Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.
Saint Raymund of Pennafort.
Confessor.
Feast Day 23 January.
Semi-Double.
White Vestments.
Saint Raymund of Pennafort.
Master-General of The Dominican Order (1238–1240).
Artist: Tommaso da Modena (1326–1379).
Date: 1352.
Current location: Church of San Nicolò, Treviso, Italy.
Source/Photographer: Il Capitolo dei Domenicani
(Wikimedia Commons)
Saint 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, today, how, by the knowledge and Miracles of Saint Raymund, 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 Saint Dominic, of which he is one of the glories, Saint 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, Saint Raymund, in six hours, crossed the fifty-three Leagues of sea which separate the island of Majorca from Barcelona.
He persuaded Saint 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.
Saint Raymund, unwilling to be surprised by the sudden arrival of The Lord (Gospel), employed the last thirty-five 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 ninety-nine.
Through the intercession of Saint 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).
Mass: Os justi.
Commemoration: Saint Emerentiana.
Another glorious short Zephyrinus sketch of S. Raymond, thank you, a much-overlooked Dominican saint nowadays.
ReplyDeleteThe Dominican records report he already had a career as a canon lawyer when, at the age of 47, in 1222, he chose to join the order that S. Dominic had just formed in 1215.
His intellectual reputation especially in issues of conscience and moral matters was renowned: in fact, the occasion for S. Raymond to take his cape and spread it on the waters and sail across the sea— a distance of about 53 leagues (3.45 miles = 1 league) or roughly 180 miles in 6 hours (so he made about 30 miles an hour or about 26 knots in naval terms!)—- was his moral outrage at his sponsor, the king of Aragon, for a scandal the king had caused while he and the king were visiting the island of Majorca: the king attempted to restrain him from leaving and refused passage on any of the ships to go back to the Spanish mainland. So S. Raymond took the matters into his own hands, or we should say he was “cape-able” () of navigating his own passage.
In addition to this well attested miracle, S. Raymond was documented to have raised over 40 people from the dead by laying hands on them and praying over them. He lived to be 100, and his practice of always being aware at every instant that God may come to take him the last several years of his life was a legendary teaching point in the Dominicans. -Note by Dante P
An excellent historical update on Saint Raymund Of Pennafort. Manyt thanks, Dante P. One assumes that the King of Aragon was somewhat surprised at our Saint getting across the sea without using his ships !!!
DeleteSo, inspired by S. Raymond, perhaps Zephyrinus can arrange with Perkins the next time that dear Perkins wants Zephyrinus to purchase an exorbitantly expensive new means of transportation (to replace the venerable Charabanc of course) to have Perkins stretch out his cape and use his walking stick as a rudder (another detail of S. Raymond’s navigation) and sail the lanes of the shire at will! Have at it, Perkins! Keep trying, don’t give up!
ReplyDeleteThink of the petrol that could be saved! -Comment by Dante P
Thank You, Dante P, for outlining the idea of Perkins (Chauffeur) "stretching out his cape and using his walking stick as a rudder", whilst attempting to walk on water. This idea has a lot of merit and has given Zephyrinus much food for thought !!! If nothing else, it would drastically reduce the incident rate of highly-overpriced and dramatically undesirable antique cars suddenly appearing on Zephyrinus's drive-way !!!
Delete