Sunday, September 20, 2009

A Prayer of St. Anselm of Canterbury

There's alot of weird rumors about St. Anselm of Canterbury out there, liberal episcopalians try to argue that he was homosexual, and some Catholics think that when you use his atonement model you are teaching penal substitution. But either way, he is a theologian I have alot to learn from, and I enjoy this prayer of his:

"Lord Jesus Christ; Let me seek you by desiring you,
and let me desire you by seeking you;
let me find you by loving you,
and love you in finding you.

I confess, Lord, with thanksgiving,
that you have made me in your image,
so that I can remember you, think of you, and love you.

But that image is so worn and blotted out by faults,
and darkened by the smoke of sin,
that it cannot do that for which it was made,
unless you renew and refashion it.

Lord, I am not trying to make my way to your height,
for my understanding is in no way equal to that,
but I do desire to understand a little of your truth
which my heart already believes and loves.

I do not seek to understand so that I can believe,
but I believe so that I may understand;
and what is more,
I believe that unless I do believe, I shall not understand."

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