"Lord, teach us to pray...." A Prayer of Saint Anselm

I am not sure what triggered my thoughts the other day. Perhaps it was the gorgeous fall day driving through the Cuyahoga Valley with all of the marvelous colors. But I was reminded of my time in France many years ago and two retreats I took to the Abbey of Bec Hellouin in Normandy. The abbey dates to the eleventh century and holds a special place for Anglicans. For it was here that Anselm, Theobald and then Lanfranc served as abbot of the monastery before being called to serve as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Abbey at Bec Helluoin
Normandy

While all three of these men were spiritual giants of their time, Anselm was by far the most important theologian and philosopher of the period. He is famous for an ontological proof for the existence of God.  Anselm held that the concept of God is unique in that anyone who understands what is meant by the question “Does God exist?” will see that the answer must be “Yes.”  It is amazing to think that to this day, theologians and philosophers still debate Anselm’s proof.

Now, I can assure you that it has been many years since I last opened a book of Anselm’s writings and tried to engage this brilliant writer’s thought. But I recently came across a prayer written by the eleventh century saint that deserves to be shared with my readers.

A Prayer from Anselm of Canterbury

O my God teach my heart where and how to seek you,

where and how to find you…

You are my God and you are my All and I have never seen you.

You have made me and remade me,

You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,

Still I do not know you…

I have not yet done that for which I was made….

Teach me to seek you…

I cannot seek you unless you teach me

or find you unless you show yourself to me.

Let me seek you in my desire, let me desire you in my seeking.

Let me find you by loving you, let me love you when I find you. Amen.

I trust these beautiful and honest words written by a seeker and disciple of the Christian faith many, many years ago will bring you strength and comfort in your spiritual life.

Love One Another - Brian