TEXT: Solemnity of St. Raymond of Peñafort, January 11, 2025
January 11, 2026 Father De Celles Homily
The Solemnity of St. Raymond of Peñafort
January 11, 2026
Homily by Fr. John De Celles
St. Raymond of Peñafort Catholic Church
Springfield, VA
When I tell people I am the pastor of St. Raymond of Peñafort,
I usually get one of two reactions:
I get either a confused stare or, “Who’s St. Raymond?”
And when visitors come up to me after Mass, they often say something like,
“We love your beautiful church…
but who are those saints in the big paintings?”
Nobody seems to know about St. Raymond of Peñafort.
I admit I didn’t know who he was until I was in the seminary,
and even then, I basically knew he was “The Father of Canon Law.”
So, when I was assigned here in 2010, I tried to find out more about him.
And I found out that almost nobody knew who he was.
There are lots of short articles about him,
but they all say virtually the same things.
I couldn’t find any books in English written about him,
and could only find a couple of books in Spanish,
the best being over 200 years old.
Then, a canon lawyer showed me an old copy of a biography in English,
but it was out of print,
and the publisher had been out of business for fifty years.
Finally, I found a short booklet written by the Dominicans decades ago,
and they gave me permission to reprint it.
(We have copies in the office and maybe the gift shop if you want one.)
But still, there’s not a lot even there.
It’s as if no one knows him.
In his day, though, Raymond was very famous, especially in Spain and Rome,
in the universities, and among priests.
Priests and universities knew him first because of
his book on the sacrament of Confession,
which was the go-to book for new priests,
and then because of his work organizing and publishing
the first compilation of Canon Law.
Rome knew him because he was a the “Grand Penitentiary” of the Church,
or the head of the Vatican court responsible
for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins and internal forum.
In Spain they knew him first as a confessor to the king,
but more importantly as a holy man, scholar, preacher and confessor,
the co-founder of a religious order,
and a great promoter of conversions of Spanish Muslims and Jews.
And of course, they knew that the Blessed Mother had visited him.
They’d also heard about the remarkable visions
people sometimes saw when St. Raymond offered Holy Mass,
including the time a pillar of flame appeared hovering over him,
and the time when the consecrated host
started to radiate light in Raymond’s hand
as people saw in it the face of the Child Jesus.
Lastly, they knew him as a prolific worker of amazing miracles,
what the Church calls a “Thaumaturgus”:
not only the miracle of his cape,
but he also healed many sick people by his touch;
there are many stories, too, about him raising a child from the dead.
But not so much anymore, not even in Spain.
No big shrine or anything like that:
His tomb is just one of many side altars in the Cathedral of Barcelona.
__
But perhaps all this non-recognition today
reveals some hidden reasons he’s such a great Patron for us.
First of all. he’s kind of our big secret:
Think of how powerful he is, close to Mary, working miracles, etc.
But because no one knows him, he’s probably one of the least prayed to
of all the great Saints in heaven–
except for us.
So, he’s got lots of time to help us.
And even though others may not know about him, we do,
and we recognize a particular example for us, in this parish,
of what our lives in Christ should look like:
his great example of faith in the power of Jesus, illustrated in that mural;
his dedication to the law, justice and mercy,
and to the grace of the sacraments, especially Confession;
his great devotion to Mary;
his concern for those held captive as we can especially think of those enslaved to sins
or of our children held captive to the culture of death;
and, of course, his energy and zeal even in his old age.
I could go on and on.
__
But let me point to a particular thing his example of nonrecognition teaches us.
A while back, a friend of mine and I were talking about how
we had both recently turned 65 and both felt like
we hadn’t accomplished the things we had once dreamed of,
and, at this age, never would.
When I was a seminarian and young priest,
I hoped I might accomplish something exceptional for Christ–
maybe as a professor of theology or maybe even a bishop.
I soon enough figured out that was pretty foolish of me.
And even in the things we have accomplished,
that we take righteous pride in,
we talked about how soon people would forget about these,
and, in fact forget us altogether.
