Readings & Reflections: Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter & St. Isidore the Farmer, May 15,2020

Readings & Reflections: Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter & St. Isidore the Farmer, May 15,2020

Isidore served as a day laborer on the farm of Juan de Vargas outside Madrid, Spain. His day began with Mass. Isidore’s fellow laborers complained that Isidore was preoccupied with his devotions and neglected his work. Vargas, determined to discover the truth, watched Isidore in secret. It is said that he saw Isidore rapt in prayer while, in the field, an angel guided the plow. After a life of humble service, Isidore died in 1130 A.D. Within forty years of his death, his remains were translated to the cathedral of Saint Andrew. He was formally canonized on March 12,1622, alongside Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Francis Xavier, and Philip Neri.

The Psalmist exhorts us, “Awake, O my soul.” We can fall into the doldrums of self-doubt, of reduced and nihilistic lives. Then we hear Christ say, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” With steadfast hearts we rededicate our lives to the name of Jesus.

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

“Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. (Prayer of Ignatius Loyola)

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Bishop Robert Barron

May 15,2020

Friends, in an effort to continue the practice of our faith during the coronavirus outbreak, we invite you to join us online for daily Mass from my chapel. I am the celebrant of today’s liturgy for Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter. Find all past videos at https://wordonfire.org/daily-mass.

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Right now on EWTN: Holy Mass on Friday, May 15, 2020 [USA: St. Isidore]

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral NYC

May 15,2020 New York City

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Daily Catholic Mass celebrated by Father Gerald Souza of Sudbury/Maynard, MA, on May 15, 2020.

St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica

May 15,2020 Toronto, Canada

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Father Jeff Dufresne celebrates Mass for Friday, May 15, 2020, at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

Vatican News – English

Holy Mass presided over by Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican

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May 15,2020 Tagalog Mass, Antipolo City, Philippines

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Quiapo Church Live Holy Mass Today 6:00 AM May 15, 2020 Rev. Msgr. Hernando Coronel

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May 15,2020 Cebuano Mass, Davao City, Philippines

Daily Live-Streamed Holy Mass on DXGN 89.9 Spirit FM-Davao Facebook Page 6:00 AM 5th Easter Friday, May 15, 2020

Catholic Hub Philippines

May 15,2020 Hiligaynon Mass, Jaro City, Philippines

Reading 1
Acts 15:22-31

The Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’“

And so they were sent on their journey.
Upon their arrival in Antioch
they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 57:8-9, 10 and 12

R. (10a) I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,
I will chant your praise among the nations.
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – Love one another
In today’s first reading we see all the apostles and elders of the Church get involved in the process of resolving the church’s first great challenge. We see how they have all tried to work out the seeming confusion between the Jews and the Gentiles.

We are all witness to the clear statement of issues, the open deliberation and argument from both sides, the use of evidence from scripture, good communication among those who were involved but most importantly the use of prayer. The net result was unanimity and unity with the whole church.

The main issue that rocked the church was the old and existing practices of the Jewish people, which were being forced as a burden upon the new gentile converts. It became their decision through the guidance of the Holy Spirit not to lay any burden on the new converts beyond that which is strictly necessary namely to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood and meat of strangled animals, and from illicit sexual union. They agreed that the day has come for both the Gentiles and the Jewish to bear God’s name and for the Gentiles not to turn to God with much hindrances.

In prayer and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the early church was able to resolve a major theological dispute in a very harmonious way.
A good number of times, moral issues are however easier to resolve more than personal conflicts, but in all cases only through the Spirit and in God’s time. One may recall that there was a personal dispute between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15: 36-41), which remained unresolved.

God’s message to all of us today is for us not to have any hindrance in our relationship with Him. When we witness in His Name, we are all called to make His gospel the only foundation. Any conflicts that may arise within God’s church should be resolved using His Word.

Today, whatever conflict or differences in opinion we may have in community should be settled through the Holy Spirit. If we feel, we have been grossly disadvantaged by another, through the power and authority vested in the person, let us take comfort that we have a God who sees every man’s heart and nothing will escape His attention. Our Lord corrects and sets His will in place. It is always better to be found on the aggrieved side rather than be the object of God’s ire and wrath!

