Matthew 24:4-13
In the Collect for today’s feast we hear these words;
‘graciously grant that, strengthened through the intercession of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, we may confirm by the witness of our life the faith we profess with our lips.’
This encapsulates the basic truth that the faith into which we were baptised is something which permeates every aspect of our lives. Our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection will mean that suffering will never be far away. But by the same token, joy and new life will be within our grasp too.
When Matthew writes his Gospel and warns of persecution and danger, his hearers have already experienced the fragility of belonging to a minority group. They face hostility on all sides. Every story where Jesus meets opposition is a paradigm for the resolve that they will need as the Christian community grows. Matthew’s urges them not to be ‘alarmed’. To be followers of the Way necessarily involves suffering.
When we celebrate Sts John Fisher and Thomas More we celebrate the potential of every human being to be single-hearted and to choose what is noble and true.
Where in your life is Christ calling you to be single hearted?