One More Reason I Can't Take Bishop Barron Seriously!

St. John Fisher vigorously fought Luther. He
knew the man was no "mystic of grace."

Bishop Hails Martin Luther as “Mystic of Grace”

Really? 

That's not what historian Michael Davies says. Below is the second part of a lecture series on the great English bishop and martyr, St. John Fisher. Fisher's response to Martin Luther, his heretical contemporary who did so much damage to the Church, shows exactly how arrogant and proud Luther was. How many souls are in hell because of Martin Luther? We'll find out on Judgment Day.

Historians are more credible when they use primary sources. St. John Fisher wrote four books addressing Luther and his heresy.

Feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher

St. Thomas More is better known than his fellow Englishman, Bishop John Fisher. The play and film, A Man for All Seasons, have made St. Thomas and his courageous refusal to submit to Henry VIII beloved of many. St. John Fisher, the sole bishop to oppose the king, is another giant of courage. I took the information about him from SperoForum's Saint of the Day. Pray for St. John to intercede for our U.S. bishops many of whom resemble his cowardly confreres on the English bench of bishops. May God prepare us all to be martyrs, even as we pray not to face the trial.

John Fisher of Rochester BM (RM)
Born at Beverley, Yorkshire, England, 1469; died on Tower Hill, London, on June 22, 1535; canonized in 1935; feast day formerly on June 13 (Roman calendar) and July 9 (locally).

Holy Saints of God, Pray for Us!

Today is the feast day of St. Thomas More, layman and martyr, husband and father, patron of lawyers, and friend to all. The good nature of Thomas More was well-known during his life. He enjoyed filling his home with books and artifacts that entertained and enlightened his friends and family. But when his conscience forced him to relinquish his post as Lord High Chancellor of England and disappear into ignominy and poverty, he let it all go without rancor. He knew personally what St. Paul speaks of in Philippians 4:12. "I have learned how to cope with every circumstance -- how to eat well or go hungry, to be well provided for or do without. In him who is the source of my strength I have strength for everything." Even martyrdom. The man who asked, "Is this the stuff of which martyrs are made?" in A Man for All Seasons, proved the answer was a resounding yes! What an example he is for our cowardly and apostate age.

His contemporary, Bishop St. John Fisher, shares this feast day. St. John was the only English bishop with the courage to stand up to the king and was beheaded for it. While thousands of priests and laymen went to gruesome deaths for no other "crime" than refusing to give up the Holy Mass, most of the English bishops held their tongues and kept their heads on their necks while selling out English Catholics. How like our own day except that there is no threat of bloody martyrdom for today's cowardly bishops, only ridicule and loss of human respect.

John Fisher's head was impaled on a pike on London Bridge, but its lifelike appearance and ruddy complexion inspired so much comment it was quickly removed and thrown into the Thames. A short while later, St. Thomas More's head took its place.

Let us rejoice at the examples of these two brave men and resolve to follow them in courage, kindness, and zeal.

And as a postscript I wish my brother John, named after St. John Fisher, a very Happy Birthday!