This Novena
comes from "The Rural Life Prayer Book" by Fr. Leo J. Burns (1955).
It's intended for parish use, but can be used in the homes of rural
families as well. For each day there is a hymn, antiphons, and psalm.
Then the leader will begin the prayer to St. Isidore, reciting the
first few words up to the asterisk, at which point all join in. The
diagonal line -- / -- indicates a pause. After the hymn, antiphons,
psalms, and prayer to St. Isidore, there will be a daily reflection
followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father,
three times for the intention of the Holy Father. Then optional
particular prayers may be added, such as for rain (included at the end
of the novena), the Litany in
Honor of St. Isidore, etc. If no Benediction or other church
function follows, it is suggested to recite or sing "Holy God We Praise
Your Name".
This Novena can be downloaded in pdf format: Novena to St.Isidore the Farmer
(pdf)
First
Day: Partnership with God
Hymn
O Lord, as You have made the earth, To man and beast have given birth,
Have given sun and rain that thence The soil might give them sustenance:
We beg You make us willing to Perform the law we get from You That work
of ours and grace of Yours May bring the increase that endures.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done, Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your son, Whom with the Spirit we adore One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. How manifold are your works, O Lord! * In wisdom you have wrought
them all; / the earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 8
All: O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth! *
You have exalted your name above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings you have fashioned praise
because of your foes, / to silence the hostile and the vengeful.
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, / the moon and
the stars which you set in place:
What is man that you should be mindful of him, / or the son of man that
you should care for him?
You have made him little less than the angels, / and crowned him with
glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands, / putting all
things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen, / yes, and the beasts of the field. The birds of
the air, the fishes of the sea, / and whatever swims the paths of the
seas.
O Lord, our Lord, / how glorious is your name over all the earth!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen.
Antiphon
All: How manifold are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you have wrought
them all; / the earth is full of your creatures.
P. (Chapter--Genesis 1:25 and 2:15)
God made all kinds of wild beasts, every kind of cattle, and every kind
of creature crawling on the ground. And God saw that it was good. The
Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it
and to keep it.
R. Thanks be to God. V. You raise grass for the cattle and vegetation
for men's use. R. Producing bread from the earth, and wine to gladden
men's hearts. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
P. Grant, we beg of You, O Merciful Lord, that through the intercession
of blessed Isidore, farmer and confessor, we may forego the pride of
worldly wisdom, and that, through his merits and exemplary life, we
may, with all humility, ever perform works pleasing to You, through our
Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and is King and God with You,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of
Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed Yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. R. Amen.
Reflections
The farmer's is a sacred calling because he is a collaborator with God
in the work of His creation. In partnership with God he becomes to men
a provider of the food, fiber, and shelter they need. Let the farmer,
then, no longer belittle himself in his own eyes. The farmer's calling
is among the noblest in all the world. The Lord considered it so, and
the farmer must think of it in the same terms. With God he lives and
works in the vast realms of His bountiful and beautiful nature. He is
not one of the millions who in thick formations swarm through factory
gates. He is a free man as he strides through his fields guiding a
plow, sowing the seed, or harvesting the crop. The farmer's calling is
one that must command great respect. Much knowledge and skill are
required to manage well the farmstead with its land and fences, barns
and granaries, tools and machinery. Farming is among the greatest of
human arts. The farmer must be an artisan and a craftsman, a
capitalist, financier, manager, worker; a producer and a seller. He
must know soil and seed, poultry and cattle; he must know when to till
the soil, cultivate his fields, and harvest his crops. In the presence
of his Lord the farmer should recall all this, not in a spirit of
vainglory or pride, but in grateful appreciation of the calling that
God gave him as a tiller of the soil. Praise and thanksgiving should
rise in his heart as he reflects on the high regard the Lord has
showered upon him and his work.
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by the prayer of your
choice for special needs.
Second
Day: Family Life in Christ
Lord, who to share creative life Created mankind man and wife, To be
with You creators of The objects of Your endless love;
As Jesus loves the Church His bride, Let our love be intensified, Let
love of one another be Our pledge of love eternally.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done, Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your Son, Whom with the Spirit we adore, One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. Happy they * who dwell in your house! / Continually they praise you.
Psalm 127
All: Happy are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; / happy shall you be,
and favored.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine / in the recesses of your home.
Your children like olive plants / around your table.
Behold, thus is the man blessed / who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Sion; / may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life;
May you see your children's children. / Peace be upon Israel!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen.
