St. Anselm was a native of
Piedmont. When a boy of fifteen, being forbidden to enter religion, he for a
while lost his fervor, left his home, and went to various schools in France. At
length his vocation revived, and he became a monk at Bec in Normandy. The fame
of his sanctity in this cloister led William Rufus, when dangerously ill, to
take him for his confessor, and to name him to the vacant see of Canterbury.
Now began the strife of Anselm's life. With new health the king relapsed into
his former sins, plundered the Church lands, scorned the archbishop's rebukes,
and forbade him to go to Rome for the pallium. Anselm went, and returned only
to enter into a more bitter strife with William's successor, Henry I. This
sovereign claimed the right of investing prelates with the ring and crozier,
symbols of the spiritual jurisdiction which belongs to the Church alone. The
worldly prelates did not scruple to call St. Anselm a traitor for his defense
of the Pope's supremacy; on which the Saint rose, and with calm dignity
exclaimed, "If any man pretends that I violate my faith to my king because
I will not reject the authority of the Holy See of Rome, let him stand forth,
and in the name of God I will answer him as I ought" No one took up the
challenge; and to the disappointment of the king, the barons sided with the
Saint, for they respected his courage, and saw that his cause was their own.
Sooner than yield, the archbishop went again into exile, till at last the king
was obliged to submit to the feeble but inflexible old man. In the midst of his
harassing cares, St. Anselm found time for writings which have made him
celebrated as the father of scholastic theology; while in metaphysics and in
science he had few equals. He is yet more famous for his devotion to our
blessed Lady, whose Feast of the Immaculate Conception he was the first to
establish in the West. He died in 1109.
St. Anselm, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor - April 21
MASS PROPERS
INTROIT
Ecclesiasticus 15: 5
In medio Ecclesiæ aperuit
os ejus: et implevit eum Dominus Spiritu sapientiæ, et intellectus: stolam
gloriæ induit eum. Ps. 91: 2. Bonum est confiteri Domino: et psallere nomini
tuo, Altissime. Gloria Patri.
In the midst of the
Church the Lord opened his mouth: and filled him with the spirit of wisdom and
understanding: He clothed him with a robe of glory. Ps. It is good to give
praise to the Lord: and to sing to Thy Name, O Most High. Glory be to the
Father.
COLLECT
O God, who didst give
blessed Anselm to Thy people as a minister of eternal salvation; grant, we
beseech Thee, that we, who have had him for our teacher on earth, may deserve
to have him for our advocate in heaven. Through our Lord.
EPISTLE
II Timothy 4: 1-8
Dearly beloved, I charge
thee, before God and Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the living and the dead, by
His coming and His kingdom: preach the word: be instant in season, out of
season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall
be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own
desires they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and will
indeed turn away from the truth, but will be turned into fables. But be thou
vigilant, labor in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy
ministry. Be sober. For I am even now ready to be sacrificed and the time of my
dissolution is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown
of justice, which the Lord, the just Judge, will render to me in that day: and
not only to me, but to them also that love His coming.
GRADUAL
Psalm 36: 30-31
The mouth of the just
shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment. The law of His God
is in his heart: and his steps shall not be supplanted.
ALLELUIA Ecclus. 45: 9; Osee 14: 6
Alleluia, alleluia. V.
The Lord loved him and adorned him: He clothed him with a robe of glory.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL
Matthew 5: 13-19
At that time, Jesus said
to His disciples: You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savor,
wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast
out, and be trodden on by men. You are the light of the world. A city seated on
a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a
bushel but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are before men
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, Who is in heaven.
Do not think that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfil. For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. He
therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and so shall teach
men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but he that shall do
and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
OFFERTORY
Psalm 91: 13
The just shall flourish
like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus. Alleluia.
SECRET
May the holy prayer of
Anselm, Thy Bishop and Doctor, fail us not, O Lord: may it render our offerings
acceptable, and ever obtain for us Thy pardon. Through our Lord.
COMMON PREFACE
It is truly meet and
just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times and in all
places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God:
through Christ our Lord. through Whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty,
Dominations worship, Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the Heavenly hosts
together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it.
Together with them we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be
admitted, while we say in lowly praise:
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COMMUNION
Luke 12: 42
The faithful and wise
servant, whom his lord setteth over his family: to give them their measure of
wheat in due season. Alleluia.
POSTCOMMUNION
We beseech Thee, O Lord,
that blessed Anselm, Thy Bishop and illustrious Doctor may join his prayers to
ours that this sacrifice may bring us salvation. Through our Lord.
OF THE DIGNITY AND THE
WOE OF MAN'S ESTATE
Our creation to the Image
and Likeness of God
Awake, my soul, awake; bestir thy energies, arouse thy
apprehension; banish the sluggishness of thy deadly sloth, and take to thee
solicitude for thy salvation. Be the rambling of unprofitable fancies put to
flight; let indolence retire, and diligence be retained. Apply thyself to
sacred studies, and fix thy thoughts on the blessings that are of God. Leave
temporal things behind, and make for the eternal. What, then, in so divine an
occupation of the mind, canst thou conceive more useful or more salutary than
to recall in delighted musing thy Creator's boundless benefits to thee?
Consider what grandeur and what dignity He bestowed on thee in the very
beginning of thy creation, and ponder well what loving and what adoring worship
thou shouldest therefore pay Him.
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