'Tis the Season

Tis the season...to plant and to sow, to weed and to reap. Today's commemoration of St. Isidore is a little-known and seldom celebrated outside of rural communities. St. Isidore, patron saint of farmers, was an eleventh century farmer known for his piety and devotion. His wife, Mary de la Cabeza is also revered as a saint.

Having spent his whole life working as a hired hand on a farm outside of Madrid, St. Isidore teaches us the timeless lesson that St. Francis de Sales would articulate and reiterate four centuries later: in all occupations holiness can be found, achieved and shared. Fidelity to the Lord, his wife and his daily work proved to be the path to holiness for this humble farmer.

"It is not merely an error, but a heresy to suppose that a devout life is necessarily banished from the soldier's camp, merchant's shop, the prince's court or the domestic hearth."

St. Francis de Sales