Today, January 7, is the memorial of Saint Raymond of Peñafort.
Patron saint of lawyers.
Raymond of Peñafort was the confessor of King James I of Aragon, who used to be a devout Catholic until he had a mistress. When the king went to the island of Majorca to convert the Moors, he brought along his mistress. Raymond scolded the king and told him to dismiss his kept woman. The king said no. Raymond resigned and wanted to leave the island.
King James I was so mad he ordered all ship captains not to take Raymond or they will be punished. To his Dominican brother, Raymond said, “Soon you will see how the King of Heaven will confound the wicked deeds of this earthly king and provide me with a ship!”
The Dominicans went to the seashore. Raymond took off his long black cloak, spread it on the water, and turned it into a little ship’s mast. With the sign of the cross, Raymond miraculously sailed away on his cloak. Many people witnessed the astounding miracle, which led to the king renouncing his sinful life.
Raymond was born in 1175 in Catalonia, Spain. He came from a noble family and was well educated. He earned doctorates in both canon and civil law. He received the Dominican habit at age 47.
Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome in 1230 and assigned him to collect all official letters of the popes since 1150. Raymond gathered and published five volumes, and helped write Church law.
He became Master General of the Dominicans in 1238. He reviewed the Order’s Rule, made sure everything was legally correct, then resigned his position in 1240 to focus on parish work. He was offered the archbishopric, but he declined, instead returning to Spain and the parish work he loved.
With Saint Thomas Aquinas, he wrote a booklet to explain the truths of faith in a way that non-believers could understand. His great influence on Church law led to his patronage of lawyers.
He died of natural causes at age 100. He was beatified by Pope Paul III in 1542. He was canonized in 1601 by Pope Clement VIII.