Antiphon
All: Happy they who dwell in your house! / Continually they praise you.
P. (Chapter--Psalm 26:4-5) One thing I ask of the Lord: this I seek: to
dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze
on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple. For he will
hide me in his abode in the day of trouble; he will conceal me in the
shelter of his tent; he will set me high upon a rock.
R. Thanks be to God. V. I will make all your children to be taught of
the Lord. R. And an abundance of peace to your children. V. The Lord be
with you. R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
V. We offer You the sacrifice of praise, O Lord, and humbly pray that
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and of
Saint Joseph, You may establish our families in peace and grace,
through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of
Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed Yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. R. Amen.
Reflections
Christian marriage is a union in Christ between man and woman. It is a
vocation of mutual love and fidelity in which each partner helps the
other to draw closer to God, and the grace received by the husband and
wife in the sacrament of matrimony strengthens them toward the
achievement of this end. Since the rural familv is the very foundation
of the vocation of farming, it is providential that God should have
raised up a holy family, St. Isidore and his wife, S. Maria de la
Cabeza, to be the patrons of rural people. He wanted to teach us that
the combination of the work of farming with the cares and obligations
of family life can be a sure road to sanctity. St. Isidore and S. Maria
de la Cabeza exemplified the Christian ideal of
land-home-family-work-worship in every aspect of their daily lives.
Moreover, the Church has traditionally regarded a home on the land as
the ideal place in which to develop genuine Christian family life. Pius
XII gave expression to this belief in his address to farmers (November
15, 1946): "Your lives are rooted in the family--universally, deeply,
and completely; consequently, they conform very closely to nature. In
this fact lies your economic strength and your ability to withstand
adversity in critical times. Your being so strongly rooted in the
family constitutes the importance of your contribution to the correct
development of the private and public order of society."
Farming is a family enterprise which tends to weld the family together.
Mother and father are usually within calling distance of each other and
see each other several times a day. The children can be at their
parents' side to watch them and learn to work with them. There are many
little tasks which children can perform that contribute to the family
welfare and allow them to acquire experience and habits of
responsibility. It is not without reason that the rural home has been
called the "natural dwelling place for the Christian family."
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by the prayer of your
choice for special needs.
Third
Day: Love of Neighbor
Hymn
O God, who made man from the slime According to Your form sublime, And
made Christ share our lowliness To let us share His holiness:
Be in each brother's hand a light To show the path through this dark
night, Be in us each the burning fire That kindles love and kills
desire.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done, Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your son, Whom with the Spirit we adore One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. Everyone shall help his neighbor * and shall say to his brother: /
Be of good courage.
Psalm 132
All: Behold, how good it is, and how pleasant, * where brethren dwell
as one!
It is as when the precious ointment upon the head runs down over the
beard, the beard of Aaron, / till it runs down upon the collar of his
robe.
It is a dew like that of Hermon, / which comes down upon the mountains
of Sion;
For there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, / life forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen.
Antiphon
All: Everyone shall help his neighbor and shall say to his brother: /
Be of good courage.
P. (Chapter--Romans 12:9-12) Let love be without pretense. Hate what is
evil, hold to what is good. Love one another with fraternal charity,
anticipating one another with honor. Be not slothful in zeal; be
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, Be patient in
tribulation, persevering in prayer.
R. Thanks be to God. V. You are citizens with the saints. R. And
members of God's household. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your
spirit.
Let us pray.
P. O God, You make all things work together unto good for those who
love You. Give to our hearts an abiding love for You, so that the
desires we conceive by Your inspiration may ever remain unchanged in
spite of every temptation, through Christ Our Lord.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of
Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. R. Amen.
Reflections
To express the unity of His Mystical Body, Christ chose the striking
farm symbol of the vine and the branches. And immediately thereafter,
He reminded us of the hard farm reality that the barren plant must be
destroyed: If anyone does not abide in me, he shall be cast outside as
the branch and wither; and they shall gather them up and cast them into
the fire, and they shall burn." (John 15:6) The test that our Lord
applied to distinguish the good grain from the bad is love of neighbor:
"This is my commandment that you love one another, as I have loved
you." (John 15:12)
Each profession has its own peculiar way of helping its members to
manifest love for neighbor, and it is the honorable lot of the farmer
to provide the basic food and fiber and shelter for man's daily needs.
From the example of St. Isidore we learn that our daily life is not to
be a selfish quest for profit, but an opportunity to serve. It makes us
realize that we need the help of others to continue this way of life.
