Dominican Priest (1175-1275)
His life
+ Raymond was born near Catalonia, Spain, and was so bright that he was teaching philosophy in Barcelona when he was only twenty-years old. Asking for no payment, he was fully dedicated to the formation of his students.
+ After he earned doctoral degrees in canon and civil law, he was made a canon, archdeacon, and vicar-general of his diocese. In 1222, he entered the Dominican Order.
+ As a Dominican friar, Raymond committed himself to working for the conversion of Muslims and Jews.
+ Recognizing his natural gifts and education, Pope Gregory IX summoned him to Rome and appointed him Auditor of the Apostolic Palace, Penitentiary, and Confessor to His Holiness.
+ In 1238, Raymond was elected General of the Dominican Order and is credited with codifying the Order’s Constitutions.
+ Saint Raymond died in 1275 and was canonized in 1601. He is honored as the patron saint of canon lawyers.
Spiritual bonus
On this day, the Church also honors the memory of Blessed Marie Therese Haze, the foundress of the Sisters of the Cross of Liège (now known as the Daughters of the Cross. Known for her love of the poor and those most in need, Blessed Marie Therese died in 1876 and was beatified in 1991.
For reflection
“Look then on Jesus, the author and preserver of faith: in complete sinlessness he suffered, and at the hands of those who were his own, and was numbered among the wicked. As you drink the cup of the Lord Jesus (how glorious it is!), give thanks to the Lord, the giver of all blessings.”—Saint Raymond of Peñafort
Prayer
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,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...