¡Saludos! ¿Cómo estáis? (That’s the formal version in Spanish for, “Salutations! How are you?”) I hope that you are well and staying warm. With the title for this week’s eNewsletter you might be thinking that I made an error or it could be the start of a joke. However, at times truth is stranger than fiction. With the Universal Church around the world we celebrate St. Raymond of Peñafort, a Spanish Saint from the 1100s who was an expert in Civil Law and in Canon Law. (catholicnewsagency.com)
“Canon” refers to the official laws of the Catholic Church and not to the round projectiles known as cannons that are often fired from a ship. The spelling, meaning, and purpose of both are very different! 😊 Getting back to the Saint of the Day, I thought that it would be worthwhile to meditate upon a prayer of blessing attributed to the Dominican teacher and preacher St. Raymond of Peñafort:
“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 forever in the vision of peace, in the security of trust, and in the restful enjoyment of his riches.” (Source: faithofthefatherssaintquote.blogspot.com)
On this day we ask for an abundance of blessings upon Archbishop Hebda who himself has degrees in Civil and Canon Law. Through the intercession of St. Raymond may the Lord bless our dear Archbishop and all those who serve as lawyers. With God’s help they too can be holy and not just the punchline of a joke.
