Murder in the Cathedral

The interlude takes place on the morning of Christmas Day. Six days after his return to England, Becket is at Canterbury Cathedral. He delivers a sermon about Christmas, in which he notes the “deep meaning and mystery” (47) of Christmas and states that any celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is a remembrance of Christ’s untimely death. He describes Christmas as a time of both joy and mourning and asserts that from an earthly perspective, this combination of happiness and grief can seem strange. He believes that this unique blend of mourning and celebration makes Christmas unique.

In his sermon, Becket reflects on the nature of peace, considering it in both an earthly sense and a spiritual sense. Christ, he reminds his congregation, told his disciplines that the peace he offered to them was not peace “as the world gives” (48). These disciples faced constant hardship and suffering, so they did not know earthly peace.

Becket talks about martyrdom. The day after Christmas, he notes, is named after Saint Stephen, who is considered the church’s first martyr. Like Christmas, the feast of Saint Stephen blends celebration and mourning. Becket urges his congregation to think of martyrs as more than “a good Christian who has been killed because he is a Christian” (49).