Emily Lyons
Dear Friends,
Today is the Feast of St Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 until his death in 1109. One of the most important theologians of the middle ages, he is recognized as a doctor of the church.
Many of the saints of the British Isles are the subject of fantastical legends. Anselm, however, was a thoroughly flesh and blood figure. Whether he wanted to be or not, he was entrenched in the political and religious conflicts of his day.
As prior of the Benedictine abbey of Bec in Normandy, Anselm transformed it into a major center of learning. This gained him the respect of William I, the Norman conqueror of England, who favored him to succeed Lanfranc as Archbishop of Canterbury. However, William II had other ideas, and refused to seat a new Archbishop after Lanfranc’s death in 1089. But after he nearly died of a grave illness, the penitent king installed Anselm as Archbishop in 1093.
Nevertheless, William II hated Anselm, who persistently fought his efforts to bend the Church to his will. According to one source, he once said, “Yesterday I hated [Anselm] with great hatred, today I hate him with yet greater hatred and he can be certain that tomorrow and thereafter I shall hate him continually with ever fiercer and more bitter hatred.”
Anselm refused to allow the Church to be made a tool to serve a power-hungry king’s ambition. I can’t help but notice the resonance with recent news stories about conflict between a certain world leader and a certain spiritual leader.
It would be absurd to claim that religion transcends politics or is untouched by corruption. The origin story of our own church, beginning with an English king rejecting the authority of Rome, tells of the messy, violent entanglement of politics and religion.
At the same time, as Christians we yearn for a universal church headed by Jesus Christ who will put an end to all divisions. The readings appointed for Anselm’s feast day speak to this yearning.
Romans 5:10 reads, “if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” And in Matthew 11:29, Jesus invites us, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
In Christ,
—Emily
