Isidro Labrador (1070–1130)

Biography

His parents, unable to send him to school, took it upon themselves to instill in him their limited knowledge, along with the horror of sin and the love of prayer. Isidro married a poor girl, as good as him; but after the birth of their first son, who died in infancy, they both decided to serve God in perfect continence. With his holiness and heroism he emerged from the dark anonymity that surrounds the humble men of the countryside. His life was a model of Christian perfection in the world. A simple farmer, he worked the land from dawn to dusk throughout his life and died in poverty. A legend tells us that Isidro, very early, used to go to Mass before beginning to plow the land and that, meanwhile, the angels arrived to replace him in his work until the Eucharist was finished. As he plowed, sowed, and harvested, he raised his thoughts to God. Modern theologians call this "exercise of the presence of God"; They affirm that the soul, with a little practice, manages to direct attention simultaneously to two different things: daily work and the thought of God present in all things. Isidro learned this art and practiced it in a very particular way. His entire life was a union with the Love of God. Saint Isidro was very generous with the poor; He frequently invited them to his table and reserved the remains of the food for himself. He died in the year 1130, at the age of 60. His wife, who survived him for several years, also achieved the honor of the altars. His cult became very popular due to the miracles that the saint worked in Madrid. The royal family of Spain ardently promoted the cause of Saint Isidro, who was canonized in March 1622, along with Saint Ignatius, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Teresa and Saint Philip Neri. In Spain they have been called, since then, "the five saints."