Today is the fifth day of Christmas and the feast of Saint Thomas Becket. Many people don’t know this, but this blog is actually dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket, who was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral–hence the name “Canterbury Tales.”

Our fifth son is also named Becket in honor of this great witness of Christ. He stood up against King Henry II of England over the rights and privileges of the Catholic Church in England. Tradition relates that the king said the following about Becket: “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?”

As a favor to the king, some cronies of Henry murdered Becket in his Cathedral in Canterbury. T. S. Eliot’s famous play “Murder in the Cathedral” is based on this story.

Read more about Saint Thomas Becket at Wikipedia.

If you have Netflix, you can watch the classic film Becket instantly.

You may also like:

• Thomas Becket under Attack (Again)

• St Thomas Becket: Why this Blog is called “Canterbury Tales”