Fifth Day of Christmas

(The nave of Canterbury Cathedral - the pulpit is midway on the left)

In 1170, on the Fifth Day of Christmas, four knights from the court of King Henry II burst into Canterbury Cathedral looking for Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Just inside the cloister door, they murdered Becket, whose defence of the rights of the church had angered his one-time friend, the king.

Within three years, Thomas was canonized, and the shrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury was set to become one of the most popular destinations for pilgrims from all over Europe.

In his play, "Murder in the Cathedral," T.S. Eliot reconstructs from historical sources the Archbiship's final sermon, preached in the cathedral on Christmas Day. It is a remarkable meditation on the meaning of Christmas, martyrdom, and the true meaning of "peace on earth."


The Fifth Day of Christmas, the anniversary of Becket's death, is an opportunity to reflect on the broader meaning of Christmas by reading the Archbishop's sermon.