Today is Jan. 7, the feast of St. Raymond of Penyafort.
In the readings for today’s Mass, we hear, “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins” (1 Jn 4:10).
Imagine being asked to undertake a monumental task for the pope. Could you say no? Of course not! St. Raymond of Penyafort, whom we celebrate today, couldn’t either.
He was a professor of canon law whose expertise was world-renowned. (A treatise he wrote is still kept in the Vatican library today.) That’s why Pope Gregory IX called upon St. Raymond (1175-1275) to reorganize and compile centuries of church law into a more compact and accessible collection. This compilation and codification became known as the “Decretals of Gregory IX.”
Recognition of St. Raymond’s work
After completing such a monumental task, Raymond’s only desire was to retire. Pope Gregory wanted to recognize the importance of his work to reform church law by making him an archbishop. But being a good Dominican friar, Raymond refused. He intended to spend the rest of his days in quiet study and preaching.
Raymond’s Dominican brethren, however, had other plans. They elected him master of the Dominican Order! In 1238, he became only the second friar to succeed St. Dominic in leading the worldwide order.
How many times have we had our own clear plans for our lives? A hope or a dream for something that we wanted more than anything else? And how many times have we had to give up those plans, to surrender them to God’s will? How many times have we had to put our own dreams aside to serve those we love or the Church? For everyone facing a difficult decision today, as we begin a new year, St. Raymond can be a model patron. Let’s place our dreams and our decision-making in his hands.
Let us pray,
O God, who adorned the Priest Saint Raymond with the virtue of outstanding mercy and compassion for sinners and for captives, grant us, through his intercession, that, released from slavery to sin, we may carry out in freedom of spirit what is pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
