The Sunday Sermon

Exhortation of the mind to the contemplation of God

By  St. Anselm 

Edited by R.P. Woitowitz Sr. 

Cast Aside all Worldly Thoughts 

The mind of man should cast aside cares, and exclude all thoughts save that of God, that it may seek Him. Man was created to see God. Man by sin,( Genesis 3:6-12;) lost the blessedness for which he was made, and found the misery for which he was not made. He did not keep this good when he could keep it easily. (Genesis 25:32;)(a)  Without God it is ill with us. (Psalms 28:1; Jeremiah 7:23;)Our labors and attempts are in vain without God. (Ecclesiastes 1:2;) Man cannot seek God, unless God himself teaches him; nor find him, unless he reveals himself. (Psalms 86:11; Galatians 1:16; God created man in his image, that he might be mindful of him, think of him, and love him. (Job 7:17;)The believer does not seek to understand, that he may believe, but he believes, that he may understand: for unless he believed he would not understand. ( Hebrews 11:1;)

UP now, slight man! flee, for a little while, thy occupations; hide thyself, for a time, from thy disturbing thoughts. Cast aside, now, thy burdensome cares, and put away thy toilsome business. Yield room for some little time to God; and rest for a little time in him. (Zephaniah 3:17;)  Enter the inner chamber of thy mind; shut out all thoughts save that of God, and such as can aid thee in seeking him; close thy door and seek him. (Matthew 6:5-6;) Speak now, my whole heart! speak now to God, saying, I seek thy face; thy face, Lord, will I seek (Psalms 27:8; Isaiah 26:9;). And come thou now, O Lord my God, teach my heart where and how it may seek thee, where and how it may find thee. (Songs 3:2; Psalm 51:10;)

A prayer and praise to our creator:

Be it mine to look up to thy light, even from afar, even from the depths. Teach me to seek thee, and reveal thyself to me, when I seek thee, for I cannot seek thee, except thou teach me, nor find thee, except thou reveal thyself. Let me seek thee in longing, let me long for thee in seeking; let me find thee in love, and love thee in finding. Lord, I acknowledge and I thank thee that thou hast created me in this thine image, in order that I may be mindful of thee, may conceive of thee, and love thee; but that image has been so consumed and wasted away by vices, and obscured by the smoke of wrong‑doing, that it cannot achieve that for which it was made, except thou renew it, and create it anew. I do not endeavor, O Lord, to penetrate thy sublimity, for in no wise do I compare my understanding with that; but I long to understand in some degree thy truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, that unless I believed, I should not understand.

Scripture as used above

Genesis 3:6-12; Genesis 25:32; Psalms 27:8; Psalms 28:1; Ecclesiastes 1:2; Jeremiah 7:23; Psalms 86:11; Galatians 1:16;  Hebrews 11:1; Zephaniah 3:17; Matthew 6:5-6; Songs 3:2; Psalm 51:10;

(a) Editor’s note - The use of a this scripture as a reference serves more as an illustration. The fact that Esau was more concerned about his present circumstances that he would give up his birthright for a pot of stew demonstrates to me that too many of us, myself included, have often times taken our eyes off the things of the spirit and have placed them instead on those things of the world.