17. Midsummer
Midsummer BecketCenturies ago, when Masses could be bought and sold for any old cause and chantries could be founded by any nobleman with a heavy purse and a healthy fear of hell, priests were often required to say Mass at least once a day, sometimes even two or three times a day. In fact, many medieval churches were built with multiple altars simply to manage the surfeit of Masses needing said. Becket would have made a very good medieval priest. He wouldn’t mind saying Mass every day, or more, and even more so, he wouldn’t mind working in a chantry, speaking prayers for the dead behind a screen of lacy, ornate stone. Perhaps he should have been a monk, so he could order his days around prayers and rites, so he could spend all of his time with God and God alone, but no, he’s no monk.
- Writer
