Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Myles, a podcast where you read the daily gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started!
Today is Wednesday, January 7th, and the gospel reading is Mark 6, 45-52, and the scripture to reflect on is Mark 6, 50.
For they all saw him and were terrified, but immediately he spoke to them and said, Take heart, it is I, have no fear.
Could you guess which of the following items would float and which would sink?
A plastic fork?
A cork?
A banana?
A plastic bottle?
A glass jar?
A leaf?
Or pencil?
For fun, you can fill up a bucket or the bathtub and test them out.
I’ll give you a hint.
There is more that floats than that sinks on the list.
Today’s saint of the day is Saint Raymond of Pentafort.
He was born 1175 and died 1275.
He’s a patron saint of lawyers.
Born to a normal family in Spain near Barcelona, Raymond felt called to become a diocesan priest.
He studied both civil and canon law and then taught for 15 years in Bologna.
While in Italy, Raymond was inspired by the preaching of Blessed Reginald of Orleans, a member of the Dominicans, a new religious order.
Raymond eventually received the Dominican habit in 1222 as a request of Pope Gregory IX.
Raymond conducted a collection of church laws that became the standard until 1917.
He also helped St.
Peter Nolasco establish the Mercedarians, a religious order of men with a mission of freeing Christians captured by Muslims.
Raymond was also a renowned preacher who attracted many vocations to the Dominicans and converted many others.
Evangelization was an important goal for him, so he established schools in acrobic language, so Dominicans would be able to preach to the people of Spain and North Africa for their native tongues.
In 1238, Raymond was elected the third master general of the Dominicans.
He gave himself totally by visiting all the houses of the order, traveling on foot after a life spent in total dedication to God.
He died peacefully in Barcelona.
This story reminds us that Jesus is the Son of God.
Who else could walk on water?
Jesus can do things that no one else can do.
Think of how great that is.
When we are sad or lonely or just need Jesus' help in anything, he can do all things because he is God.
Raymond’s work in codifying her laws was a great contribution to the church.
Canon law is meant to assure that the church’s life is lived in an ordered way for the greatest good of all members, especially the poor.
It involves rights as well as responsibilities.
Canon law is not the end in itself, but can help us be better disciples.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help us to remember to depend on Jesus when we need help or don’t feel loved.
And help us to live in justice, mercy, love, and truth.
Saint Raymond of Pentafort, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!