SAINT ANSELM
INTRODUCTION
Today – April 21 – is the feast of Saint Anselm.
I don’t know about you – but sometimes I notice guys
preaching or saying something about a saint on their feast day.
And in doing so – it’s more a sermon – because they don’t
preach on the readings of the day.
I assume they do this because they like the “Saint of the
Day” – or because they want to know more about a saint – and what better way in
getting to know a saint – as to preach something about her or him.
And sometimes if the readings don’t grab me enough – and
it’s a saint’s day – I might during a weekday – say something about the saint
of the day.
There are usually short biographies in the Breviary.
Today I choose to make a few comments about Anselm –
because both readings for today – run into very similar readings from these
other weekday readings – we’ve had lately.
I also must have said to myself somewhere along the line,
“Check our Saint Anselm – because that was a parish down there on 82nd
Street in Bay Ridge Brooklyn – 356 – 82nd Street” when we were growing up.
There was OLPH on 60th Street, Our Lady of
Angels on 73rd Street and 4th Avenue, St. Anselm’s on 82nd
and then St. Patrick’s on 97th Street
SO SOMETHNG ABOUT SAINT ANSELM
So here are some comments about Saint Anselm.
He died this day – April 21st, 1109 – about 76
years of age – having been born down in
Lombardy area of Northern Italy – back in 1033.
Today – Milan is the capital the Lombardy Region – and is
one of the hardest hit with the Corona, Virus.
I read a bunch of things last night about St. Anselm.
I didn’t spot anything about his mother.
His dad might have been a different kind of a cat. Anselm thought about joining a local
monastery – at 15 – but an abbot blocked that being fearful of Anselm’s father.
At 18 or so he went north and wandered around what is now
France for a few years.
Research about this period in his life might provide some
interesting stuff for college kids and young adult talks.
At some point he wants to join a monastery – and thinks
about Cluny and Bec and others.
A couple of commentaries about Anselm said he hesitated
about Bec because Lanfranc was there and he was the big star.
He chooses Lanfranc and Bec and in a few short years he’s
made prior and then abbot – and there are complaints because he’s too young.
It sounds like he becomes quite a preacher and a writer.
Lanfranc is made Archbishop of Cantebury – and William
the King wants the riches of the Britiish monasteries and does just that after
a few years – especially when Lanfranc dies and Anselm is made archbishop of
Cantebury.
Anselm has to dance a tricky dance because of William’s
wanting church money and property.
I have to reread Eamon Duffey’s book, The Stripping of
the Altars – about the English Church in1400 to 1580. I’m sure it says
something about this earlier period of time – when Anselm was Archbishop of
Cantebury.
ANSELM’S THEOLOGY
History would be more interesting to me than Anselm’s
theology.
There is a long article about his writings on line from
Stanford University.
I’m not the thinking type – so I’m more interested in
history.
Anselm is famous for his comments about the ontological
proof for the existence of God.
God, according to Anselm is the best we can imagine, the
greatest desire we can have – and hopefully that keeps on getting better. That
we have that desire in us tells us something about God.
Anselm is famous for his stress on faith coming before understanding.
In Latin he would say, Ffides quaerens intellectum
Anselm’s famous line is I believe in order to understand
– not the other way around.
I assume people in life
have to make acts of faith in God and others and in time learn to
undertstand them. That’s how I would
tackle that.
QUOTES:
ENOUGH:
So that’s a few comments about St. Anselm – a fine Italian
boy who did well. Amen,
He becomes a Doctor of the Church.
