Henry VIII was King of England from April 21, 1509, until his death on January 28, 1547. He married Catherine of Aragon. After many years with only one surviving child (Mary), Henry grew desperate for a male child, who would be an heir to the throne. He then petitioned the Pope to annul his marriage as he already desired another woman, Anne Boleyn. But Pope Clement VII refused to grant the annulment. King Henry was angry. He believed the annulment was his right, and when the Church wouldn’t grant it, he took matters into his own hands.
In 1534, Henry declared himself “Supreme Head of the Church of England” through the Act of Supremacy, cutting England off from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. That began a break with 1,500 years of Church unity, and it gave birth to the Anglican Church, or Episcopal Church as they call it in the United States. King Henry VIII then dissolved monasteries, seized Church lands, and executed those who opposed him, like St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher.
One Sunday morning in London, during the reign of King Henry VIII, the Church was packed. There were rumors that the King himself might attend, not to worship, but to listen. A young priest, Father Thomas, stepped into the pulpit. He had labored over his sermon all week. It was a word of warning, a message on the sanctity of marriage, the permanence of truth, the unchanging authority of Christ over His Church, and the danger of reshaping God’s commands to fit man’s desires.
As he placed his hand on the edge of the pulpit, ready to begin, an elderly and experienced deacon leaned up and whispered in his ear: “Be careful what you preach… the King is here.” The words sent a chill down his spine. In those days, displeasing the King from the pulpit was not just to lose favor but to risk your life. This was the same King who had divorced his queen, Catherine of Aragon and declared himself Head of the Church of England, cutting England off from Rome. The same King had imprisoned bishops, closed monasteries, and executed those who would not bend. So, what should the priest do? Should he soften his message? Should he avoid controversy? Should he, for the sake of peace, preach only what the King wanted to hear?
The priest looked down at his hands. They were shaking. But then his eyes rose, and he remembered: “The King may be in the pews… But the King of kings is in this house!” Yes, the King of Kings is the same Christ who stood before Pilate. The same Christ who warned, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.” The same Christ who told His apostles, “You will be hated for my name’s sake, but not a hair of your head will perish.” He is the same King who said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
And so Father Thomas opened his mouth, not to flatter the King, but to witness to Christ. He preached Christ, Christ crucified, Christ the Bridegroom of the Church, whose truth cannot be rewritten even by a King. He never named the King. But every word was clear, holy, and dangerous. He knew the King was there, but more importantly, the King of kings was also there.
Such was the disposition of Peter in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Because Peter and the other disciples were preaching and bearing witness to the risen Christ, the religious leaders of their time ordered their arrest. They questioned them, “We gave you strict orders … to stop teaching in that name …” Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey.”
My dearly beloved in Christ, as Christians, we are witnesses to Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. There are moments when, as Christians, we must choose whether to preach what is safe or to preach what is true. In the presence of King Henry VIII, the priest chose to preach the truth. In the presence of the Sanhedrin, Peter and the other apostles chose to bear witness to Christ, the Truth. And so, my dear people of the resurrection, as we go back home to that family meeting today, as we go to our office tomorrow, as we work on that next government policy, as we play our role in the Church Council, and as we have that casual conversation about someone else in their absence, are we ready to bear witness to the Truth? We must be careful what we say. Yes, we must watch what we say, not for fear of kings, but for reverence of Christ. Because every time we think, speak, or act, the King of kings is present. And to Him alone will we give account.
Homily for 3rd Sunday of Easter Year C 2025
Add comment