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.
REFLECTION
Each spring we experience a rebirth in nature, when after a long winter the natural world comes alive again with all its beauty and new life. It is important for us to appreciate the gift of God’s creation and give it due respect. It is easy for us who live in a highly technocratic and utilitarian culture to take the natural world for granted and to lose sight of its splendor and glory. It is easy for us to suffer from a kind of nature deficit disorder.
After I graduated from college, I had the opportunity to try my hand at farming in northcentral Kansas with a couple of friends of mine. It was during those years that I came to appreciate the gift of God’s created world, our common home. I also discovered the importance of agriculture and good stewardship of the land. It was during these years of hard work, silence, community and reflective prayer that I discerned my calling to the priesthood.
As we invoke the intercession of St. Isidore the farmer, let us rekindle our appreciation and reverence for the land, and let us pray that we will always see the connections in things and the fingerprints of God in the natural world around us. May we always respect the gift of creation and may it ground our being in the reality of the truth, goodness and beauty of God.
Bishop James Conley
Diocese of Lincoln
Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by a prayer of your choice for special needs.
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