ST ANSELM CONFRONTED THE CORRUPT KING BECAUSE HE FEARED LOSING OUT ON HEAVEN

Canterbury, England, 1193.  King William II was deathly ill and so scared of death that he swallowed his pride and invited the monk he had once scorned to hear his confession. The King had bright red hair which splayed on his pillow while he panicked at the thought of going to Hell and losing out on Heaven. King William had previously blocked this monk's ascension to becoming Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest position of any churchman in all of England. The King had gone so far as to swear on the Holy Face that he would never allow that monk to be the Archbishop who would then have the authority to tell him when he erred. The monarch's reasons were not good; he wanted the power of the office of Archbishop for himself and to use the money, the silver pennies of the people, to do as he wished. Now that he felt he was dying, his own conscience reminded him of his failings and he believed he was being punished by a premature death because of his sins.

The monk that stalked King William II's mind was Anselm. Anselm was Italian born, but he was a most popular Benedictine among the local English Catholics and a hugely respected scholar among the clergy. This monk had also won the heart of the King's late father, King William I, who had nursed a desire for Anselm to be Archbishop of Canterbury. Perhaps it was jealousy of Anselm that was a factor; would it do to have a Benedictine monk who was held in higher regard than the King?  There had been no archbishop for 4 years, and in those long 48 months, King William had heard from the nobles and the bishops, "Anselm, Anselm, Anselm" repeated over and over to him, yet it had not moved him to install the people's favorite. 

But now that he thought his life was ending and that he'd lose Heaven, King William called that monk, Anselm, to absolve him and to administer to him the Last Rites. Anselm came and held no bitterness towards William as he heard the King confess his misdeeds. When the King's soul was shriven, the regent made something of a miraculous recovery and he promised that he was a new man who was utterly reformed and he released those he had unfairly kept captive and even forgave debts. In a dramatic turn, the King was adamant that Anselm be made Archbishop. Anselm, however, felt himself unworthy and said no on the basis that he was the grand old age of 60. The painting below captures William II presenting Anselm with the bishop's staff, only to have Anselm refuse it. 

The bishops of England would not brook his refusal, and so determined were they that Anselm become their ruler, that they took his body into their hands and forcibly took him to the cathedral, his feet leaving marks in the grounds as he was dragged, while they recited a Te Deum. Then they had to pry his hands apart and make him hold the crozier. 

Anselm went on to have a glorious tenure as archbishop. But during that time before, when he was hated by King William, so much so that the King swore on Jesus's Face that he'd never elevate Anselm, he had earned the hatred of the King by being  truthful. The initial difficulties that he'd had with King William could have been avoided - maybe altogether - had he kept silent about the King's corruption. Before the King fell seriously ill, he'd had an audience with Anselm where the black-robed monk had pointed out his mistakes in no uncertain terms. Had Anselm done the opposite, gone as a courtier and promised to be a cowardly mouse when he was installed as archbishop, he may have slipped into the See of Canterbury as a slithering sycophant. 

Anselm answered first to his conscience and then to the crown because he dreaded the fires of Hell and feared the loss of Heaven. Ah, Heaven! The thought of losing paradise was the catalyst for King William's conversion, and Anselm was author of The Glories of Heaven. Both sinner King and saintly Archbishop had their eyes on the prize; Heaven. Anselm knew his limitations when he wrote The Glories, he knew that as per St Paul's words, eyes have not seen the greatness of the heavenly reward, but he achieved a seismic feat in writing a treatise on Heaven that gives us a sacred sense of the splendor of the saved soul - a state of bliss that can be ours. 

For one thing, if you and I go to Heaven, we will be beautiful. As Anselm elucidated, "it is known that those who attain Heaven become a temple and a throne of the Divinity and will be suffused with the glory of God and illuminated by His radiance." Angelic agency will be ours, "we shall be truly like the angels. Whatever the angels are able to do, we also shall be able to do." We will never tire of the ecstasies of Heaven because these delights, "are perfect in nature, they shall bring satisfaction and yet never give rise to any boredom or tedium." Instead of suffering, "ineffable pleasure shall completely inebriate and saturate those who are saved."

 The Glories of Heaven is a stairway between our concept of joy in this life and an understanding of the eternal joy of Heaven. It is very encouraging reading, and I'd strongly advocate that you might consider giving it to someone who needs a boost, who is doing their best and fighting hard but is nonetheless struggling. So much spiritual literature is too depressing; it is a rude awakening while The Glories is an awakening as to everlasting joy. This makes a lovely gift for someone who needs to know the loveliness that awaits them if they persevere. The Glories is the champagne of sacred literature. It cheers you up while being a celebration of the celestial. 

 

This is how Anselm reaches out to you, his reader:

O my Friend, flee for a while from your occupations; 

Hide yourself from the tumult of your thoughts.

Cast aside your burdensome cares and put off

your laborious duties.

Rest in God, and take your ease in Him. 

Enter the inner chamber of your mind;

Shut out everything except for God, 

and whatever helps you to find Him. 

Close the door firmly and seek Him. 

Say now, my heart, say to God:

"I seek Thy face; Thy face, O Lord, do I seek."

PS - I do hope in time Anselm gets the cinematic treatment the Thomases got - St Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons and St Thomas Becket in Becket.  His story of being rejected and then accepted by King William II would make a riveting film.