Thomas means depth, or twofold, or cut down. And indeed, there was depth in his great humility, for we read that he wore a shirt of haircloth and washed the feet of the poor; he was twofold in his office, for he taught the people with words and good deeds; he was cut down in his martyrdom.

Thomas of Canterbury, while he was at the court of the King of England, was witness to many acts which were contra to the good of religion. He left the court therefore, and took refuge with the bishop of Canterbury, who ordained him archdeacon. But later, at the bishop's request, he accepted the office of chancellor to the king, in order that the wisdom with which he was endowed might enable him to halt the attacks of evil men upon the Church. And the king conceived so strong an affection for him that at the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury, he offered to nominate Thomas in his place. After long resistance Thomas bowed his shoulders to receive the archiepiscopal mantle, so great was his obedience. And at once the dignity of his office made of him a new, and absolutely perfect man. He began to mortify his flesh by fasting and with the hair-shirt, with which he covered not only the upper part of his body, but even his legs down to the knees. And so carefully did he conceal his holiness that his outer dress was like that of the other bishops, and nothing disclosed the austerity of his private life. And every day he went upon his knees and washed the feet of thirteen poor men, whom afterwards he fed, and to whom gave four pennies of silver.

But the king made every effort to bend him to his own will, at the expense of the Church. He desired that Thomas should approve, in the manner of his predecessors, certain royal practices which were contrary to the liberties of the Church. And as the new archbishop refused to do so, he drew upon himself the wrath of the king and the nobles. One day, the king insisted so strongly with him and with the other bishops, even threatening them with death, that he, deceived by the advice of the chief men of the State, gave his approval to the king's wishes. But when he saw the danger to Souls which would ensue from his action, he determined to punish himself, and renounced the ministry of the altar, until such time as the sovereign pontiff should deem him worthy to return to his office. And when the king demanded that he confirm in writing what he had approved in words, he refused courageously, and went off holding his cross aloft, followed by the cries of the impious who clamored for his death. And two knights who were faithful to him came in tears to make known to him, under oath, that several knights were plotting his death. Whereupon the man of God, fearing more for the Church than for himself, took flight, and was welcomed at Sens by Pope Alexander, who ordered him to enter the monastery of Pontigny. But the King bad sent to Rome to demand that a legate should come and settle this difference, and the demand was denied; hence his anger toward the archbishop knew no bounds. He laid hands on all that belonged to Thomas and his kin, and condemned the entire family to exile, without consideration of age, sex, or condition.

In the meantime the bishop prayed daily for the king and for England. One day it was revealed to him by Heaven that the time was drawing near when he must return to his church, and that Christ would soon hold forth to him the palm of martyrdom. And the outcome was that after seven years of exile, he was recalled to England, and received with the highest honors. Some days before the martyrdom of the saint, a young man who had been miraculously brought back to life, told that his soul had been admitted to the Holy of Holies, and that there, in the midst of the Apostles, he had seen an empty throne; and an angel had told him that this throne was reserved for a high dignitary of the English church.

A certain priest who celebrated Mass daily in honor of the Blessed Virgin, was denounced to the archbishop, and he, judging the priest to be witless and without conscience, suspended him from his charge. Meanwhile Saint Thomas had to mend his hair-shirt, and hid it under his bed until he could do so. And the Blessed Virgin appeared to the priest, and said: 'Go to the archbishop, and tell him that She for whose love thou didst celebrate Mass has mended his hair-shirt, which is beneath his bed; and tell him that she sends thee to him, that he may lift the interdict which he has laid upon thee!' And Saint Thomas discovered that his hair-shirt had indeed been mended. He lifted the interdict from the priest, begging him not to reveal the secret of the hair-shirt which he wore.

And, in the same manner as in the past, he defended the rights of the Church, the king being unable to move him by pleading or by force. Then the king, seeing that he could not sway him, sent soldiers in arms after him; and these, entering the cathedral, loudly asked where the archbishop was. He came to meet them, and said: 'Here I am! What do you desire of me?' And they replied: 'We have come to kill thee; thy last hour has come!' Then he said to them: 'I am ready to die for God, and to defend justice and to protect the liberties of the Church. But since you seek only me, I adjure you, by the almighty God, and under pain of anathema, to do no harm to any of my priests! As for me, I recommend the Church and I recommend myself to God, the Blessed Virgin, Dionysius, and to all the saints.' Having spoken these words, he bowed his venerable head to the sword of the wicked, and they sundered the top of his skull, scattering his brains upon the pavement of the temple. Thus Saint Thomas died a martyrs death, in the year of the Lord 1174.

At the moment when his clergy was about to chant for him Requiem aeternam, the Mass of the Dead, it is said that a choir angels came and interrupted the singers, and began to chant the Mass of the Martyrs, Laetabitur justus in Domino. This truly singular honor was well merited by a saint who had given his life for the Church, in the church, during the Mass, surrounded by his clergy!

And God has deigned to work many another miracle by the intercession of this saint, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the power of walking to the halt, and life to the dead. Many a sick man has been healed by touching the water which was used to wash the cloths stained with the blood of Saint Thomas.

A certain English lady, through vanity and a desire to be more alluring, wished to have dark eyes, and for this intention made a vow to go barefoot to the tomb of Saint Thomas. But when, after prostrating herself in prayer, she arose, she realized that she had become completely blind. At once, filled with remorse, she besought Saint Thomas, not indeed to give her other eyes, but to restore her sight. And in the end she obtained it, but only with great difficulty.

A certain knave was ordered to bring some of Saint Thomas' water to his master, but he brought ordinary water instead in a wooden pail, and placed it before his lord ' ho was sitting at table. And the lord said to him: 'If thou hast never stolen from me, then Saint Thomas will let thee bring this water to me, but if thou art a thief may the water disappear.' The knave was content, for he knew that he had just filled the pail with water. Then a great miracle occurred, for when the pail was uncovered not a drop of water was to be found. And the knave stood there astounded, for he had been proven a liar and a thief.

A bird who was learned and knew how to speak, saw himself one day pursued by a hawk: and he repeated a phrase which he had been taught: 'Saint Thomas, come to my aid!' Instantly the hawk fell dead, and the other bird was saved.

A certain man, whom Saint Thomas had loved much, fell into an illness, and went to the saint's tomb to pray for his health, which was restored to him. But as he returned to his house cured of every ill, the thought came to him that perhaps the healing of his body was not conducive to the good of his soul. He went back therefore to the saint's tomb and prayed that if his cure was not useful to his soul, his sickness might return to him. And straightway he fell ill as before.

As for the saint's assassins, the vengeance of Heaven overwhelmed them. Some of them gnawed off their fingers with their teeth, some rotted alive, others were paralyzed, and others lost their reason.

---

1. From: The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine, trans. and adapted by Ryan, Granger and Helmut Ripperger. (Arno Press: Longmans, Green & Co) 1941. pp. 104–110.