I mean, I’m the pastor of the best parish in the diocese
if not the whole darn country.
But I think of all the remarkable priests I’ve known,
some of the really extraordinary pastors
that made our diocese what it is today,
and no one remembers them.
Even bishops and cardinals who were household names twenty years ago,
people forget.
That will happen to me too.
But the same thing happens to all of us.
Some of you have, or once had, very important jobs.
But then you move on or retire, and pretty soon, people start to forget.
And some of you have great families,
but the kids grow up and you hardly see them.
And of course, your grandkids love you, but think about it:
Will they remember much about you fifty years from now?
Sounds a lot like St. Raymond.
But also like St. Raymond of Peñafort,
it doesn’t’ really matter what
the world sees as a success or how the world remembers you.
First of all, like St. Raymond, the effect you’ve had on people
continues through generations,
moving forward through history,
even if no one remembers it came from you.
Folks don’t know anything about St. Raymond,
but think of all the great priests he helped form,
especially his fellow Dominicans, like St. Thomas Aquinas,
and how his writings directly or indirectly continue to form them today.
Look at his effect on Canon Law
that even today governs the common life of the Church.
And look at people like us,
who turn to him in prayer and for example.
Even more important, even if he’s dead and largely forgotten on earth,
he is known and revered and loved deeply still and forever
—in Heaven.
He is one of the great saints of history,
and so, as Jesus assures us, his “reward will be great in heaven!”
Everyone in heaven knows and loves him,
and he knows and loves everyone else in heaven.
He gets to hang out with Mary and Joseph,
and even with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit.
And they know and appreciate the great life he led on earth.
All that can be the same with us.
First, think of your legacy in your family:
So what if your great grandchildren don’t know your name?
If you give your children and grandchildren the good example
and teach them the truth about life and love in Christ,
please God, your descendants may be faithful Catholics.
Maybe not all of them, but certainly all those who are open to it.
And think about not just your children, but all the people you’ve affected in this life:
your coworkers, your friends, and your enemies.
Your legacy of righteousness and Catholicism will continue to
have an effect on their lives and the lives of other people
for generations to come.
So too, by the way, your sins and unfaithfulness will as well,
but in the other direction.
Like Saint Raymond, your name may be forgotten, but the effects,
good or bad, of your life will echo for decades and longer.
But in the end, our true legacy is not on earth, but in heaven.
The goal in life is not to be remembered here
but to be known and loved in heaven forever.
Like St. Raymond.
So, it is not that important if we achieve all our goals on earth,
or if people remember you fifty years from now.
And it doesn’t matter one bit if the folks on earth wind up calling you
“St. John of Springfield” or “St. Heather of Fairfax.”
What matters is that we live on earth following the example of Jesus
and His servant St. Raymond:
Living a life of faith, hope, and love;
following the way of the Lord Jesus in everything as best we can;
and not being discouraged by this apparent failure
or that set back or loss or illness.
Living life with Jesus and His Church
in everything we do, with everyone we meet,
at every moment and in every place.
____
Today is the last day of the Season of Christmas.
But as we look around, we see that after December 25th
people have almost forgotten that Christmas ever happened.
Yet, the effects of even the secular celebration continue,
as children and adults enjoy their Christmas presents
even as they forget they came from Christmas.
But we continue celebrating Christmas
by extending this season for three weeks, from December 25th to today,
to remind us that the effects of the Birth of Christ extend
beyond one day, beyond three weeks,
and even beyond the coming year.
They’ve extended for the 2,025 years passed and will continue for all the years ahead
until the end of time–
even if no one recognizes or remembers that fact.
But we do remember that Christ is born and remains in the world.
And in the same way, we remember St. Raymond,
so that he may, as our Prayer to St. Raymond says,
“Help us through [his] prayers, example, and teaching,
to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to all we meet.
And when we have reached the fullness of our years…
[he will] guide us home to heaven, to live in peace with [him],
Our Mother Mary, and Our Lord Jesus Christ.”