St Thomas Becket is not an easy saint.
And the Church does not soften him.

He is remembered not because he was gentle,
or tactful,
or good at compromise —
but because he was faithful.

And today’s readings explain exactly why his witness still matters.

In the Gospel, the disciples argue.

“A dispute arose among them about which of them was the greatest.”

This is not a small argument.
It is the question that shapes every age.

Who has authority?
Who decides?
Who rules?

Jesus does not deny authority.
But He completely redefines it.

“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them…
but it shall not be so among you.”

True authority, Jesus says,
is not about control.
It is about service.

And that truth has consequences.

Thomas Becket began his life close to power.
He was clever, cultured, politically skilled.
A friend of the king.

When he became Archbishop of Canterbury,
many expected nothing to change.

But something did.

Becket discovered that the authority of the Church
does not come from the favour of the state,
but from fidelity to Christ.

And when those two came into conflict,
he chose Christ.

That choice cost him everything.

St Paul tells us something unsettling:

“I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.”

Paul is not seeking pain.
He is naming a reality.

Truth is costly.
Faithfulness wounds.
But suffering borne for Christ
is never wasted.

Becket’s death was not political theatre.
It was a participation in the Cross.

He did not seek martyrdom.
But he would not flee from it.

Jesus says something else in the Gospel that matters deeply today:

“I confer a kingdom on you,
just as my Father conferred one on me.”

The kingdom Christ gives
does not come from popularity.
It does not come from power.

It comes from fidelity —
even when fidelity is lonely.

Becket stood in a cathedral,
in his own country,
surrounded by his own people —
and was killed for refusing to surrender
the freedom of the Church
to the demands of the state.

That witness still speaks.

We live in an age that prefers agreement to truth,
comfort to conviction,
peace to principle.

Thomas Becket reminds us
that not every conflict can be avoided,
and not every compromise is faithful.

The Church does not seek power.
But she cannot surrender truth.

And every Christian, in his or her own way,
faces that same question:

Who ultimately decides —
Christ,
or the pressures around me?

St Thomas Becket did not die because he was stubborn.
He died because he understood authority rightly.

That Christ alone is Lord.
That the Church belongs to Christ.
That truth is worth suffering for.

Jesus says today:

“I am among you as one who serves.”

Becket followed that Lord
all the way to the altar,
and beyond it to martyrdom.

May we learn from his courage —
not to seek conflict,
but never to flee fidelity.

St Thomas Becket, pray for the Church in England. Pray for our parish.
Pray that we may serve Christ with truth and courage.