We have all been chosen and appointed to bear much fruit that will remain. If we cannot resolve community conflicts and we are always at odds with one another, then we may not have LOVED at all, then we may never bear fruit that will remain. Then we have failed our Lord when he said: “This I command you: love one another.”

One thing we ought to do when we say we have loved… never to lay extra burden on another.

Order
Jesus said: “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.”

Direction
A way to love another is not to lay any additional burdens on others especially with regards their spiritual journey.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give us the grace to resolve differences in your church and enable us to love our neighbor unconditionally, as You have loved us. In Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – Greater love

Jesus made this clear when He said, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love… This is my commandments, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Jn 15:10,12-13). Jesus gave the best he had and all that he had. He gave his very life for those he love in order to secure for them everlasting life with the Father. What does this mean for us today?

Here is a story of Princess Alice, the second daughter of Queen Victoria. She had a four-year old son whom she loved very much. When he contracted the disease known as “black diphtheria,” Alice was devastated. The disease was highly contagious and very deadly. The nurses continually warned the Princess, not being in the best health herself, to stay away from her son. Naturally this would be difficult for any mother. Still, Alice knew she would be in danger if she ignored the warning.

One day as Princess Alice stood in a far corner of her son’s room; she heard her son whisper to the nurse, “Why doesn’t my mother kiss me anymore?” That was more than Alice could bear. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she raced to her son’s bed, held him in her arms, and smothered him with kisses. Tragically, this turned out to be the kiss of death. Princess Alice contracted the deadly disease and in a matter of weeks, both mother and son were buried. Is that a foolish thing to do? To love as deeply as the cross: who ever said that was sensible?

True love is costly. Those who truly love give the best he can offer and willing to sacrifice everything he has for the beloved. God willingly paid the price for our redemption – the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. That’s the nature of true friendship and love – the willingness to give all for the beloved. True friends will lay down their lives for each other. Jesus tells us that he is our friend and he loves us whole-heartedly and unconditionally. If we open our hearts to his love and obey his command to love our neighbor, then we will bear much fruit in our lives, fruit that will last for eternity. Do you wish to be fruitful and to abound in the love of God?

Reflection 3 – I have called you friends

What is the greatest act of love which one can give for the sake of another? Jesus defines friendship – the mutual bond of trust and affection which people choose to have for one another – as the willingness to give totally of oneself – even to the point of laying down one’s life for a friend. How is such love possible or even desirable? God made us in love for love. That is our reason for being, our purpose for living, and our goal in dying.

Scripture tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8) – and everything he does flows from his immense love for us. He loved us so much – far beyond what we could ever expect or deserve – that he was willing to pay any price to redeem us from our slavery to sin and death. That is why the Father sent us his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. In this great exchange – the Father giving up his Son to death on the cross in order to give us abundant everlasting life and adopt us as his beloved sons and daughters in Christ (Romans 8:14-17).

God has poured his love into our hearts
It is for this reason that we can take hold of a hope that does not fade and a joy that does not diminish because God has poured his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5). God’s love is not limited or subject to changing circumstances. It is an enduring love that has power to change and transform us to be like him – merciful, gracious, kind, forgiving, and steadfast in showing love not only for our friends, but for our enemies as well. God’s love is boundless because he is the source of abundant life, perfect peace, and immeasurable joy for all who open their hearts to him. That is why Jesus came to give us abundant life through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment – a new way of loving and serving one another. Jesus’ love was wholly directed toward the good of others. He loved them for their sake and for their welfare. That is why he willingly laid down his own life for us to free us from sin, death, fear, and everything that could separate us from the love of God. Our love for God and our willingness to lay down our life for others is a response to the exceeding love God has given us in Christ. Paul the Apostle states,

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?… For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35,38-39).

Friendship with God
Jesus calls his disciples his personal friends. Jesus not only showed his disciples that he personally cared for them and sought their welfare. He personally enjoyed their company and wanted to be with them in a close and intimate relationship. He ate with them, shared everything he had with them – even his innermost heart and thoughts. And he spent himself in doing as much good for them as he could. To know Jesus personally is to know God and the love and friendship he offers to each one of us.

One of the special marks of favor shown in the Scriptures is to be called the friend of God. Abraham is called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23). God spoke with Moses as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). Jesus, the Lord and Master, calls the disciples his friends rather than his servants.

