Have you ever thought about your last moment on Earth? 

Some of us know that our last moments are coming. Others of us will be caught by surprise. When that moment came for Thomas Becket, he was ready. He had been preparing for it his entire life. 

Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury for many years, but he wasn’t popular with everyone…especially not Henry II, King of England. He got into political hot water over his defense of the rights of the Church. In fact, one night, Thomas was praying in the Cathedral when a group of the king’s followers burst in, looking for him. They approached him with swords and killed him violently right in the church. You can still visit the Canterbury Cathedral today and see the exact spot where he was brutally martyred in his last moments. 

Whenever we are confronted with the reality and inevitability of death it heightens our awareness of how brief and precious our time here on earth is. Sometimes it is the death of a friend, at other times it is a news story, or perhaps it is just a bumpy ride on a plane. These events help us to treasure our lives more and more with each passing day. But they also challenge us to reassess the way we are spending the time, effort, and energies that are our lives. 

Thinking about death helps us be more intimately aware than ever before that we all waste life. We waste it one day at time—a day here and a day there—or an hour at a time. We waste time drowning in unforgiveness. We waste time immersed in frivolous or irresponsible activities. We waste time being lazy and procrastinating. We waste time. Life is passing us by.

Life is wonderful but brief. Each day is filled with unimaginable potential. The life God invites us to allows us to live each moment consciously and with vibrant enthusiasm.

As we reflect on our brief and precious lives, let us also remember that they are but a transition to a long and blissful eternity. Thomas Becket understood this fact, and that’s what gave him strength to endure every moment of this life. 

One day we will all pass from this life into the next. For some of us, this day might come sooner than for others. What will you do today to be ready for that moment?



Feast Day: December 29 

Feast Day Shared By: Blessed William Howard, Saint Ebrulf of Ouche, Blessed José Aparicio Sanz

Patron Saint of: Secular Clergy (Priests and deacons who only serve in parishes)

Symbols: A Sword

Canonized: February 21, 1173

Canonized By: Pope Alexander III