Rural people can well apply to themselves these words of Pope Pius XI:
"All the institutions for the establishment of peace and the promotion
of mutual help among men, however perfect these may seem, have the
principal foundation of their stability in the mutual bond of minds and
hearts whereby the members are united one with another. If this bond is
lacking, the best of regulations are useless. And so, then only will
true cooperation be possible for a single common good, when the various
parts of society deeply feel themselves members of one great family and
children of the same heavenly Father; we are one body in Christ, 'but
severally members one of another,' so that 'if one member suffers
anything, all the members suffer with it.'"
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by the prayer of your
coice for special needs.
Fourth
Day: Dignity of Work
Hymn
Lord, our God, whose mighty hand Carved out the seas and built the
land; Who, by the labors of our Lord, The honor Adam lost, restored:
Let us be joined to Christ, Your Son, That in His work we may be one;
So we shall in our work partake Of God, whom we by sloth forsake.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your Son, Whom with the Spirit we adore, One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. The work of the just * is unto life: / but the fruit of the wicked
unto sin.
Psalm 126
All: Unless the Lord built the house, * they labor in vain who build it.
Unless the Lord guard the city, / in vain does the guard keep vigil.
It is vain for you to rise early, / or put off your rest,
You that eat hard-earned bread, / for he gives to his beloved in sleep.
Behold, sons are a gift from the Lord; / the fruit of the womb is a
reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior / are the sons of one's youth.
Happy the man whose quiver is filled with them; / he shall not be put
to shame when they contend with enemies at the gate.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen
Antiphon
All: The work of the just is unto life: / but the fruit of the wicked
unto sin.
P. (Chapter--II Thessalonians 3:8-12) Neither did we eat any man's
bread at his cost, but we worked night and day in labor and toil, so
that we might not burden any of you. Not that we did not have the right
to do so, but that we might make ourselves an example for you to
imitate us. For, indeed when we were with you we used to charge you: if
any man will not work, neither let him eat. For we have heard that some
among you are living irregularly, doing no work but busy at meddling.
Now such persons we charge and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ that
with quietness they work and eat their own bread.
R. Thanks be to God. V. Honor the Lord with your substance. R. And give
him of the first of all your fruits. V. The Lord be with you. R. And
with your spirit.
Let us pray.
P. O Lord, let us follow the blessed farmer Isidore's example of
patience and humility, and walk so faithfully in his footsteps that by
his intercession in the evening of life, we can offer You a rich
harvest of merits and good works, through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of
Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed Yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. R. Amen.
Reflections
St. Paul in his first epistle to the Thessalonians (4:11) says, "Strive
to live peacefully, minding your own affairs, working with your own
hands, as we charged you, so that you may walk becomingly towards
outsiders, and may need nothing."
The nobility of physical labor is praised both in the Old and New
Testaments. The humble workshop of Nazareth and the little hillside and
stony field where the Holy Family worked and earned its sustenance are
shining examples of the regard in which Christ Himself held physical
labor. "Christ took for granted the duty of labor. His parables
presuppose the law of work. They have for their protagonist, a sower, a
vineyard planter, a shepherd, a fisherman, a housebuilder, an employer,
a housekeeper. They allude to their work as something natural,
something presupposed." ("The Attitude Towards Labor in Early
Christianity and Ancient Culture," Geohegan)
Throughout the centuries the most prominent Church writers taught the
nobility of labor while great saints, by their personal example,
pointed the way for all of us to follow. "Manual labor is absolutely
necessary for the preservation of the human race. The earth does not
give up her many fruits except by the labor of men. Since man needs the
fruits of the earth to sustain life, it follows that he must work to
get them." ("The Philosophy of Labor According to Thomas Aquinas,"
Killeen.)
One of the greatest evils in the world today is the dislike for
physical labor and the effort many people make to avoid it. In so doing
they go counter to the teaching and example of Christ, the saints, and
the repeated urgings of our great Pontiffs in Rome.
Pius XII stated most emphatically, "As an indispensable means toward
gaining over the world that mastery which God wishes, for His glory,
all work has an inherent dignity and at the same time a close
connection with the perfection of the person; this is the noble dignity
and privilege of work, which is not in any way cheapened by the fatigue
and the burden, which have to be borne as the effect of original sin,
in obedience and submission to the will of God."
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by the prayer of your
choice for special needs.
