Anselm 			April 21
Archbishop of Canterbury
Teacher of the Faith
Anselm was born in 1033. After some years of undisciplined life he entered a monastic school in Normandy. In 1060, influenced by Lanfranc, prior of the abbey of Bec, Anselm took monastic vows. Three years later he succeeded Lanfranc as prior and in 1078 became the abbot of the monastery.
On a visit to England he renewed his acquaintance with Lanfranc, who had become archbishop of Canterbury. On Lanfranc’s death in 1089, Anselm was proposed to succeed him, but King William II would not at first consent. There was considerable conflict at the time over the respective powers of the monarch and the church with regard to appointments, responsibilities and accountability. Not only did it take until 1093 before Anselm was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury, but he spent much of his episcopate in exile from England because of the strife first with King William II and then with Henry I over the issue. Despite the time and energy taken up by this conflict, Anselm succeeded in initiating far-reaching reforms in the church in England, including the holding of regular synods and a renewed emphasis on the celibacy of the clergy. He died in 1109.
Anselm was by nature a scholar and a monk and devoted to prayer. He is best remembered for his theological work. He made a significant contribution to theology through his development of the so-called “ontological argument” for the existence of God: “God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived.” A thing existing in reality is greater than that same thing conceived of only in the mind; therefore God must truly exist.
Anselm also, in his most famous work, Cur Deus homo (Why God became human), gave classic expression to the “satisfaction theory” of Christ’s work. He explains it in terms of feudal society: when a vassal breaks his bond with his lord, satisfaction must be made. In our relation to God, we cannot make satisfaction because of our sinfulness, therefore God, in human perfection in Christ, offered satisfaction for our sin.
Behind Anselm’s scholarly theology lay a profound piety. He was less interested in “proving” God’s existence or explaining Christ’s work than in helping Christians give a coherent account of the faith by which they live. Faith and prayer always came first. In one of his early theological works he wrote:
I do not try, Lord, to attain your lofty heights, because my understanding is in no way equal to it. But I do desire to understand your truth a little, that truth that my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand so that I may believe, but I believe so that I may understand. For I believe this also, that “unless I believe, I shall not understand.”
For Liturgical Use
Anselm, who was born in 1033 and died in 1109, is remembered primarily as a teacher of the faith. His treatises on the existence of God and the doctrines of the incarnation and the atonement gained him a reputation as an outstanding theologian and philosopher. As archbishop of Canterbury he initiated significant reforms in church organisation. He is also remembered for his insistence on the spiritual authority of the church over against the crown.
Sentence
Whoever approaches you, O God, must believe that you exist and that you reward those who seek you.	Hebrews 11:6 (adapted)
Collects
Eternal God,
source of all wisdom,
you enabled your servant Anselm 
to teach the church of his day
to understand its faith in you;
enable us now through your grace
to give a reason for the faith that is in us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God our creator,
we thank you for Anselm, 
who believed so he could understand,
who pursued the truth
so he could know why you became a man.
May our treasure be stored with you.
Psalms	71:1-8	119:161-168
Readings
Isaiah 45:18-21		The true God
2 Corinthians 5:16-21	Be reconciled to God
Luke 21:9-15		A time to bear testimony
Post Communion Sentence
Jesus said, “If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”	John 8:31,32