This week a friend sent me a homily recounting the martyrdom of Bishop Fisher for opposing Henry Vlll’s divorce. He wrote, “in defending the King’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Fisher noted how John the Baptist, as Friend of the Bridegroom, Christ, had laid down his life in defence of marriage, “since,” he said, “the violation of marriage is no little insult to Him who is called the Bridegroom.” The Pope of the day got involved; “Shortly afterwards, news reached England that Fisher had been created a cardinal by Pope Paul III. The king’s reaction was that the Pope could send Fisher the red hat whenever he liked, but he’d make sure by the time it arrived that Fisher would have to wear it on his shoulder, ‘for head he shall not have to set it on.’ Of such steel stuff were Kings, Popes and martyrs made in the middle ages. Today the odour of martyrdom is in the air as one Bishop after another professes his innocence in the face of the Murphy Report into the cover-up of child sexual abuse in the Dublin diocese. It is not as if a stand was being made against a King, who was hell-bent in ignoring the sacredness of marriage on one hand, and wielding the axe with the other. The modern martyrs are seen clinging to their crosiers when the real martyrs – those children brutalised on their watch – are living witnesses to their dereliction of duty. For the Bishops indicted in the report there will be no public execution, only resignation and some wounding of pride but for the victims of child sexual abuse the daily martyrdom of living with the loss of childhood continues. At the time of Christ’s birth King Herod was the one in authority. Having been told of the birth of a king by the wise men, he set about to eliminate any possible rival to his position. The most vulnerable in the land were easy victims and the slaughter of the innocents was his response. (St Matthew Chapter 2 Verse 18). The astonishing thing is that God sent his son into such a world. Even more astounding is that he should show his love for his own to the ultimate degree by dying in their place. And today that salvation is available to everyone who believes. Joy to the world! The Lord has come Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room And heaven and nature sing – This week a friend sent me a homily recounting the martyrdom of Bishop Fisher for opposing Henry Vlll’s divorce. He wrote, “in defending the King’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Fisher noted how John the Baptist, as Friend of the Bridegroom, Christ, had laid down his life in defence of marriage, “since,” he said, “the violation of marriage is no little insult to Him who is called the Bridegroom.” The Pope of the day got involved; “Shortly afterwards, news reached England that Fisher had been created a cardinal by Pope Paul III. The king’s reaction was that the Pope could send Fisher the red hat whenever he liked, but he’d make sure by the time it arrived that Fisher would have to wear it on his shoulder, ‘for head he shall not have to set it on.’ Of such steel stuff were Kings, Popes and martyrs made in the middle ages. Today the odour of martyrdom is in the air as one Bishop after another professes his innocence in the face of the Murphy Report into the cover-up of child sexual abuse in the Dublin diocese. It is not as if a stand was being made against a King, who was hell-bent in ignoring the sacredness of marriage on one hand, and wielding the axe with the other. The modern martyrs are seen clinging to their crosiers when the real martyrs – those children brutalised on their watch – are living witnesses to their dereliction of duty. For the Bishops indicted in the report there will be no public execution, only resignation and some wounding of pride but for the victims of child sexual abuse the daily martyrdom of living with the loss of childhood continues. At the time of Christ’s birth King Herod was the one in authority. Having been told of the birth of a king by the wise men, he set about to eliminate any possible rival to his position. The most vulnerable in the land were easy victims and the slaughter of the innocents was his response. (St Matthew Chapter 2 Verse 18). The astonishing thing is that God sent his son into such a world. Even more astounding is that he should show his love for his own to the ultimate degree by dying in their place. And today that salvation is available to everyone who believes. Joy to the world! The Lord has come Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room And heaven and nature sing –