It’s the Feast of St. Raymond of Peñafort , 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: “Love and Sacrifice”, today’s news from the Church: “India: No Respite for Christians at Christmas”, a preview of this week’s episode of The SSPX Podcast: “From the Legion of Decency to Netflix: Catholics and Movies”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.

• “Love and Sacrifice” – From Epiphany to Lent
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• https://fsspx.news/en/news/india-no-respite-christians-christmas-56624

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Saint Raymond of Peñafort was one of the great minds and servants of the medieval Church, a man whose intellectual clarity was always placed at the service of mercy and order. Born around 1175 near Barcelona into a noble Catalan family, Raymond pursued studies in philosophy and law with exceptional ability. He taught canon law at the University of Bologna, where his reputation for precision and balance made him one of the most respected jurists in Europe. Yet despite academic success, he lived simply and remained deeply prayerful, convinced that knowledge divorced from holiness was ultimately empty.

In midlife, Raymond entered the Dominican Order, embracing a life of preaching, study, and disciplined community. His legal expertise soon drew the attention of the wider Church. Pope Gregory IX summoned him to Rome and entrusted him with a monumental task: compiling a clear and authoritative collection of papal decrees and canonical decisions. The result was the Decretals of Gregory IX, a work that brought coherence to centuries of Church law and guided ecclesiastical governance for generations. Raymond undertook this work with humility, often working late into the night, determined that justice in the Church should always be tempered by charity.

Raymond was also deeply involved in pastoral concerns. He served as confessor to the pope and later as Archbishop of Tarragona, though he resigned the office quickly, believing himself unsuited to administration. His heart lay in reconciliation and conversion. He promoted the sacrament of confession with renewed seriousness, insisting that confessors be both learned and compassionate. He also supported missionary work among Jews and Muslims in Spain and North Africa, encouraging the study of languages so that the Gospel could be preached clearly rather than imposed. Under his influence, Dominican study houses expanded their commitment to Arabic and Hebrew learning.

One episode from his later life became legendary. While accompanying King James I of Aragon, Raymond rebuked the king for public immorality. When the king ignored him and forbade him to leave the island of Majorca, Raymond is said to have spread his cloak on the sea, tied it to his staff, and sailed back to Barcelona. Whether read literally or symbolically, the story captured how firmly he placed conscience above royal favor.

Raymond died in 1275 at nearly one hundred years of age, revered as a father, teacher, and confessor who had shaped the Church through clarity rather than force.

Traditions surrounding Saint Raymond of Peñafort remained strongest in Spain and within the Dominican Order. His feast on January 23 was associated with prayers for confessors, canon lawyers, and those working in Church tribunals. He became a patron of moral theologians and jurists, especially those tasked with balancing justice and mercy.

Saint Raymond of Peñafort reminds us that law, when rooted in charity and truth, can become an instrument of healing rather than burden.

Saint Raymond of Peñafort, wise teacher and servant of reconciliation, pray for us!

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