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. R. Amen.
REFLECTION
“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.
Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by a prayer of your choice for special needs.
Click here to see other days of the novena.