What does it mean to be a friend of God? Friendship with God who is our everlasting Father and with his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ entails a personal, close, and loving relationship and a union of heart, mind, and spirit with the One who created us in love for love. Such a relationship with our Father, Creator, and Redeemer involves loyalty, respect, and obedience. But it is even more than these because God has chosen to love us in the same way in which the Father and the Son love and serve each other – a total giving of oneself to the other in a bond of affection, esteem, and joy in each others company.

Jesus’ discourse on friendship and brotherly love echoes the words of Proverbs: A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17). The distinctive feature of Jesus’ relationship with his disciples was his personal, loyal, and sacrificial love for each one of them. He loved his own to the end (John 13:1). His love was unconditional and wholly directed to the good of others. His love was costly and sacrificial. He gave the best he had and all that he had. He gave his very own life for those he loved in order to secure for them an everlasting life of union and love with the Father in heaven.

Love to the death
The Lord Jesus gives his followers a new commandment – a new way of love that goes beyond giving only what is required or what we think others might deserve. What is the essence of Jesus’ new commandment of love? It is a love to the death – a purifying love that overcomes selfishness, fear, and pride. It is a total giving of oneself for the sake of others – a selfless and self-giving love that is oriented towards putting the welfare of others ahead of myself.

Jesus says that there is no greater proof in love than the sacrifice of one’s life for the sake of another. Jesus proved his love by giving his life for us on the cross of Calvary. Through the shedding of his blood for our sake, our sins are not only washed clean, but new life is poured out for us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We prove our love for God and for one another when we embrace the way of the cross. What is the cross in my life? When my will crosses with God’s will, then God’s will must be done. Do you know the peace and joy of a life fully surrendered to God and consumed with his love?

Love that produces abundant fruit and joy
The Lord Jesus tells us that he is our personal friend and he loves us wholeheartedly and unconditionally. He wants us to love one another just as he has loved us, wholeheartedly, without reserve, and full of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. His love fills our hearts and transforms our minds and frees us to give ourselves in loving service to others. If we open our hearts to his love and obey his command to love our neighbor, then we will know his love more fully and we will bear much fruit – especially the fruit of peace, joy, patience, kindness, and goodness – the kind of fruit that lasts for eternity. Do you wish to be fruitful and to abound in the love of God? Trust and obey him and he will fill you with his overflowing love.

Reflection 4 – Love one another as I love you

“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

The Apostle John said, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1Jn 4:20-21).

That is why, we ought not be surprised that Jesus did not say, “This is my commandment: Love God”; or “Love me.” Instead, He said, “This I command you: love one another.” The Apostle John is fully aware of the reason why: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” This is the most valid indicator of how authentic our love for God is.

The best proof that the love of God resides in us is when we are able to love others. We can say that the love of Jesus is like a water spring. It constantly and naturally wells up the surface and flows out, filling every river and stream along the way, giving nourishment and life. It cannot remain stagnant. Similarly, if that love does not flow through us to others, it is a sign that it is not the love that comes from Jesus.

This reminds me of a poem about love that I memorized since childhood. It says,

“A bell is not a bell till you ring it; A song is not a song till you sing it.

The love in your heart is not put there to stay. Love is not love till you give it away.”

And Jesus goes further. The benchmark of this love is Himself: “…as I have loved you.” The most vivid illustration of this love is the image of Jesus hanging on the cross: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” For, as an American clergyman and political activist, A.J. Muste, said, “Paradoxically, life is worth living for those who have something for which they will gladly give up life.”

Yet, to ‘lay down one’s life’ does not only mean dying for others. It also means living for others. Such is the key to a meaningful life. As Albert Einstein said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worth living.” This is also true even in inanimate matters: “Rivers don’t drink their own waters; trees don’t eat their own fruits. The salt seasons the soup in order to have its purpose fulfilled. Live for others!” (Israelmore Ayivor).

Finally, this love is what determines our relationship with Jesus: “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” To be considered His friends is, indeed, a great blessing and privilege, for Jesus is willing even to die for them if necessary. His friends are those who follow His new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

To show that we love God, it is not enough that we worship and praise Him, that we go to church and attend Mass. The Gospel today teaches us that we have to manifest this love in the way we care for one another, especially those in need. If we really treasure and cherish our friendship with God, we have to love our brothers and sisters. After all, as St. Thomas Aquinas said, “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship” – especially our friendship with God. (Source: Fr. Mike Lagrimas, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Amsterdam St., Capitol Park Homes, Matandang Balara, Quezon City 1119).

