Postscripts From The Catholic Spitfire Grill

Tutor and counsellor to Henry VIII as well as to Henry’s father and grandmother. Henry VIII’s grandmother entrusted the care of her grandson to John Fisher on her deathbed. Known throughout Europe for both his piety and his scholarship, John Fisher wrote influrential polemics against Martin Luther and eventually Henry VIII. He became Catherine of Aragon’s counsellor in the divorce proceedings against her. He was arrested and imprisoned because of his refusal to acknowledge Henry VIII as “supreme head of the church in England.”

He was beheaded on June 22, 1535. His body stripped and left on public display for the day and his head was displayed on London Bridge for two weeks. After two week’s the lifelike appearance of the head began to attract attention; therefore, it was thrown into the Thames.

From St. John Fisher’s work Exposition of the Seven Penitential Psalms:

We are brought to this misery by our sins. Once the filthiness of sin is conceived in the soul and continues there a long time by the unfortunate habit, the soul become foul and more infected. We see that the longer urine or any other stinking liquid is kept in a vessel, the more that vessel become foul and corrupt. And in another example, we see that the more and the longer a boil or a swelling full of matter and filth is hidden, the more its corruption and venomous infection grows, until it finally pierces to the bones and corrupts them. Likewise, the longer sins are kept confined in souls, the more feeble and contagiously corrupt the souls become. These sins also infect the strong parts of the soul, the virtues, and bring them out of the habit of doing good works. (page 29)

And so I wonder, if these words written by John Fisher ever crossed Henry’s mind as he suffered from infected, oozing, ulcerated legs sores? Certainly the wounds may have simply been of natural causes, but then again they might have been God’s way of attempting to regain the attention of a man lost in sin. Henry’s moral well-being was entrusted to John Fisher by Margaret, the Countess of Richmond. When Henry attempted to silence John Fisher’s words with the executioner’s axe, could it be that Our Lord wrote them instead on the very flesh of Henry in attempt to save his soul? I don’t suppose, I’ll ever know for sure but it has made for some interesting meditation. And if I am ever made Queen of the Realm, I will be careful not to silence someone who speaks with the dire imagery of John Fisher….just in case.