Commemoration: Thomas Cranmer, Bishop of Canterbury, d. 1556

Friday, March 21, 2014

Commemoration

Thomas Cranmer, Bishop of Canterbury, Martyr, d. 1556

Reflection

Thomas Cranmer was the victim of the religious turmoil in England, much of which he helped set in motion. At the young age of 14, he entered Jesus College in Cambridge. He studied the Bible and the new teachings coming from the Reformation in Germany, where he traveled and became closely associated with some of the reformers, including one of Luther’s younger colleagues, Andreas Osiander, whose daughter Cranmer married. Convinced of King Henry VIII’s supremacy in all matters, both civil and religious, he helped facilitate the Reformation in England, compromising some of his own religious ideals, supporting Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Henry named Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury in 1533, largely because of Cranmer’s support. When Queen Mary ascended the throne after Henry’s death, she returned England to the Roman Catholic fold and had Cranmer burned at the stake. His lasting contribution to English-speaking Christianity has been the Book of Common Prayer, which, in revised form, remains the book of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Prayer

Lord, Thank you for the reforming zeal of your servant, Thomas Cranmer, and for his gift of eloquence of language, which has enriched worship in the English language for centuries. In Jesus’ name. Amen.