Reflection 5 – Love Hurts!

In today’s Gospel (Jn 15:12-17), Jesus states the heart of his mission and his message: It is all about love. He loves his friends well enough to lay down his life for them. He asks but one thing in return: that they love one another. He said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

“Sometimes love sure hurts!” The mother and father were expressing the difficulties and heartaches of guiding their children through their teen years. “Maybe if we didn’t love them quite so much it wouldn’t be so hard,” the husband added.

Even though love brings pain and sorrow, what would life be without it? In his book The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis wrote:

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully around with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. . . . The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers . . . of love is hell.”

To love is to take risks, to expose our hearts. Sometimes it hurts! It hurt Christ, but He kept on loving, even at the cost of His life. He commanded us, “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 15:12).

We must keep loving that spouse, that teenager, that neighbor, that co-worker. It is Christlike–and it’s better than locking your heart in a coffin of self-centeredness.

Thinking It Over
How have you been hurt by those you’ve tried to love?
Have you been tempted to withhold your love?
How has someone shown patient love to you?

Nothing costs as much as loving except not loving (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 6 – Laying down your life for Jesus

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus emphasizes that he has chosen us to be his friends. He chose you! He looked at you and said to the Father, “I want to be close friends with this one!”

Slaves serve their masters out of fear and duty. Friends serve each other because they care. Jesus doesn’t want us to serve him with the “do it or else” fear of punishment. Nor does he want us to serve him out of obligation and duty. Rather, he wants us to realize that he’s here to serve us because he cares about us. Then, because we appreciate him so much, we want to serve him by helping him serve others.

In our enthusiastic love for Jesus, we love everyone whom he loves, and we want to serve them as he serves them. Jesus and you are friends who partner together to make the world a better place.

Jesus summarized all of the Holy Commandments in one sentence: “Love one another as I love you.” Do you obey God because you love others?

Do you obey Church teachings because you love others? What about those teachings that you don’t like: Have you investigated how they empower you to love others? (The teachings about artificial contraception and family planning, cohabitation and marriage, and divorce and annulments are common examples, and yes even the teachings about same sex marriages — all of it truly is about loving others in the most Godly ways!)

We are friends of Jesus to the extent that we love everyone whom he loves and to the extent that we serve them as he serves them, for he serves them not only with us but through us. This of course means doing good to everyone, even those who bring trouble into our lives. Jesus is our example of how to serve the sinner while being uncooperative with their sins.

Loving means caring; it does not mean putting up with evil. Do you pray for those who’ve made you suffer? Not this kind of prayer: “Punish them God the way they deserve. Make them suffer like they made me suffer.” Instead, do you ask God to heal their souls and bless them with his mercy? If they don’t repent, they will reap what they sow and suffer terrible consequences. Do you feel sad for them?

It can be difficult, but by uniting ourselves to Jesus and his way of handling sinners, we obey the Father just like Jesus did. Then, whatever we ask the Father in his name (i.e., while united to Jesus), it will be given to us. This is a fact, because when we’re united to Jesus, we don’t ask for anything that is not already the Father’s will for us. And thus, Jesus gets another opportunity to serve us, to his great delight.

If we want to grow deeper in our love relationship with God, we will serve our friend Jesus by serving those around us, because he cares about them and so do we. In friendship, Jesus serves us as we walk the extra mile for others.

Love is supposed to be the bottom line and top priority of every decision we make and every action we take, even if it doesn’t seem right in our limited understanding and our wounded hearts. This is how we lay down our lives for our friend Jesus. – Read the source: http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2017-05-19

Reflection 7 – Slavery or friendship?

Servanthood is an essential aspect of true Christian living. Jesus emphasized it during the Last Supper, saying that he came not to be served, but to serve, and that likewise we should serve one another. In his parables, he often referred to believers as “servants” of the Kingdom. But in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says that he wants us to be his friends, not his slaves. What’s the difference between a slave and a servant? Which one are you?

