Faith Seeking Understanding

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Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, Teacher of the Faith, 1109 - Memorial

Today's Readings:
[ Rom 5:1-11; Ps 37:32-39; Mt 11:25-30 ]

St. Anselm is often remembered for the clarity of his mind, but today’s readings invite us to see something even deeper: the humility of a heart that rests in God.

In Epistle to the Romans, we hear that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. This is not a peace we achieve, but one we receive. From a Franciscan perspective, this matters deeply. Salvation is not something we construct through perfect reasoning or moral effort—it is a gift flowing from divine love. As St. Bonaventure would emphasize, knowledge of God must lead us into loving union, not just intellectual understanding. Even St. Anselm’s famous "faith seeking understanding" ultimately bows before grace.

The Gospel of Matthew brings this into focus: “you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants”. There is a gentle challenge here. The kingdom is not grasped by cleverness but received in simplicity. The Franciscan tradition has always treasured this “minority”—becoming small, poor in spirit, open-handed before God. To be an “infant” in faith is not ignorance, but trust.

And so Christ’s invitation follows naturally: “Come to me, all you that are weary… and I will give you rest". This rest is not escape from the world, but a reordering of the heart within it. The burden becomes light not because life is easy, but because we no longer carry it alone.

Finally, the Psalms remind us that “the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord”. Again, it is God who acts. We respond, but always as receivers first.

On this memorial, we might ask: where am I striving to understand, control, or earn what can only be given? St. Anselm teaches us to think deeply, but the Gospel calls us to trust more deeply still.

Lord, make us small enough to receive your grace, and wise enough to rest in it.

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