Fifth
Day: Walking in the Presence of God
Hymn
As we, if we should ride upon The golden wings (O God) of dawn, And
seek the ends of earth and sky, Could not escape Your loving eye:
We beg that we by faith may see Your sweet and fierce ubiquity, And may
deserve at last by grace To see You always face to face.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done, Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your son, Whom with the Spirit we adore, One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. O taste, and see * that the Lord is sweet: / blessed is the man who
hopes in him.
(Psalm 1)
All: Happy the man who follows not * the counsel of the wicked,
Nor walks in the way of sinners, / nor sits in the company of the
insolent,
But delights in the law of the Lord / and meditates on his law day and
night.
He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields fruit in due
season, / and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked, not so; / they are like
chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore in judgment the wicked shall not stand, / nor shall sinners,
in the assembly of the just.
For the Lord watches over the way of the just, / but the way of the
wicked vanishes.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen.
Antiphon
All: O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet blessed is the man who
hopes in him.
P. (Chapter--I Timothy 4:15-16) Meditate on these things, give yourself
entirely to them, that your progress may be manifest to all. Take heed
to yourself and to your teaching, be earnest in them. For in so doing
you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
R. Thanks be to God. V. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the
soul. R. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the
simple. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
P. Breathe into our hearts, we beg You, O Lord, a desire for heavenly
glory, and grant that we may come, bearing in Our hands the sheaves of
justice, to where the blessed Isidore is resplendent with You in glory,
through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of
Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed Yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. V. Amen.
Reflections
"In the realm of nature, the farmer lives and works with God. He has
abundant reasons to thank God for the independence and liberty granted
him through the soil he calls his own. He has the right to the genuine
respect of others, for without him others cannot live. And he ought to
have a high sense of self-respect, based on the nobility of his work,
which is so vital to humanity. Living close to nature, rural people do
not find it difficult to live close to God, the Author of Nature.
Moreover, they are blessed in this that they are free from so many
occasions of sin and temptation which abound elsewhere. Therefore, the
supernatural life should flourish best in rural surroundings. There men
and women can best know, love and serve God, and save their immortal
souls." (From Pastoral Letter of the Archbishops and Bishops of the
Ecclesiastical Provinces of Toronto and Kingston, Canada.)
However, communion with God and high esteem for their work are not
enjoyed by farmers without a constant effort. Many of them seem to be
unaware of the many beauties and advantages of rural living and
consider their lives uninteresting and their work drudgery. It is the
purpose of novenas such as this, and other prayers and rural religious
customs and practices, to inspire rural people anew with the dignity of
their vocation and the fruitfulness of their work, so that they can
continue to be worthy of being called collaborators with God.
My farm is not where I must soil My hands in endless, dreary toil. But
where, through seed and swelling pod, I've learned to walk, and talk,
with God.
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by the prayer of your
choice for special needs.
Sixth
Day: Stewardship of the Soil
Hymn
O Lord, as You by Your command For all men's use have made the land,
Yet have allowed man's wise decree Rule it be cared for privately;
Let us know that what we control Is made for mankind as a whole, And we
must an accounting give Of what God lends us while we live.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done, Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your Son, Whom with the Spirit we adore, One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. And other seeds fell upon good ground, * and yielded fruit, / some a
hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.
Psalm 64:10-14
All: You have visited the land and watered it; * greatly have you
enriched it.
God's watercourses are filled; / you have prepared the grain.
Thus have you prepared the land, / drenching its furrows, / breaking up
its clods.
Softening it with showers, / blessing its yield.
You have crowned the year with your bounty, / and your paths overflow
with a rich harvest;
The untilled meadows overflow with it, / and rejoicing clothes the
hills.
The fields are garmented with flocks / and the valleys blanketed with
grain. / They shout and sing for joy.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen.
Antiphon
All: And other seeds fell upon good ground, and yielded fruit, / some a
hundred fold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.
P. (Chapter--James 5:7-10) Be patient therefore, brethren, until the
coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruits of
the earth, being patient until it receives the early and late rain. Do
you also be patient; strengthen your hearts; for the coming of the Lord
is at hand.
R. Thanks be to God. V. Prepare your work outdoors, and diligently till
the ground. R. That afterwards you may build your house.
Let us pray.
P. Pour down Your blessing, we beg of You, O Lord, upon Your people,
and upon all the fruits of the earth, so that when collected they may
be mercifully distributed to the honor and glory of Your holy name,
through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed Yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. R. Amen.
