Thomasians should live a meaningful and fulfilling life similar to that of Dominican friar and lawyer St. Raymund de Peñafort, the regent of the College of Commerce said.
Fr. Senen Ecleo, O.P., said life would be detached from meaning if one does not pursue the truth, render service to others and seek joy in faith.
“I want people to have a long life, because if our life did not make sense, what’s there to wake up, hope for, [or] go to school for if whatever we’re doing isn’t meaningful at all?” Ecleo said during the mass in honor of the saint on Jan. 21.
Ecleo described St. Raymund as a model for those who want to live a meaningful life, noting that the saint had spent his last few years alive doing what he loved: being a servant of God.
St. Raymund pursued truth as a theologian and lawyer before teaching law at the University of Barcelona in his early 20s, the priest noted.
He then obtained a doctorate in civil law and Canon law while at the University of Bologna, where he wrote the “Decretals of Gregory IX.’ His work guided ecclesiastical governance for centuries until the 1971 canon law.
The Dominican saint contributed to the Church and society as a theologian, canon lawyer, leader and a preacher who pursued truth, justice and mercy, the college regent added.
These contributions, Ecleo said, allowed the faithful to understand the true meaning of life that is aligned with the path God made for His disciples.
“St. Raymund was able to marvel for us what is meaningful, because it reflects what God has wanted us to be,” he said.
“If those, or whatever we are doing, is not meaningful at all, then it doesn’t make sense.”
The Commerce regent advised students to dream and strive for a long life filled with purpose, reflect on God’s plan and maintain a good heart.
Ecleo concluded the homily by quoting St Catherine of Seville: “If we can be and we can do what God wants us to be and do, then we can set the world on fire.”
The mass was held at the Santisimo Rosario Parish to celebrate the feast of St. Raymund Peñafort.
He is the patron saint of the University’s Faculty of Canon and Civil Law and the Graduate School of Law. The building that houses the Faculty of Arts and Letters and College of Commerce is named after him. F — M. A. Villacorta
