Today is the Feast Day of St. Raymond of Peñafort
St. Raymond of Peñafort (1175–1275)
Saint Raymond of Peñafort, a 13th-century Spanish Dominican, stands as a radiant example of the harmony between truth and charity. Born near Barcelona and formed in the rigorous discipline of law at the University of Bologna, he became one of the greatest canonists in the Church’s history. Yet, his heart was not drawn merely to legal clarity, but to the deeper work of conversion, reconciliation, and the salvation of souls.
After joining the Dominican Order in 1222, Raymond gave himself wholly to the mission of preaching and spiritual formation. He believed deeply in the power of reasoned dialogue, especially with Jews and Muslims, and sought not to argue but to lovingly illuminate the truth of Christ. His preaching was not harsh or polemical, but rooted in clarity, humility, and the conviction that truth, when joined with love, can heal hearts.
At the request of Pope Gregory IX, he undertook the immense task of organizing the Church’s body of canon law, producing the Decretals, which became the foundation for ecclesiastical legal structure for centuries. His Summa de Poenitentia et Matrimonio was a gift to confessors, guiding them in the delicate and sacred responsibility of healing wounded souls through the sacraments of penance and marriage.
Despite his accomplishments, St. Raymond remained deeply humble. After being elected Master General of the Dominicans, he resigned after two years, sensing that others were better suited to lead. His humility was not weakness, but strength—a quiet trust in God’s providence.
One story from his life has become legendary: when King James of Aragon refused to release him from courtly duties, Raymond, seeking to obey God rather than man, left the island of Mallorca by spreading his cloak on the sea and sailing back to Barcelona. It was not spectacle, but an act of deep trust in God’s faithfulness.
He is now the patron saint of canon lawyers and confessors—those who, like him, labor in the vineyard of mercy and truth.
May the God of Love and Peace Set Our Hearts at Rest
A letter by St Raymond
The preacher of God’s truth has told us that all who want to live righteously in Christ will suffer persecution. If he spoke the truth and did not lie, the only exception to this general statement is, I think, the person who either neglects, or does not know how, to live temperately, justly and righteously in this world.
May you never be numbered among those whose house is peaceful, quiet and free from care; those on whom the Lord’s chastisement does not descend; those who live out their days in prosperity, and in the twinkling of an eye will go down to hell.
Your purity of life, your devotion, deserve and call for a reward; because you are acceptable and pleasing to God your purity of life must be made purer still, by frequent buffetings, until you attain perfect sincerity of heart. If from time to time you feel the sword falling on you with double or treble force, this also should be seen as sheer joy and the mark of love.
The two-edged sword consists in conflict without, fears within. It falls with double or treble force within, when the cunning spirit troubles the depths of your heart with guile and enticements. You have learned enough already about these kinds of warfare, or you would not have been able to enjoy peace and interior tranquillity in all its beauty.
The sword falls with double and treble force externally when, without cause being given, there breaks out from within the Church persecution in spiritual matters, where wounds are more serious, especially when inflicted by friends.
This is that enviable and blessed cross of Christ, which Andrew, that manly saint, received with joyful heart: the cross in which alone we must make our boast, as Paul, God’s chosen instrument, has told us.
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.
May the God of love and peace set your hearts at rest and speed you on your journey; may he meanwhile shelter you from disturbance by others in the hidden recesses of his love, until he brings you at last into that place of complete plenitude where you will repose for ever in the vision of peace, in the security of trust and in the restful enjoyment of his riches.
© 2025, Lawain McNeil, Mission Surrender, LLC