15 May 2020 - Friday of the fifth week of Easter - Psalm 57

    On March 12, 1622, Pope Gregory XV canonized 5 different saints.  Two of them were Jesuits who were friends who lived in the 16th century, but they living out the priestly vocations in different ways.  Ignatius of Loyola was the visionary who founded the Jesuits, that great missionary order, but who spent most of his priesthood in Rome, directing this order and its missionary activities.  Francis Xavier is one of our Church’s great missionaries, having served in different countries in Asia.  Also canonized on that day were Teresa of Avila, the Spanish Carmelite nun also from the 16th century who is known as one of our Church’s great theologians, reformers and mystics in the history to the Church. In addition, there was also Philip Neri from the 16th century, a Church reformer, priest and founder of a religious order known for his great sense of joy. 

These four individuals canonized that day were some of the most famous personalities to serve in the Church.  When a fifth individual was announced, the crowd present wonder who it would be.  When it was announced that it was a man named Isidore the farmer, they wondered who it would be. Isidore the Farmer is the saint we celebrate today on his feast day of May 15.  Isidore was a simple farmer who died in the early 12th century, several centuries before the other 4 saints with whom he was canonized.  Isidore spent his whole life working as a farm laborer for a wealthy landowner in central Spain.  Isidore lived out his faith in his daily life, attending mass daily and praying continuously as he worked.  While poor himself, he always had something to give to those who were poorer than he was, and his kindness to animals was legendary.  By having saints like Isidore, we know that anyone, no matter what his status in life, can live out a life that is holy in the eyes of the Lord.  And the great diversity of these 5 saints who were canonized on the same day almost 400 years ago shows us the richness of our faith.  

The psalmist declares today:  I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.  To me, Isidore the Farmer isa saint who shows us what it mean to give thanks and gratitude in his life.  Let us unite our prayers to the prayers of Isidore the farmer today.