At the beginning of this month on May 1, we celebrated the
feast of Saint Joseph the worker. Today
we celebrate the feast of another laborer, a farmer…you could say he was,
outstanding in his field.
Not to be confused with Saint Isidore of Seville, Isidore
the Farmer was born in Madrid, Spain in 1070.
He spent his whole life working as a farm laborer for the same landowner. He married a girl as poor as holy as himself,
and after their first and only son died in infancy, they lived the rest of
their married life in perfect chastity in imitation of the Holy Family. His wife Maria de la Cabeza has also been
canonized.
This holy couple also practiced great generosity towards the
poor despite their limited circumstances.
The poor would often follow Isidore home from the farm, and would enjoy
greater portions of food than Isidore and his wife.
Despite his poverty, his intense labors, and his life of
charity, Isidore was a man of intense prayer and his life was marked by
numerous miracles and supernatural interventions. He
would attend Mass daily, and all day long, as he walked behind the plow, he
communed with God.
Therefore, he is also a model of spirituality for all of
us. He made his day an offering to God
in a simple, but heroic manner. As he
walked behind the plow and planted seeds in the soil, Isidore offered a simple
prayers for others. Routine work can be
turned into a beautiful prayer to God by saying a prayer with each piece of
clothing folded, or each potato peeled, or praying the rosary while driving.
God calls farmers to be saints, as he calls doctors,
teachers, retirees, priests, and the unemployed. All of us are called to pour our whole hearts
into making our day, our work and our rest, an offering to God for the glory of
God and salvation of souls.
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