July 9: Saint Thomas More
The cloister of the home is a moral cloister and has no physical limits. It is maintained by the mutual love of the father, the mother and the children, a love of each member of the family for all the others. As a result, they desire to live together in the evening whenever possible; to want to get back home when called away on business; to be all together, if it can be arranged, when away from home for the summer. Naturally this desire of each for all must, from time to time, be sacrificed, and, that too, more and more as children grow older., (Heroic Sanctity and Insanity).
This book goes on to relate this necessity to Saint Thomas More: The cloister of the home was particularly strong in the family of Saint Thomas More. Henry VIII enjoyed the brilliant humor of Sir Thomas More so much that he was ever taking him away from his children around the family fire. Saint Thomas enjoyed his family more than the company of the king and contrived to get back to it. He "rendered his conversation as dull as he could devise, grew slow in his answers and lagging in his retorts. The ruse worked and the royal invitations ceased to shower. Then he went home joyfully and sparkled at his own table in such wise as would have made the king open his heavy eyes to hear it."
Saint Thomas More, despite his high position, wanted nothing more than to be home with his family. We should also want to be home rather than out in the world, whether personally or vicariously through television.
PRAYER: Saint Thomas lead all fathers to fulfill their most holy duties and to remain at home with their family as much as possible. Amen.