Reflections
The surface of the earth is particularly within the care of the farmer.
He keeps it for his own sustenance and gain, but his gain is also the
gain of all the rest of us. At best, he accumulates little to himself.
The successful farmer is the one who produces more than he needs for
his support; and the overplus he does not keep; moreover, his own needs
are easily satisfied. It is of the utmost consequence that the man next
to the earth shall lead a fair and simple life; for in riotous living
he might halt many good supplies that now go to his fellows.
It is a public duty so to train the farmer that he shall appreciate his
guardianship. He is engaged in a quasi-public business. He really does
not even own his land. He does not take his land with him, but only the
personal development that he gains from it. He cannot annihilate his
land, as another might destroy all his belongings. He is God's partner,
the representative of society to guard and to subdue the surface of the
earth. He must exercise his dominion with due regard to all these
obligations. He is a trustee. The productiveness of the earth must
increase from generation to generation: this also is his obligation. He
must handle all his materials, remembering man and remembering God.
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by the prayer of your
choice for special needs.
Seventh Day: Rural
Works of Mercy
Hymn
O God, as Jesus by His birth Became our fellow man on earth, And raised
man, by His brotherhood, To His divine similitude:
We beg that we in men may see The form of Your divinity, What good for
fellow men we do Accept as being done for You.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your Son, Whom with the Spirit we adore, One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. Blessed are the poor in spirit, * for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Psalm 111
All: Happy is the man who fears the Lord, * who greatly delights in his
commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; / the upright generation
shall be blessed.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house; / his generosity shall endure
forever.
He draws through the darkness, a light for the upright; / he is
gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends, / who conducts his affairs
with justice;
He shall never be moved; / the just man shall be in everlasting
remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear; / his heart is firm, trusting in the
Lord.
His heart is steadfast; / he shall not fear till he looks down upon his
foes.
Lavishly he gives to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever; /
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
The wicked man shall see it and be vested; he shall gnash his teeth and
pine away; / the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen.
Antiphon
All: Blessed are the poor in spirit, / for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
P. (Chapter--Matthew 6:19-20) Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where rust and moth consume, where thieves break in and steal;
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither rust nor
moth consumes, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure
is, there your heart also will be.
R. Thanks be to God. V. He who trusts in his riches shall fall. R. But
the just shall spring up as a green leaf. V. The Lord be with you. R.
And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
P. May the grace of the Holy Spirit, we beg You, O Lord, enlighten our
hearts, and refresh them abundantly with the sweetness of perfect
charity, through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of
Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed Yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. R. Amen.
Reflections
Although St. Isidore and his wife, S. Maria de la Cabeza, were very
poor, they gave of what they had to those who were poorer than
themselves. Every Saturday they would serve a meal to the poor whom
they had met in their daily visits to the churches of Madrid. One day
after all the food had been given out, a latecomer arrived, hungry and
destitute. Although St. Isidore knew that his wife had already served
all the food they had in the house, he asked her to look again into the
kettle to see if there might not be just one more serving left. S.
Maria obediently lifted up the kettle to see if there were anything
remaining, and was surprised to find that it was as heavy as if nothing
had been taken out of it.
Works of mercy take on different forms in different times and
countries. In the frontier days in America, typical ways of helping
one's neighbors were: wholehearted hospitality to strangers and
travelers; quick assistance to sick and bereaved families, even to the
extent of doing the plowing or harvesting for them if necessary;
helping other families with greater than family-size projects like
barn-raising or butchering; and special help at times of crisis like
drought, hail, prairie fire, etc. Many opportunities like these still
occur in rural communities, but in addition, new ways of helping one's
neighbor are constantly arising. For instance, it may often be possible
for older farmers to help inexperienced farmers in adopting new and
better farming methods, or it may be possible to be of service to one's
community as a whole by helping to organize a soil conservation
district, improve the school system, or provide better roads or other
means of communication. A Christian farmer will also be on the alert to
help his pastor in parish projects for adult education, recreation, or
in expanding parish facilities. Finally, many opportunities will arise
for the modern farmer to give of his abundance to the less fortunate
farmers, who comprise three-fourths of the world's population, in other
lands.
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by the prayer of your
choice for special needs.
Eighth
Day: Trust in Prayer
Hymn
O God, as You by Your pure gift By grace our nature do uplift, And make
it possible to be What You, God, are essentially.