A servant can be either a slave or a friend. Friends serve each other because they care about each other. No one is superior to the other, no one is the master. However, when we fear someone, such as the employer who might fire us, that person becomes our master. Our attitude of fearfulness enslaves us.

Slaves serve out of obedience, based on duty and obligation and the fear of punishment or retaliation. Friends serve each other with an attitude of love.

To determine if you’re living as a slave or as Christ’s friend, ask yourself: “Do I eagerly and happily jump into doing the will of God (even the unpleasant tasks) or do I complain about it?” Maybe the complaint comes in the form of excuses for not doing the work or rationalizations that God isn’t really asking you to do it.

When God wants us to do a difficult task or the Church teaches a law that contradicts the way we want to live, if we obey as a slave, it’s only because we’re following orders. There’s no joy in the service, because it’s not a gift of love.

To trade this for a real friendship with Jesus, we have to provide the service as a “favor” for our Beloved. Only then will we discover the blessings of the task or the benefits of the law. Trying to analyze it first won’t help, because we’ll find plenty of logical reasons to disobey.

When we obey God because we love him and desire to please him, and at the same time we appreciate all that he’s doing for us, we’re in a healthy give-and-take friendship with him. Then, when he asks us to “love one another” (as Jesus commands in the final sentence), we actually have the desire to love everyone, even those who are difficult to love. We love them because we love God adoringly and care about everyone who matters to him. What’s important to him becomes important to us.

When loving others seems impossible, God makes it possible so that we can obey him. The Holy Spirit gifts us with a supernatural love for the people we don’t feel like loving. The more difficult someone is to love, the more necessary it is to rely on the Holy Spirit. Our energy to do this comes from reflecting upon the wonderful friendship that God has with us. – Read the source: https://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2020-05-15

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Reflection 8 – St. Isidore the Farmer (1070-1130 A.D.)

Isidore has become the patron of farmers and rural communities. In particular he is the patron of Madrid, Spain, and of the United States National Rural Life Conference.

When he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, Isidore entered the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, and worked faithfully on his estate outside the city for the rest of his life. He married a young woman as simple and upright as himself who also became a saint—Maria de la Cabeza. They had one son, who died as a child.

Isidore had deep religious instincts. He rose early in the morning to go to church and spent many a holiday devoutly visiting the churches of Madrid and surrounding areas. All day long, as he walked behind the plow, he communed with God. His devotion, one might say, became a problem, for his fellow workers sometimes complained that he often showed up late because of lingering in church too long.

He was known for his love of the poor, and there are accounts of Isidore’s supplying them miraculously with food. He had a great concern for the proper treatment of animals.

He died May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622 with Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known in Spain as “the five saints.”

Comment:

Many implications can be found in a simple laborer achieving sainthood: Physical labor has dignity; sainthood does not stem from status; contemplation does not depend on learning; the simple life is conducive to holiness and happiness. Legends about angel helpers and mysterious oxen indicate that his work was not neglected and his duties did not go unfulfilled. Perhaps the truth which emerges is this: If you have your spiritual self in order, your earthly commitments will fall into order also. “[S]eek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness,” said the carpenter from Nazareth, “and all these things will be given you besides” (Matthew 6:33).

Quote:

“God blessed them, saying: ‘Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…. See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the green plants for food’” (Genesis 1:28a, 29–30a).

Patron Saint of: Farmers, Laborers

Related St. Anthony Messenger article(s)

Isidore the Farmer: Rooted in Soil, Praised on High, by Judy Ball

Read the source: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1384

SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint. Click here to receive Saint of the Day in your email.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidore_the_Laborer

“San Isidro Labrador” redirects here. For the city in El Salvador, see San Isidro Labrador, Chalatenango.

