Our Christmas Eve post seems absurdly ambitious in the light of all that has happened in the last few days, but we did not know what was in store for us, any more than the young Thomas Becket. Ah well, it is the start of another working week for most people so, passing over our domestic trivia, let's spend a moment or two thinking about St Thomas of Canterbury. My own ideas about him are a strange jumble of David Knowles, T. S. Eliot and the stained glass depicting his life at Sens and at Canterbury itself (see illustration above). Thomas was endowed with spectacular gifts and expected to have a brilliant career. His friendship with Henry II assured him a position he could exploit for his own benefit, but the strange thing is that once he became archbishop of Canterbury, he changed dramatically, adopting a highly disciplined lifestyle and arguing with the king over the rights and responsibilities of the Church. Was it a true conversion, or was it an act, as good bishops like Gilbert Foliot obviously thought it was? At this distance of time, who can judge? Thomas continues to fascinate; there can be no doubt that his death was heroic and, in the best sense, sacrificial. He is an inspiration when difficult decisions have to be made, when conscientiously held opinions bring us into conflict with the powerful. Even his opponents remarked two qualities in him that were hardly accidental: he was chaste and he was moderate in his use of the good things that came his way. More than that, he was a leader who cared more about those he led than about himself. St Thomas is already the patron of parish clergy in England. Might he not also be a good patron for employers and managers in a recession?