St Anselm - 21st April

The last successful invasion of this country took place in 1066. The Norman conquerors did not just replace the native rulers, they also took over Church government appointing their own men to key positions. On Wednesday we keep the feast of one of these, Anselm. Born in 1033 he joined the famous monastery at Bec in northern France (now restored) when a young man. He rose to become Abbot and eventually Archbishop of Canterbury, dying there in 1109.

It is as a theologian that Anselm is now chiefly remembered. Theology for Anselm wasn’t a dry, distant subject to be studied by very few but a practice in which every Christian was engaged. All of us try to reflect on our faith to gain a deeper understanding of what we believe. This desire for deeper understanding Anselm saw as the heart of theology. As he put it himself, “I want to understand something of the truth which I believe and love.” When we engage in teaching and learning about our faith we are doing theology because we are trying to achieve a deeper appreciation of what we believe. We should ask the prayers of St. Anselm to help us in that task. P.D.