LONGING TO SEE GOD
"Come now, insignificant man, fly for a moment from your affairs, escape for a little while from the tumult of your thoughts. Put aside now your weighty cares and leave your wearisome toils. Abandon yourself for a little to God and rest for a little in him.
Enter into the inner chamber of your soul, shut out everything save God and what can be of help in your quest for him and having locked the door seek him out. Speak now, my whole heart, speak now to God: 'I seek your countenance, O Lord, your countenance I seek.'
Come then, Lord my God, teach my heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you.
Lord, if you are not present here, where, since you are absent, shall I look for you ? On the other hand, if you are everywhere why then, since you are present, do I not see you ? But surely you dwell in light inaccessible. And where is this inaccessible light, or how can I approach the inaccessible light ? Or who shall lead me and take me into it that I may see you in it ? Again, by what signs, under what aspect, shall I seek you ? Never have I seen you, Lord my God, I do not know your face.
What shall he do, most high Lord, what shall this exile do, far away from you as he is ? What shall your servant do, tormented by love of you and yet cast off far from your face ? He yearns to see you and your countenance is too far away from him. He desires to come close to you, and your dwelling place is inaccessible; he longs to find you and does not know where you are; he is eager to seek you out and he does not know your countenance.
Lord, you are my God and my Lord, and never have I seen you. You have created me and recreated me and you have given me all the good things I possess, and still I do not know you. In fine, I was made in order to see you, and I have not yet accomplished what I was made for.
And you, O Lord, how long ? How long, Lord, will you be unmindful of us ? How long will you turn your countenance from us ? When will you look upon us and hear us? When will you enlighten our eyes and show your countenance to us ? When will you give yourself again to us?
Look upon us, Lord; hear us, enlighten us, show yourself to us. Give yourself to us that it may be well with us, for without you it goes so ill for us. Have pity upon our efforts and our strivings towards you, for we can avail nothing without you.
Teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to me as I seek, because I can neither seek you if you do not teach me how, nor find you unless you reveal yourself. Let me seek you in desiring you; let me desire you in seeking you; let me find you in loving you; let me love you in finding you."
(St. Anselm of Canterbury, bishop. Proslogion, 1)
Prayer
O God, You inspired St. Anselm with an ardent desire to find You in prayer and contemplation among the bustle of everyday occupations, help us to take time in the feverish rhythm of our days, among the worries and cares of modern life, for conversation with You, our only hope and salvation! We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord…..
(By Ateneo Pontificio "Regina Apostolorum")
聖安瑟莫主教《談談天主存在》
（享見天主的渴望）
卑微的人哪！如今暫時擺脫你的俗務，稍微離開你的雜念。如今暫且拋下你的笨重的操心，辛勞的重擔，用片刻的時間想想天主，並在天主那裡安息一下吧！
