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Good morning.

Tomorrow morning the Archbishop of Canterbury will be preaching at the Coronation Anniversary service at Westminster Abbey. It’ll no doubt be an uplifting occasion, a joyful celebration of the Queen’s long reign and her devotion to duty. Her relationship with her Archbishop is of course a very good one. And it needs to be, for the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the , is ranked above all individuals in the realm, with the exception of the and members of the .

There’ve been times though when sovereign and archbishop have not got on at all well. That was the situation in the 12th century, during the reign of Henry II, when Thomas Becket was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury on this day, June 3rd, in 1162. Becket knew worldly power from the inside.  He’d been Lord Chancellor – but when Henry appointed him Archbishop, Thomas warned the King that there’d come a time when they would be at odds. Henry refused to take him seriously. Thomas however was as good as his word – or rather, as good as God’s Word. Not only did he resign the Chancellorship as a sign that he wouldn’t tolerate any conflict of interest, he also firmly opposed Henry’s designs on the freedom of the Church. ‘Is there no one who will rid me of this turbulent priest?’ cried Henry – and four of his knights rode off to prove themselves the King’s loyal subjects. They murdered Thomas in his own cathedral. The horror of this sacrilege shook all Europe, and within a year the King was doing public penance at the tomb of the martyr.

It’s a grim sequence of events and a reminder to ask God to keep us in mind as we set forth each to bear witness where he has called us. And may we keep him ever in our hearts too. Amen.