SAINT ISIDORE
Saint Isidore the Farmer
CONFESSOR
BORN	c. 1070 Madrid, Kingdom of Castile
DIED	May 15, 1130 (aged 59) or 1172 Madrid, Kingdom of Castile
VENERATED IN	Roman Catholic Church Aglipayan Church
BEATIFIED	May 2, 1619, Rome by Pope Paul V
CANONIZED	March 12, 1622, Rome by Pope Gregory XV
FEAST	May 15;^[1] October 25; March 22
PATRONAGE	Madrid agricultures; farmers; day labourers; San Isidro Cuz Cuz Carampa and Lima Angono, Rizal Malaybalay City Cuenca, Batangas Digos City Brgy. San Isidro, San Pablo City Lucban, Quezon Mogpog, Marinduque Morong, Rizal Nabas, Aklan Bayebaye, Jamindan Capiz Pulupandan, Negros Occidental Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental Sariaya, Quezon Talavera, Nueva Ecija Tayabas, Quezon San Isidro, Talisay City, Cebu Tudela, Misamis Occidental Calamba, Misamis Occidental Sabana Grande Castalla, Estepona, Madrid,Orotava, Valdepiélagos La Ceiba

Isidore the Farm Labourer, also known as Isidore the Farmer (Spanish: San Isidro Labrador) (c. 1070 – 15 May 1130), was a Spanish farmworker known for his piety toward the poor and animals. He is the Catholic patron saint offarmers and of Madrid, and of La Ceiba, Honduras. His feast day is celebrated on 15 May.

The Spanish word labrador means someone who works the land,^[2]^[3]not a worker in general, which in Spanish would be obrero,^[4]^[5] or trabajador.^[6]^[7] His real name was Isidro de Merlo y Quintana.

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Biography[edit]

Isidore was born in Madrid, in about the year 1070, of poor but very devout parents, and was christened Isidore from the name of their patron, St. Isidore of Seville. Isidore spent his life as a hired hand in the service of the wealthy Madrilenian landowner Juan de Vargas on a farm in the city’s vicinity.^[8] He shared what he had, even his meals, with the poor.^[9] Juan de Vargas would later make him bailiff of his entire estate of Lower Caramanca.

It was said that he stood two meters (6.5 feet) tall.

Isidore married Maria Torribia, known as Santa María de la Cabeza in Spain because her head (cabeza in Spanish) was kept in a chapel^[10]and possibly brought out in processions to summon rain,^[11] although she has never been canonized, pending confirmation by Pope Francis. Isidore and Maria had one son.^[8] On one occasion, their son fell into a deep well and, at the prayers of his parents, the water of the well is said to have risen miraculously to the level of the ground, bringing the child with it. In thanksgiving Isidore and Maria then vowed sexual abstinence and lived in separate houses. Their son later died in his youth.

Isidore died on May 15, 1130^{[citation needed]}, at his birthplace close to Madrid although the only official source places his death in the year 1172.^[12]

Miracle stories[edit]

St Isidro and St. Maria

In the morning before going to work, Isidore would usually attend Mass at one of the churches in Madrid. One day, his fellow farm workers complained to their master that Isidore was always late for work in the morning. Upon investigation, so runs the legend, the master found Isidore at prayer whilst an angel was doing the ploughing for him.^[9]

On another occasion, his master saw an angel ploughing on either side of him, so that Isidore’s work was equal to that of three of his fellow field workers. Isidore is also said to have brought back to life his master’s deceased daughter, and to have caused a fountain of fresh water to burst from the dry earth to quench his master’s thirst.^[9]

One snowy day, when going to the mill with corn to be ground, he passed a flock of wood-pigeons scratching vainly for food on the hard surface of the frosty ground. Taking pity on the poor animals, he poured half of his sack of precious corn upon the ground for the birds, despite the mocking of witnesses. When he reached the mill, however, the bag was full, and the corn, when it was ground, produced double the expected amount of flour. (In the original story it was wheat, as corn was not introduced to Spain until the 15th century).^[9]

Isidore’s wife, Maria, always kept a pot of stew on the fireplace in their humble home as Isidore would often bring home anyone who was hungry. One day he brought home more hungry people than usual. After she served many of them, Maria told him that there simply was no more stew in the pot. He insisted that she check the pot again, and she was able to spoon out enough stew to feed them all.^[13]

On 2 April 1212, after torrential rains had exhumed cadavers from cemeteries in Madrid, his body was discovered in an apparent state of incorruptibility.^[12]

He is said to have appeared to Alfonso VIII of Castile, and to have shown him the hidden path by which he surprised the Moors and gained the victory of Las Navas de Tolosa, in 1212.^[9] When King Philip III of Spain was cured of a deadly disease after touching the relics of the saint, the king replaced the old reliquary with a costly silver one and instigated the process of his beatification.^[14]Throughout history, other members of the royal family would seek curative powers from the saint.

