Saint Who?
Saints Who Taught about Prayer
Saint Anselm of Canterbury
Bishop and Doctor († 1109) Feast: April 21
Anselm’s Proslogion is perhaps most famous for the argument it presents for the existence of God. However, it is not a typical philosophical treatise. It is structured as a prayer: a long prayer addressed to God by a brilliant thinker who was trying to work out how best to explain God and his greatness.
Anselm was born in Aosta, Italy. As a teenager, he wanted to become a monk, but his father refused. Discouraged, Anselm turned his back on his vocation and lived a dissipated life for several years. While wandering through France, the young man discovered the abbey of Bec and there became a Benedictine monk. He also started writing about philosophy. Anselm later became abbot of Bec, and he developed a reputation as a scholar. At the age of sixty, he was made archbishop of Canterbury, over his strong objections that he desired to remain at Bec.
While scholars may read the Proslogion to analyze Anselm’s impact on medieval philosophy, ordinary Catholics can use it to learn to speak to God like a saint: “Enter the inner chamber of your soul, shut out everything except God and that which can help you in seeking him, and when you have shut the door, seek him.”
Lord God, teach us how to seek you
and find you in our hearts.
