23rd January, St Raymond of Pennafort, Confessor

St Raymond of Pennafort, Confessor

St. Raymund was born in 1175 of the noble Spanish family of Pennafort. Christ by His teaching and miracles showed Himself to be the Son of God. The Church shows us to-day how, by the knowledge and miracles of St. Raymond and thanks to her saints, she also has a part in the divinity of the Word.

Having given up everything to enter the Order of St. Dominic, of which he is one of the glories, St. Raymund. "meditated on the law of God" (Introit) and wrote the "Summa of cases of conscience", a summary of Christian morals which is much esteemed. Wherefore the Church awarded him the title of "eminent minister of the sacrament of penance" (Collect).

The Collect alludes to the miracle by which, having spread out his cloak on the waters, St. Raymund in six hours crossed the 53 leagues of sea which separate tbe island of Majorca from Barcelona.

He persuaded St. Peter Nolasco to sacrifice his fortune for the ransoming of Christians detained as captives in the Barbary States and with that end in view obtained the institution of the Order of Our Lady of Ransom.

St. Raymund, unwilling to be surprised by the sudden arrival of the Lord (Gospel), employed the last 35 years of his life in a very special manner in preparing himself for death. The saint gave up his soul to God in 1275 at the age of 99.

Through the intercession of St. Raymund, who was the eminent minister of the Sacrament of penance and who miraculously crossed the sea, may we obtain to produce worthy fruits of penance and to reach the haven of eternal salvation (Collect).

Os justi meditabitur sapientiam, et lingua ejus loquetur judicium; lex Dei ejus in corde ipsius. * Noli aemulari in malignantibus: neque zelaveris facientes iniquitatem.
The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgement: the law of his God is in his heart. * Be not emulous of evildoers: nor envy them that work iniquity.
(Psalm 36:30-31,1 from the Introit of Mass)

Deus, qui beátum Raymúndum poeniténtiae sacraménti insígnem minístrum elegísti, et per maris undas mirabíliter traduxísti: concéde; ut ejus intercessióne dignos poeniténtiæ fructus fácere, et ad ætérnæ salútis portum perveníre valeámus.
O God, who didst elect blessed Raymund to be an eminent minister of the sacrament of penance, and didst miraculously guide him through the waves of the sea, grant that by his intercession, we may bring forth worthy fruits of penance, and reach the haven of eternal life.
(Collect)

From the Catholic Encyclopaedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12671c.htm