We pray You then to hear our prayer, For it is Christ's, whose life we
share; And since we share Christ's nature, we Can pray, like Christ,
almightily.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done, Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your Son, Whom with the Spirit we adore, One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. Therefore I say to you, * all things whatever you ask for in prayer,
/ believe that you shall receive, and they shall come to you.
Psalm 85:1-10
All: Incline your ear, O Lord; answer me * for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you; / save your servant who trusts
in you.
You are my God; have pity on me, O Lord, / for to you I call all the
day.
Gladden the soul of your servant, / for to You, O Lord, I lift up my
soul;
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, / abounding in kindness to all
who call upon You,
Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer / and attend to the sound of my pleading.
In the day of my distress I call upon you, / for you will answer me.
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, / and there are no works
like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come and worship you, O Lord, / and
glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds; / you alone are God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen.
Antiphon
All: Therefore I say to you, all things whatever you ask for in prayer,
/ believe that you shall receive, and they shall come to you.
P. (Chapter--Philippians 4:47) Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say,
rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety, but in every prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your petitions be made known to God. And may the peace of God which
surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
R. Thanks be to God. V. I will sing praise to You in the sight of the
angels. R. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and I will give
glory to Your name. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
P. O Lord Jesus Christ, You have said: Ask and you shall receive, seek
and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Grant, we
beg of You, to us Your supplicants, the gift of Your most divine love,
so that we may love You with our whole heart and in all our words and
works, and never cease praising You, who live and are King world
without end.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed Yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that, working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. R. Amen.
Reflections
A farmer daily sees the handiwork of God in the world of nature about
him and recognizes that he is utterly dependent upon God's bounty for
the success of his harvest and deliverance from calamities. It is
therefore the most obvious and natural thing for him to call upon the
Lord of the harvest to obtain His blessing upon everything he
undertakes. Trust in prayer was the most distinguishing trait in the
life of St. Isidore. It was his custom to rise before dawn and spend
the early part of the day making visits to churches in and about
Madrid.. The story is told that his employer, Master de Vargas, became
disturbed about the amount of time St. Isidore was taking from his
work, and decided to see for himself if reports which had come to him
were as bad as they sounded. One morning he hid himself in the field
where the saint was supposed to be plowing. When the saint returned
even later than usual from his morning pilgrimage, the other workers
had finished their jobs and had left the field, while St. Isidore's
work was still untouched. Master de Vargas was about to rebuke the
saint, but something told him to wait and see what would happen. The
saint set to work and seemed to be making a great deal of progress. As
the employer watched, he saw the reason: two angels were working side
by side with the saint, each guiding a plow and racing in holy rivalry
to see who could get the most done. After that whenever anyone asked
the Master de Vargas about St. Isidore's work, he would answer simply,
"Angels are his helpers."
While rural people will follow St. Isidore's example of combining
prayer with work, their religious life in general will be centered
about the rural parish. The parish church is the center of life's most
important moments-- baptism, confirmation, penance, marriage and, above
all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Holy Communion. The cemetery
recalls the labors of the pioneers who went before, and the catechism
classroom is the place of training future workers for Christ. Father of
all, the rural pastor has been called "God" sacred gift to mankind sent
by divine appointment on a mission whose field is not a given parish or
diocese, but the world; whose end is the glory of God and the salvation
of souls everywhere; whose means are the sacraments and the preaching
of the Gospel; the object of whose teaching is everything knowable,
from the deep things in God to all things outside of God."
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.) three times, followed by the prayer of your
choice for special needs.
Ninth
Day: Sacrifice of Praise
Hymn
Lord, who before Your praise was heard Were praised in silence by the
Word, And whom, from all eternity Your Son has praised sufficiently:
Please deign to be our hallowing, And we in Christ Your Son will sing,
Then Your poor creatures' prayers will rise Sufficient praise before
Your eyes.
Through Jesus Christ let this be done, Who lives and reigns, our Lord,
Your Son, Whom with the Spirit we adore, One God with You forevermore.
Antiphon
P. Whatever you do in word or in work, * do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, / giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Psalm 22
All: The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. * In verdant pastures
he gives me repose.
Beside restful waters he leads me; / he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths; / for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; / for you are at
my side
With your rod and your staff / that give me courage.
You spread the table before me / in the sight of my foes; You anoint my
head with oil, / my cup overflows.
Only goodness and kindness follow me / all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord / for years to come.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be / world without
end. Amen.