The number of miracles attributed to him has been counted as 438.^[14] The only original source of hagiography on him is a fourteenth century codex called Códice de Juan Diácono which relates five of his miracles: 1. The pigeons and the grain. 2. The angels ploughing. 3. The saving of his donkey, through prayer, from a wolf attack. 4. The account of his wife’s pot of food. 5. A similar account of his feeding the brotherhood. The codex also attests to the incorruptible state of his body, stating it was exhumed 40 years after his death.^[15]

Veneration[edit]

San Isidro Labrador-Madrid

Isidore was beatified in Rome on 2 May 1619, by Pope Paul V. He was canonized nearly three years later by Pope Gregory XV, along with Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri, on 12 March 1622.^[16]

In 1696, his relics were moved to the Royal Alcazar of Madrid to intervene on behalf of the health of Charles II of Spain. While there, the King’s locksmith pulled a tooth from the body and gave it to the monarch, who slept with it under his pillow until his death. This was not the first, nor the last time his body was allegedly mutilated out of religious fervour. For example, it was reported one of the ladies i the court of Isabella I of Castile bit off one of his toes.

In 1760, his body was brought to the Royal Palace of Madrid during the illness of Maria Amalia of Saxony.

In 1769, Charles III of Spain had the remains of Saint Isidore and his wife Maria relocated to the San Isidro Church, Madrid.^[12] The sepulcher has nine locks and only the King of Spain has the master key. The opening of the sepulchre must be performed by the Archbishop of Madrid and authorized by the King himself. Consequently, it has not been opened since 1985.^[17]

His feast day is celebrated on 15 May in the Catholic Church,^[16] and in the Philippine Independent Church.

Patronage[edit]

Saint Isidore is widely venerated as the patron saint of farmers, peasants, day laborers and agriculture in general, as well as brick layers. His hometown of Madrid, the Spanish cities of Leon, Saragossa, and Seville, and various locales in the formerSpanish Empire honour him as their patron saint. The US National Catholic Rural Life Conference claims him as its patron.^[18] San Ysidro, California and San Ysidro, New Mexico were named after him.

Iconography[edit]

Saint Isidore is often portrayed as a peasant holding a sickle and a sheaf of corn. He might also be shown with a sickle and staff; as an angel plows for him; or with an angel and white oxen near him.^[13] In Spanish art, his emblems are a spade or a plough.

Legacy[edit]

The story of St. Isidore is a reminder of the dignity of work, and that ordinary life can lead to holiness.^[18] Legends about angel helpers and mysterious oxen indicate that his work was not neglected and his duties did not go unfulfilled. St. Isidore’s life demonstrates that: If you have your spiritual self in order, your earthly commitments will fall into order also.”^[19]

The house of his master, Juan de Vargas, in Madrid is now a museum, popularly known as the “Casa de San Isidro”. It houses temporary exhibitions on the history of Madrid, as well as on the life of the saint.^[20] It is not to be confused with the aforementioned San Isidro Church. Not only does this museum contain a chapel built upon the place where Isidore lived and died, but also the well where his son fell and was saved.

This is in the chapel built where he lived and died, in the Saint Isidore Museum in Saint Andrew’s square in Madrid.

Feast day celebrations and festivals[edit]

The date of his liturgical feast, which, though not included in the General Roman Calendar, has been celebrated for centuries in several countries and dioceses, is 15 May.^[21] Many towns venerate St Isidore and his wife Saint Maria Torribia with processions in which the fields are blessed.

Spain[edit]

Procesión San Isidro Labrador -Madrid

One of the most celebrated holidays of Madrid is held on May 15, the Feast Day of San Isidro who is the city’s patron saint as well as the patron saint of farmers. The traditional festival and feast are held in an open-air area known as the Pradera del Santo. In the afternoon, the image of San Isidro and his wife, Santa Maria de la Cabeza, are paraded through the streets, from Calle del Sacramento to the Plaza de la Villa, via Calle del Cordon.^[20]

The feast in honor of San Isidro is declared of National Tourist Interest in Andalusia and is one of the most important celebrations in province of Malaga. The fiesta is very popular in region of Alameda because San Isidro is a patron of the town.^[22]

Celebrations honoring both saints are also held elsewhere on the islands. For years, the Alicantine locality of Castalla has been celebrating the Fair of San Isidro, where numerous companies display their products in a playful and festive atmosphere. A medieval swap meet and mechanical attractions are especially popular.

