[Image of St Anselm from the Bodleian Library]
Today in the Novus Ordo calendar it is Good Shepherd Sunday, a Sunday which has also come to be known as Vocations Sunday. It's also the feast of St Anselm, the great Abbot of Bec and Canterbury... and Archbishop of Canterbury.
St Anselm was renowned for his asceticism, and his strong mindedness. Indeed, in his famous Proslogion (which, despite thinking Guanilo was right, I like all the same) he gives us a profound argument for the existence of God.
I was reflecting this morning at Holy Mass on St Anselm's role as Good Shepherd, and how fitting it is that we were remembering Christ's role as Shepherd (and indeed the priest's role as shepherd) on a day usually set aside for Anselm.
St Anselm didn't want to be Archbishop of Canterbury, he actively fought it, and they had to thrust the pastoral staff into his hand and carry him into the Church. And yet he was a great archbishop, able to stand up to dastardly kings on big issues... despite a couple of exiles for generally not letting the King steal the Church's money, and for taking the Pope's side and not the King's. Quelle surprise.
Anyway, the element of reluctance with which Anselm took up his episcopal office is deeply striking to me. Indeed, it seems to be emblematic of good bishops and leaders that they do not crave power. Looking at Pope Francis, and Pope Benedict, it has been striking to me that both of these men do not seem to have wnated the power. Pope Benedict was a deeply shy man, who had repeatedly tried to retire back to Bavaria (but JPII wouldn't let him), and who ultimately followed the example of Celestine V in resigning the Papacy. Pope Francis was perfectly happy as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, doing the Lord's work amongst the very poorest... and seems never to have sought high office.
So this has made me wonder about possible links between Anselm and our two most recent Holy Fathers. With Benendict the links are easy to spot. Anselm was one of the greatest Churchmen of his generation, and his writings still move and influence people. In the same way, Pope Benedict has been hailed by those both outside and within the Church as one of the greatest minds of his generation. Indeed a friend of mine who is not religious (and may even be an atheist - I'm not sure) has repeatedly said to me that she considers Benedict to be the most educated and literate man alive today. Benedict's writings will inspire people for generations to come.
When it comes to Francis one can draw the similarity that both Anselm and Francis share an ascetic outlook. Anselm once fasted for so long that he nearly died. But there is also a wonderful similarity when it comes to speaking of the Devil, which Anselm was great at. The element of this new Pontificate that I have absolutely loved is Pope Francis' regular words on the Devil. They remind me of an anecdote about Anselm, who once saw a small child teasing a captive bird. Anselm said to the child; 'that is how the Devil plays with us'. It's a powerful image, and an accessible image, and one I can almost imagine coming from Pope Francis.
But where does this all fit in with food? For this is a food blog after all.
Sadly (or not as the case may be), I've been living high on the hog of late. I've been eating like a king, several greedy kings all at once in fact. So, with my trousers threatening to burst, I am now embracing a wave of asceticism incompatible with delicious feast day recipes.
But this does not preclude me offering you some thoughts on food for St Anselm.
Anselm - despite being 'of Canterbury' - was born in Aosta. Consequently, I think that the only thing one can really suggest for Anselm is polenta. Now the fool may say in his heart that Polenta is tasteless and revolting. But the fool needs to have Polenta the Northern Italian way, and that way alone.
Aostan Polenta:
For Aostan St Anselm you would want to prepare the Polenta with cream and butter according to the packet instructions, and then layer it in an ovenproof dish with slices of Aostan fontina cheese (if you can't get it try taleggio, or failing that mozzerella and a gruyere - in fact a little gruyere would be a delicious addition regardless) making sure there is cheese on the top layer. Then you would bake it in the oven for 15 minutes or so until the cheese is bubbly and melted. Then enjoy with bread... perhaps some sausage, and a nice dry white wine.
[Picture from google]
Well, I'm off for a plate of spinach and a glass of water now... but I leave you with one of my favourite quotations from the start of Anselm's Proslogion:
'Come now, little man, come away from your duties for a little while, and hide for a space from your tumultuous thoughts... Give yourself up to God and rest for a time in him. Enter the chamber of your mind and shut out everything but God and what helps you to seek him, and with the door closed, seek him out.' (Benedicta Ward translation).
Now how's that for a closer on 'Vocations' Sunday? Because of course, this applies to all of us. What is God calling us to? Whether priesthood, social work, married life or whatever... time to shut the door and find out.
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