Because many of my posts this month have featured Saints from the nobility - and because I missed yesterday - today I have chosen to give you a glimpse of St. Isidore the Farmer and his wife, Blessed Maia de la Cabeza.
Isidore and Maria were of humble peasant stock. Isidore was born in Madrid, Spain around 1070 and spent his life in service to a wealthy land owner in the city's vicinity. He shared what he had, even his meals, with the poor. Maria's date of birth is unknown, but she is believed to have been from a little village named Caraquiz. The couple is thought to have had only one son, named Illan. Legend says that as a baby, Illan fell into a deep well. The parents prayed for his rescue and the water miraculously rose to a level where the floating child was easily pulled to safety.
Perhaps a more reliable story is that Maria always kept a pot of stew on the fire in their rural dwelling because her husband often brought home anyone who was hungry. One day, Isidore brought more people that usual home with him. After feeding many of them, Maria reported to her husband that the stew pot was empty. He insisted that she look again, and they found that there was enough stew for everyone.
Maria outlived her husband, who died in 1130. As a widow, she became a hermit, performed miracles and had visions. She dies in 1135.
Isidore's feast day is May 15. He is the patron saint of farmers and day laborers. Maria's feast day is September 9 (but it can also be celebrated on May 15 with her husband).
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