A large celebration is held in Estepona, (near Marbella) in Andalucia, where locals celebrate the day by drinking a mix of brandy and a popular energy drink which is named in his honour. This has led to St. Isidore often being termed as the patron saint of krunk (because of the name of this combination drink in the US).

The Romería festival in Almogia, a pueblo blanco in the campo north of Malaga (about halfway between Malaga and Antequera) in Andalucia, celebrates San Isidro, its patron saint, on the middle weekend of May with a fiesta carnival. Floats from the surrounding farming communities, accompanied by traditionally dressed ladies in flamenco dresses and caballeros on dancing horses, sing and dance from Almogia to the Romería ground a few kilometres north of the village and the festival includes music, traditional horse races, a bar for horses as well as their riders, and much parading of costume and finery. The best-dressed float is awarded a prize.

Chile[edit]

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15 May is San Isidro Day in Cuz-Cuz, about five kilometers from the city of Illapel, Choapa province, in the Coquimbo region of Chile. If the day falls on a Monday, the following Sunday is celebrated. Celebrations begin at noon with a Mass, followed by a procession and Chilean dances.

Peru[edit]

First Group of Shippers of San Isidro Labrador in Lima, Peru.

The residents of San Isidro de Carampá of Ayacucho in the city of Lima celebrate a San Isidro festival. The First Society of San Isidro de Carampá organizes the festival, along with the Butler and the Adornante festivals. In the evening, after the celebration of the Mass, a procession moves to the house of the Adornante. On the next day, Central Day, another Mass is said, this time celebrated by the Butler. Another procession is held, followed by a festival.

Philippines[edit]

Several festivals are held in honour of Saint Isidore on around 15 May throughout mostly agricultural and predominantly Catholic Philippines.

The Sabugan ng Biyaya Festival (also known as simply SabuganFestival) of the town of Agdangan, Quezon, is a thanksgiving event for the blessings that the town has received.
The colourful Pahiyás Festival is held in honour of St. Isidore and María de la Cabeza in Lucban, Quezon, in thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest.
The Kangga Festival is held on his feast day in Mogpog, Marinduque (the island province best known for its Moriones Festival every Holy Week). The festivities highlight Filipino farming traditions, as well as in thanksgiving for a good harvest and the town’s continuing prosperity.
The Nabas Bariw Festival is celebrated in Nabas, Aklan, every 12–15 May as St. Isidore is the town’s patron saint. The feast also showcases the town’s bariwproducts such as hats and mats as well as the town’s unique attractions.
Carabaos are made to kneel before the church of San Isidro Labrador during the town fiesta of Pulilan, Bulacan.
St Isidore is fêted in the towns of San Isidro and Talavera, Nueva Ecija. The province is often referred to as the “Rice Granary of the Philippines”, and its principal crops aside from rice are corn and onions. Celebrations begin a week before the feast itself, including daily novenas, Masses, processions, entertainment and afunfair (perya).
St. Isidore’s feast is also celebrated in the town of Lezo, Aklanevery 14–15 May.
Barangay Teguis in Poro, Cebu celebrates St. Isidore’s feast on 15 May, as well as the day after.

United States[edit]

In 1947, at the request of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, he was officially named patron of farmers, with a feast day on 10 May in all dioceses of the United States, with a proper Mass and Office. When St Isidore’s feast was first inserted into the calendar for the United States in the year 1947, the feast day of Saint John Baptist de La Salle was still being celebrated on 15 May, with the result that the celebration of his feast was assigned to 22 March.

With the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, the memorial of Saint John Baptist de la Salle was moved to his day of death, 7 April, and Saint Isidore’s was restored to the 15 May date and celebrated as an optional memorial. In some places within the US and Canada, his feast is celebrated on 25 October, and other locations and some Traditionalist Catholics in that area, though not elsewhere, keep the 22 March date.

Corrales, New Mexico[edit]

In Corrales, New Mexico, the town celebrates the San Ysidro Feast day on 15 May. Matachinas dance through the streets and the fiesta is a big part of the celebrations in the city.

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