Today January 7

Today is the feast day of St. Raymond of Penafort (1175 - 1275), the great Spanish Dominican known for codifying canon law. He was a great student, majoring in philosophy, and later teaching philosophy for free; Socrates would be proud. He got his doctorate in Italy (Bologna), served as his bishop's (Berengarius of Barcelona's) archdeacon, and finally took religious orders at the age of 47, quite a late vocation, especially in those days. He was so happy that he feared complacency, so he asked his superiors for a great penance. They agreed, but it ended up being a complete surprise for him: to write a complete record of cases for confessors and moralists later compiled into a book titled Summa de casibus poenitentialibus. He also compiled various popes' writings and gathered canon law into all one place. He joined these labors with spiritual ones: preaching, teaching, hearing confessions and converting heretics, Jews and Muslims. Imagine. Nowadays there is virtually a 0% conversion rate of Muslims to Christianity, and yet he converted thousands. He also converted fallen-away Christians who had been enslaved by Muslims. He said that in order to subdue our political enemies we must first subdue our spiritual enemies and overcome sin in ourselves.

He is considered a co-founder of the Mercedarians, an order dedicated to ransoming the slaves. Though originally founded by St. Peter Nolasco -- and resembling more a military than a strictly religious order -- the Mercedarians were incorporated with the help of Raymond, who also endowed them with many Dominican rules and customs.

He was named archbishop of Tarragona in Aragon, much against his will, and unlike others who warmed to the task, he actually convinced the pope (Gregory IX, who had been his penitent when Raymond was his confessor) to let him resign. So clerics CAN resign, despite many folks' idea that they are elected for life. He did, however, find the pope a suitable replacement.

He was allowed to return to the solitude of Catalonia and enjoyed peace as he wrote, preached and heard thousands of confessions. It was not to last, however. He was elected superior general of his order by force. This office he held for two years, during which he distinguished himself, but after which he begged off due to old age. He was 65 . . . and yet he lived to be 100!

He spent the remainder of his years trying to convert the Muslims and also building up schools and colleges, advocating the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas and encouraging the reading of Hebrew and Arabic sources in their original languages.

He died January 6th, 1275 in the 100th year of his age and was attended by two kings of what is now Spain, along with their princes and princesses. St. Raymond, pray for us.