138. TO PRIOR WALTER AND: The Monks Of Saint
The Letters of St. Anselm
138. TO PRIOR WALTER AND
THE MONKS OF SAINT
WANDRILLE.
Anselm consoles Prior Walter and the monks of Saint Wandrille in their tribula tion because of young Lanfranc's intrusion as abbot.
TO HIS FELLOW-MONKS AND DEAREST BROTHERS, DOM WALTER,
PRIOR OF THE MONASTERY OF SAINT WANDRILLE AND THE OTHER
MONKS OF THAT MONASTERY WHO ARE WITH HIM: BROTHER
ANSELM, WISHING THEM TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL CONSOLATION
AFTER THIS PRESENT TRIBULATION.
DOM NORMAN HAS ASKED ME on your behalf to write some sort of consolation to your love and inform you of our wish with regard to Lanfranc.1
For consolation, in the short time at my disposal, it is enough for me to write what Holy Scripture says: My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations; knowing that the trial of our faith works patience, but patience has its perfect work.2 And elsewhere, we must enter through many tribulations into the kingdom of God.3 And God is faith ful, who will not suffer you to be tempted beyond what you can bear but who, with the temptation, will also provide a way to es cape, so that you may be able to bear it.4 Since, therefore, so many good things are truthfully promised us from tribula tion, we should neither be shattered nor despair nor in any way abandon a good resolution because of some tribula tion. But the more we are worn down by the onslaught of tribulation the more fervent we should be in our resolution of goodwill, according to the parable of the mustard seed.5
Be confident, therefore, that with God's help joy will fol low after tribulation. But if any one of you should fail in this tribulation you should say he left us but he was not of us,6 because he was not rooted with us.
Concerning our will, however, our mind and our tongue say this: that even if I had once wanted and ordered