進入你心靈的內室。除了天主和那有助於追尋天主的事以外，你要把其他一切關在門外。在你緊閉心門後，你要尋找他。如今我的整個心靈，說話吧！向天主說：我尋找你的儀容，主，我要追求你的儀容。
因此，主、我的天主！如今請教導我心，到哪裡和怎樣去尋找你；在那你和怎樣能找到你。
主啊！如果你不在這裡，那末，你不在時，我到哪裡去找尋你呢？但你若是無所不在的，那末，為什麼我看不見你的臨在呢？一定的，你是住在不可接近的光中。但是，那不可接近的光在哪裡呢？我怎能走近那不可接近的光？誰將指導我，引導我走近它，好使我在此光中看到你呢？最後，我要請問：用什麼記號，藉什麼方式來尋找你呢？主、我的天主，我從來沒有見過你；我並不認識你的儀容。
至高的上主，他能做什麼呢？他這個遠方的流亡者，能做什麼呢？他這個急於愛你、而又被你拋得遠遠的僕人，能做什麼呢？他切望看見你，而你的儀容卻離他太遠；他渴望接近你，而你的住所卻是無法接近的；他想找到你，卻不知你在哪裡；他一心尋求你，卻不認識你的儀容。
上主，你是我的天主、我的主，我卻從來沒有見過你。你造了我，並且再造了我，我的一切美善也都是你賜給我的，而我還沒有認識你。最後，我之所以受造，就是為了看見你，而我還沒有達到我之所以受造的目的。
主啊！還待多久呢？主啊，你忘記我的到何時為止呢？你轉面不顧我，到何時為止呢？你將於何時垂視我們，俯聽我們呢？你將於何時照我們的眼睛，顯示你的儀容呢？你將於何時再來到我們這裡呢？
主，求你垂視我們，俯聽我們，光照我們，把你自己顯示給我們吧！求你再與我們同在，好使我們一切順利；沒有你，一切都為我們不利。主啊，求你憐視我們的辛勞、我們的努力，使我們找到你；因為沒有你，我們什麼也不能做。
主啊，請教導我尋找你；我尋找時，把你顯示給我；因為，除非你教導我，我不能尋找你；除非你顯示給我，我也不能找到你。在我渴望你時，讓我尋找你；在我尋找你時，讓我渴望你；在我愛慕你時，讓我找到你；在我找到你時，讓我愛慕你。
E libro «Proslógion» sancti Ansélmi epíscopi
(Cap. 1: Opera omnia, Edit. Schmitt, Seccovii, 1938, 1, 97-100)
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Desiderium contemplandi Deum
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Eia nunc, homúncio, fuge páululum occupatiónes tuas, abscónde te módicum a tumultuósis cogitatiónibus tuis. Abice nunc onerósas curas, et postpóne laboriósas distensiónes tuas. Vaca aliquántulum Deo, et requiésce aliquántulum in eo.
Intra in cubículum mentis tuæ; exclúde ómnia præter Deum et quæ te iuvent ad quæréndum eum, et, clauso óstio, quære eum. Dic nunc, totum cor meum, dic nunc Deo: Quæro vultum tuum; vultum tuum, Dómine, requíro.
Eia nunc ergo, tu, Dómine Deus meus, doce cor meum ubi et quómodo te quærat, ubi et quómodo te invéniat.
Dómine, si non es hic, ubi te quæram abséntem? Si autem ubíque es, cur non vídeo te præséntem? Sed certe hábitas lucem inaccessíbilem. Et ubi est lux inaccessíbilis, aut quómodo accédam ad lucem inaccessíbilem? Aut quis me ducet, et indúcet in illam, ut vídeam te in illa? Deínde, quibus signis, qua fácie te quæram? Numquam te vidi, Dómine Deus meus; non novi fáciem tuam.
Quid fáciet, altíssime Dómine, quid fáciet iste tuus longínquus exsul? Quid fáciet servus tuus ánxius amóre tui, et longe proiéctus a fácie tua? Anhélat vidére te, et nimis abest illi fácies tua. Accédere ad te desíderat, et inaccessíbilis est habitátio tua. Inveníre te cupit, et nescit locum tuum. Quǽrere te afféctat, et ignórat vultum tuum.
Dómine, Deus meus es, et Dóminus meus es, et numquam te vidi. Tu me fecísti et refecísti, et ómnia mea bona tu mihi contulísti, et nondum novi te. Dénique ad te vidéndum factus sum; et nondum feci propter quod factus sum.
Et o tu, Dómine, úsquequo? Usquequo, Dómine, obliviscéris nos, úsquequo avértes fáciem tuam a nobis? Quando respícies et exáudies nos? Quando illuminábis óculos nostros, et osténdes nobis fáciem tuam? Quando restítues te nobis?
Réspice, Dómine, exáudi, illúmina nos, osténde nobis teípsum. Restítue te nobis, ut bene sit nobis; sine quo tam male est nobis. Miseráre labóres et conátus nostros ad te, qui nihil valémus sine te.
Doce me quǽrere te, et osténde te quærénti; quia nec quǽrere te possum, nisi tu dóceas, nec inveníre, nisi te osténdas. Quæram te desiderándo, desíderem quæréndo, invéniam amando, amem inveniéndo.