Fr. Bob’s Spiritual Reflection–1/7/2026
Don’t Ever Stop
Today is the feast day of St. Raymond of Penyafort and I couldn’t find a better title for this reflection. He ministered till he was 100 years old.
He was born in Spain and at the age of 20, was teaching philosophy. He finished degrees in both civil and canon law. He became a Dominican priest in his forties and was asked by Pope Gregory IX to come to Rome to be his personal confessor. While he was there, the Pope asked him to compile a list of all the edicts and proclamations of all the former Popes. This became the beginning for the Code of Canon Law that governed the church for centuries.
He went back to Spain to minister to Muslims and became an Archbishop from which he resigned after a couple of years to continue his ministry. The Dominicans elected him the Superior of the order to follow in the footsteps of St. Dominic. He continued his ministry till he died at the age of 100.
I am moved by his life of, “There is no retirement.” Blessed are the ministers who never stop.