St. Boniface of Crediton, 5th June Homily

St Boniface is one of the great saints of England.

Born here in this land,
formed in the monasteries of England,
he eventually left everything behind to preach the Gospel in Germany.

And he did not go into safe places.

He went into pagan lands.

Places where Christ was not worshipped,
where idols still stood,
where violence and superstition ruled.

And Boniface went carrying the Gospel,
the Scriptures,
the sacraments,
and the Cross of Jesus Christ.

There is one famous moment in his life that captures everything about him.

The people worshipped a sacred oak tree dedicated to the god Thor.

Everyone feared it.

No one dared touch it.

And Boniface walked up with an axe and cut the tree down.

The pagans waited for the gods to strike him dead.

Nothing happened.

And many converted to Christ.

It is a dramatic story, but deeply important.

Because Boniface understood something clearly:
the world is full of false gods that enslave human beings through fear.

And only Christ truly saves.

Today’s Gospel is about exactly that question:
Who is Christ really?

Jesus asks how the Messiah can merely be David’s son if David himself calls Him Lord.

And suddenly the crowd is forced to think more deeply.

The Messiah is not merely another king.

He is greater than David.

He is Lord.

And that is the heart of Christianity.

Jesus Christ is not simply a wise teacher or holy man.

He is Lord.

Lord over nations.
Lord over history.
Lord over every human soul.

And Boniface believed that so completely that he was willing to die for it.

Eventually he was murdered while preaching the Gospel.

He did not die defending wealth or power.

He died carrying the Word of God to people who did not yet know Christ.

And perhaps that connects beautifully with St Paul’s words today.

Paul tells Timothy: “All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching.”

Boniface loved the Scriptures.

The monks of England copied them by hand,
preserved them,
preached them,
crossed seas carrying them into dangerous lands.

They believed the Word of God had power to save souls.

And they were right.

It is easy now to forget how much courage evangelisation required.

We live in a country shaped for centuries by Christianity.

Church towers still rise over towns.
Church bells still ring.
The names of saints surround us.

But all of that came because men like Boniface were willing to leave comfort behind and preach Christ fearlessly.

And perhaps today we need to hear that courage again.

Because modern England has its own paganism.

Different idols.
Same emptiness.

People worship success,
comfort,
pleasure,
self-expression,
money,
technology.

And yet many remain deeply unhappy.

Because the human heart was made for God.

And no false god can satisfy the soul.

St Paul says today: “Remain faithful to what you have learned.”

That matters enormously now.

Because many Catholics feel pressured to water down the Faith,
to keep quiet,
to avoid speaking clearly about Christ.

But Boniface did not cross seas and face martyrdom so that later generations could become timid.

The Gospel is still true.

Jesus Christ is still Lord.

And souls still need salvation.

But perhaps the most beautiful thing about Boniface is that he was not harsh.

Courage and holiness are not the same as anger.

The saints preached strongly because they loved souls deeply.

Boniface wanted people freed from fear,
freed from darkness,
freed from false worship.

He wanted them to know Jesus Christ.

And perhaps the same mission now belongs to us.

Not all are called to cross seas or face martyrdom.

But every Catholic is called to witness.

Quietly.
Faithfully.
Courageously.

A grandmother praying faithfully for her family.
A parent teaching children the Faith.
A Catholic refusing to be ashamed of the Gospel.

These things matter.

Because the Faith spreads from soul to soul.

And perhaps today Our Lord asks us something very simple:

Who truly rules my life?

Because Christ will not remain merely an interesting figure from history.

He is Lord.

And when a soul finally gives Him first place,
fear begins to lose its power,
idols begin to fall,
and the human heart finally begins to become free.