#yes the way they choose to format the names is distressing but whatever

[lynne-monstr]

seimei: it's not like we'll ever see each other again bye seimei: lmao can't believe you showed up after what you said

[miguel-manbemel]

A Sanders Sides Christmas Carol

Tonight, it’s Christmas Eve, so I present you here a little AU inspired on Sanders Sides by Thomas Sanders, Joan S. and the Foster Dawg Team, and the classic “A Christmas Carol”, by Charles Dickens. I wanted to try something new, so this story is in prose format, and not in script format like the “Aspects & Fanfics” story (which is not related to this one) I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and happy holiday season to those who don’t. Until next time.

WARNINGS: Following the classic story, there are references to death. This has also references to queerphobia. And Remus makes an appearance, but he’s less gruesome than usual for him.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, there was an old avaricious man. No one knew his real name, but everyone called him Deceit, Deceit Scrooge. By means of lies and deception, he had gotten very rich at the expense of the people who made the mistake of trusting him their money or goods. Now he was running a pawnshop where he charged customers an abusive amount for redeeming the things they needed to pawn in times of necessity. He had kneaded a huge fortune and would have continued to do so working all alone on his own and keeping all the profits for himself, if it wasn’t for how old he had gotten.

When he realized that he would make much more profit if he hired someone to help him in the shop, he reluctantly decided to hire his nephew, Thomas, as an assistant. He payed him very little and made him work countless hours, but Thomas went to work everyday with a smile on his face, because no matter what, it was good money. He was a widower with a two-year-old child of his own, named Joan, or as he liked to call them, Tiny Joan, to take care of, and he was ready to move mountains, swim across oceans, and even cope with his own uncle’s working conditions, if that helped him to keep his Tiny Joan well fed, dressed and healthy. Thomas didn’t have many possibilities to choose a job, so he had no choice, anyway. Besides, he saw good in everyone, even in his uncle. He knew there was something in him that, one day or another, when he decided to let it go, would give a surprise to everyone. So he waited patiently, working tirelessly, day after day.

This was their working dynamic until one particular Christmas Eve. Just one day earlier, little Joan had been playing outside and, strangely for Florida, due to an extremely unlikely combination of meteorological conditions that only could have happened once per millennium, it had been snowing and snowing and temperatures had been uncommonly low. Joan was not prepared for the cold temperatures and, as a result, they got sick with pneumonia. Thomas was phoned by Joan’s nanny, who took care of them while Thomas was working, when she saw how much they struggled to breath. Thomas, scared and distressed, gathered all his courage and knocked his uncle’s door.

“Come in,” Deceit said “and it better be quick. Time is money!”

“Yes, uncle Scrooge, I’m sorry, uncle Scrooge.” Thomas stuttered. “I’m sorry to bother you but… but...”

“Speak already, for God’s sake!”

“I have received a phone call from home and...”

“I told you a thousand times that I hate that you use your phone when you are at work! When you are out you can use that devil’s tool however you want, but here, I’m paying for your service, and in working hours, you’re my property!”

“I’m sorry, uncle Scrooge, I didn’t pick it up the first time they called, or the second one, or the third… but when they called for a fourth time, I supposed it was an emergency. And it really was. My child! My child, uncle Scrooge. Joan is in the hospital right now! I must go to check that they’re okay!”

“Well… I guess that could be considered an emergency. But nevertheless, your child is in good hands in that hospital. Your presence there is really not required, and you are needed here and now. It’s still two hours till your shift is over.”

“But… uncle Scrooge.” Thomas said, horrified at Scrooge’s coldness of heart “They’re in a serious condition! I need to see them! Please, have some mercy! They’re your own grandnibling! Besides, it’s Christmas!”

“Don’t remind me of that, goodness gracious!” Scrooge yelled “You know how much I hate Christmas! Fine, I suppose I can give you permission to get out of work before your time, but don’t think I won’t discount these two hours, fourteen minutes and seventeen seconds from your salary, young man! It’s not my business if you have any other trivial stuff distracting you. You are paid for your work. No work, no money!”