Antiphon
All: Whatever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, / giving thanks to God the Father through him.
P (Chapter--Hebrews 10:12-14) Jesus, having offered one sacrifice for
sins, has taken his seat forever at the right hand of God, waiting
thenceforth until his enemies be made the footstool under his feet. For
by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
R. Thanks be to God. V. Offer to God the sacrifice of praise. R. And
pay your vows to the Most High. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with
your spirit.
Let us pray
P. Protect us, O Lord; who offer holocausts to You, and sear our hearts
with the flame of Your divine charity, so that they may be ever more
fervently prepared for sacrifice, through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen. V. St. Isidore. R. Pray for us.
Prayer in Honor of
Saint Isidore
All: O God, * who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, / and
who through Jesus Christ, the true vine, / revealed Yourself the
husbandman of our souls, / deign, we pray, through the merits of
blessed Isidore, / to instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a
love of prayer, / so that working the soil in the sweat of our brow, /
we may enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our
Lord.
R. Amen. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. V. Let us
bless the Lord. R. Thanks be to God. V. May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. R. Amen.
Reflections
A farmer can justly take pride in the fact that his work is a very
special contribution to the Sacrifice of the Mass, and he should
meditate upon this truth with humility and gratitude. "The Lord used
the product of wheat and of grapes, bread and wine, for the institution
of the august sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Bread and wine are the
substances changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of our
blessed Savior. Their sense appearances are the carriers of the most
precious gifts of our Lord's love to us. In the consecrated elements of
bread and wine, Jesus Christ makes Himself present to be the spiritual
food of men. He is the bread that has come down from heaven, of which
if men eat they shall not die. With good reason, then, has Christian
tradition used the sheaf of wheat and the vine with grapes, these
precious products of the toil of the farmer, as the symbols of the Holy
Eucharist. Both adorn tabernacle and altar as symbols to give vivid
expression to this great and loving mystery of our Catholic faith; both
play their part in beautifying art and architecture; both enrich hymns
and sacred songs composed to give honor to our Lord in the Holy
Eucharist. As he kneels in prayer before the tabernacle the farmer
indeed has reason to glory in all this and to give profound thanks to
his Lord and Master for having honored his calling in so exalted a
manner."
Our Father, Hail
Mary, Glory be (etc.) three times, followed by the prayer of you choice
for special needs.
Optional Prayers
Prayer for Rain
O God, in whom we live and move and have our being, grant us rain in
due abundance, that being sufficiently helped with temporal gifts we
may seek with more confidence those that are eternal. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Prayer of Blessing
for a Harvest
Our help is in the name of the Lord. R. Who has made heaven and earth.
V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray. Almighty Lord God, You keep on giving abundance to men in
the dew of heaven, and food out of the richness of the soil. We give
thanks to Your most gracious majesty for the fruits of the field which
we have gathered. We beg of You, in Your mercy, to bless our harvest,
which we have received from Your generosity. Preserve it, and keep it
from all harm. Grant, too, that all those whose desires You have filled
with these good things may be happy in Your protection. May they praise
Your mercies forever, and make use of the good things that do not last
in such a way that they may not lose those goods that are everlasting,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Farmer's Prayer of
Thanksgiving
Lord, I am grateful that I live in the country. I am glad to live close
to the earth that You have made. I am happy to spend so much of my time
in the open air, under the bright sun, the symbol of Your own justice
and light. I am grateful for the rain and for the freshness that it
brings--the rain, a symbol of Your rich and undying blessings.
I am happy to cooperate with You in Your work of continuous creation,
by growing the food that men need to sustain life. By Your almighty
power You make grow the seeds I plant. You fill the earth with
minerals, You send the rain and the sun, the wind and the snow--and the
dry, hard seeds I plant are raised to soft, green life. You have given
men great wisdom and cleverness to build machines that make the labor
of the farmer much less burdensome.
Dear Lord, I am in Your almighty hands. I depend upon You for
everything. If I sow the seed and cultivate the young plants, and You
do not see fit to give me a good harvest, I will be satisfied. You are
the Lord and Master and creator of all things. You know what is good
for me and what would do me harm. I trust You, absolutely without
question.
I thank You again for choosing me to be a farmer. I beg of You never to
let me forget its great advantages of closeness to You, absolute trust
and confidence in You, and the fullness and richness of my life, close
to the earth that You have made and have so marvelously blessed.
Lord, I am grateful that I am a farmer. Amen.
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