Today the Church gives us a saint many people know by reputation,
but not always by heart:

Raymond of Peñafort.

He was one of the greatest canon lawyers the Church has ever known.
He helped organise Church law, clarify it, and apply it wisely.

But the Church does not honour him today
because he loved rules.

She honours him
because he understood why the law exists.

In the first reading, St John gives us a key principle:

“Whatever we ask we receive from Him,
because we keep His commandments
and do what pleases Him.”

That sentence could sound legalistic —
until we hear what John means by commandments.

He immediately explains:

“This is His commandment:
that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ
and love one another.”

The heart of God’s law is not control.
It is communion.

Raymond understood this deeply.

For him, canon law was never an end in itself.
It was a way of helping people live in truth,
receive the sacraments rightly,
and be guided safely toward salvation.

Law was meant to serve souls.

St John also gives a warning:

“Do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are of God.”

That is not suspicion.
It is wisdom.

Not every strong feeling comes from God.
Not every confident voice speaks the truth.

The Church needs discernment.
And discernment needs structure.

Canon law exists
so that truth is protected,
the weak are defended,
and the sacraments are not reduced
to personal opinion or abuse of power.

Raymond helped the Church do exactly that.

The Gospel shows us Christ in action.

“He went throughout Galilee,
teaching… proclaiming the Gospel…
and curing every disease.”

Notice the order.

Jesus teaches the truth.
He proclaims conversion.
And He heals.

Truth, repentance, healing.

That is the pattern of salvation.

And that is why the Church needs law.

Not to replace mercy —
but to make mercy real
and not merely sentimental.

We live in a time suspicious of authority
and uncomfortable with boundaries.

Rules are often seen as unkind.
Structure as oppressive.

St Raymond stands as a quiet correction.

He reminds us that love without truth becomes confusion,
and mercy without justice becomes fragile.

Proper law protects freedom.
Clear teaching makes repentance possible.
Order allows grace to be received.

Canon law, rightly understood,
exists for one reason:

the salvation of souls.

St Raymond of Peñafort shows us
that holiness is not opposed to order,
and that obedience is not opposed to love.

When law serves truth,
and truth serves love,
the Church becomes a place of healing rather than harm.

May we learn from his wisdom
to respect the Church’s teaching,
to live the commandments with love,
and to trust that God’s order
is always given for our good.