conception.

For further reading on the Immaculate Conception:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm


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What's your theological worldview?

Here is how I scored:

You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you.

Roman Catholic 100%

Neo orthodox 82%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 79%

Fundamentalist 43%

Reformed Evangelical 36%

Charismatic/Pentecostal 29%

Emergent/Postmodern 25%

Classical Liberal 21%

Modern Liberal 4%

No suprise here!

Take the quiz and find out where you fall: http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=43870

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