Every evening, in the final act of compline, the Church’s night prayer, the Friars Preachers sing the O Lumen to honor Saint Dominic:

O light of the Church, Teacher of truth
Rose of patience, Ivory of chastity
You freely poured forth the water of wisdom
Preacher of grace, unite us to the blessed.

While praising Dominic, the friars are also describing their own goal of sanctity. Saint Dominic’s virtues are their virtues because his vocation is their vocation. Etienne Vaysiere, O.P., an early 20th century superior of the Dominicans in Toulouse, tells us that “It was by following in the tracks of St. Dominic, in a way, that [the Dominican saints] advanced in life. To get closer to him, to unite with him, to merge with him in ever-increasing perfection, that was their unceasing desire” (Devotion to Saint Dominic, 26). 

Today we celebrate a great Dominican—Saint Raymond of Penyafort.
Saint Raymond, who died in 1275, was the third Master of the Dominican Order, a canon lawyer, papal chaplain and penitentiary, and cofounder of the Mercedarians. Raymond’s most important literary works were at the service of the Church, laying the foundation for Canon law and giving guidance to confessors. Using the O Lumen as our guide, we can reflect on Raymond’s Dominican perfection. 

O Light of the Church

Just as bodily eyes cannot see without the light of the sun, man’s mind cannot see without the light of truth. Dominic’s mission was to illuminate the way to God through true doctrine. Raymond excelled in bringing the light of practical truth to the members of the Church. For nearly seven hundred years Raymond’s Decretals served as the basic text of canon law. Like a mirror of tradition, he received and collected the decrees of the popes, and reflected this wisdom to illuminate Christians. 

Teacher of Truth

Saint Dominic had a burning desire to spread the Gospel. Whether in debate with heretics or in tearful prayer to God, he took every opportunity to bring souls to Christ. Every Christian should likewise yearn to share this light in teaching. Raymond was a wonderful teacher of law at Bologna. His elegantly simple lectures were frequented by noblemen and commoners alike. Raymond was not just a light that shone, but one that illuminated.

Rose of Patience

Saint Dominic was a true vir Evangeliae, a man of the Gospel, who did not wither but rather flourished in hardship. Once, when led through thorny paths by a treacherous guide, Dominic rejoiced all the more. Likewise, Raymond did not lose patience but flourished in addressing the thorny questions of law. As the third master of the order, he learned to patiently endure the challenges and contradictions of leading the young and burgeoning Order of Preachers.

Ivory of Chastity

 Saint Dominic’s chastity was like ivory: it was pure in its single desire for God and exceptionally unbreakable. Raymond was similarly intolerant of any breach of purity. When Raymond was with the King of Spain on the island of Majorca, and heard that the king had brought his mistress, he promptly sailed to the mainland on his cappa, the black cloak that is part of the Dominican habit. It is said that the King reformed his life due to this prodigious miracle.

You Freely Poured Forth the Water of Wisdom

The image of a vessel that freely pours out the water of wisdom captures the essence of the life of a preacher. But in order to freely dispense wisdom to a world thirsty for truth, the preacher must remain in union with the source of truth. But a mere murky trickle cannot quench the spiritual thirst of souls. Rather, Raymond was an aqueduct of living water that communicated saving grace from the heart of Christ to the withered souls of sinners. It was his overflowing compassion for all sinners that led Raymond to write his Summa de Casibus Poenitentiae as an aid to confessors. The troubled penitents seeking his advice and the priests seeking his counsel were received graciously and departed satiated.

Preacher of Grace, Unite Us with the Blessed

Both in their earliest clashes with Albigensian heretics and in later theological debates, Dominicans have always stressed the role of grace in the life of the soul. It was Raymond’s knowledge of the soul’s destitution when it lacks grace, that led him to devote so much energy to outlining the Church’s laws and morals. These are none other than the soul’s guidance to a life with God and his saints. 

Saint Raymond, pray that we love the Church’s law as you did. Help us to imitate Father Dominic in you and Christ in Dominic. Unite us with the blessed.

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Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. (used with permission)