21 April 2018
Memorial of St. Anselm
“How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” (Ps 116:12)
Perhaps one of the greatest ways to savor the joy which the Lord grants us is to cultivate the favorite virtue of St. Ignatius: gratitude! Again, put yourself in the place of those at the time of early Church, but this time imagine yourself as St. Luke. Imagine what it would be like to recall and record for others the great healings the Lord did for those in Lydda and Joppa through St. Peter. Consider his joy at recalling all the good the Lord had done for the Church. It is precisely through this exercise of memory that St. Peter was able to resist any temptation to turn from our Lord despite His challenges, and instead confess, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn 6:68)
Today, let us also recall with the saint whom we celebrate (St. Anselm), the one through whom such great joy entered the world. He writes, “The universe rejoices with new and indefinable loveliness. Not only does it feel the unseen presence of God himself, its Creator, it sees him openly, working and making it holy. These great blessings spring from the blessed fruit of Mary’s womb. …Without God’s Son, nothing could exist; without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed.” On this Saturday let us turn to Mary, mother of Him who is our Joy. Let us redouble our joy by paying our gratitude to our Mother as well, again with the words of St. Anselm, “Truly the Lord is with you, to whom the Lord granted that all nature should owe as much to you as to himself.” Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for us!