“Do whatever you want!” Thomas said, genuinely angry at his uncle for the first time ever. It was one thing that Scrooge treated him coldly, he could sacrifice himself for Joan’s sake, but dismissing his child that way, that was something he wasn’t gonna tolerate. “In fact, I’ve had enough of this! I quit! Merry Christmas!”

Thomas angrily slammed the door behind him, grabbed his stuff and rushed into his car to go to the hospital.

“Ha… it seems this boy needs to learn some manners after all… I’ll let it slide as he’s clearly out of his mind right now. He’ll come back here tomorrow, begging for forgiveness, when the doctors show him the bills… He’s lucky that he’s my nephew, if it was someone else, I would kick him out on first sight.”

With that, Deceit returned to his work. When the clock struck half past four, someone rang the doorbell.

“Well, I hope it’s a client…” Scrooge thought “Ugh… my bones are not what they used to be… I hope this walk is worth the nuisance.”

Deceit walked to the door with difficulty. The doctors had prescribed him a good medicine that could, if not kill the pain completely, at least palliate it enough for him to have quality of life, but when they told him how much it was going to cost, he refused to buy it. He literally preferred to have his bones in pain rather than his pocket, he said. Finally he reached to the door and opened it. Outside, there was this boy. He knew him well, it was the neighbor’s son, Roman. When the boy saw Scrooge at the door, he got pail, whiter than his sweater, and it looked really white in contrast to his bright red scarf. He clearly expected Thomas to open the door and not him. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat. He had come there to sing and that’s what he was going to do.

“Deck the hall with boughs of holly, Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! 'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel, Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! Troul the ancient Christmas carol, Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!”

Scrooge just stood there, not moving a muscle. His face so neutral that no one could have guessed what was going through his mind. Roman looked at him, smiled and yelled with the bravest voice he could come up with:

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Scrooge! I… I’d dare to ask you for a little donation for our charity hospital. There are so many children there that won’t be able to celebrate Christmas Eve appropriately, and it would mean the world if…”

“That is the last straw!” Scrooge suddenly yelled, rising his cane threateningly “Not only you torture my ears with that stupid song and pester me reminding me the horrible time of year we’re in! You dare to ask me for money? My money!? Get out of my sight right now or I’ll make sure that you’ll join these children in your own hospital sooner than you think, and not as a visitor! Go away! Go away right now!”

Roman ran away and Scrooge slammed the door behind him. A bunch of snow fell from the roof due to the violence of the slam.

“Asking me for money… How dare he? He should get a decent job, like I had to, and work for his own money! No one gave me anything for free. Why would I have to give anything to anyone?”

The last half hour went by and Deceit Scrooge finally decided to call it a day. He locked the front door and got in the elevator to the second floor, where he had his residence. Why paying for a home in a different building, when the attic in his office was perfectly habitable? And that way he also saved himself having to call a taxi or going to the subway. Money goes away faster with these little expenses. Cutting them short is rising benefit, he always said. He had had to install an elevator when he could no longer climb the stairs due to his pain, but he called it a long-term investment that would end up saving him the money of having to pay for another suitable residence. He never spent a dime if he wasn’t sure he was going to get it back, one way or another.

Deceit entered his home and started making dinner for himself. A plate of soup and a chicken fillet. He certainly wasn’t in the mood for a lavish Christmas dinner like his nephew would have certainly had if he wasn’t in the hospital. After he finished his dinner and washed his dishes, he sat down on his couch and started watching TV. Another one of those boring Christmas specials was on. He switched channels but everywhere there was either a Christmas show or a Christmas movie. He didn’t own any kind of cable TV. Why paying for a subscription if there were free channels available for everyone through the airwaves?

When he was thinking on turning it off and just go to bed, suddenly the TV started getting signal interference, until the image turned into static snow. It was odd, since it was digital terrestrial TV and snow should not appear in that format. After some time, the snow went green and a voice was heard.

“Hello? Do you read me? Testing, testing, one, two three, testing, testing, suck my Dee…”

“What is going on?” Deceit said.

“Oh, so you do read me. Hi, old friend! Glad to see you after so long!”

“I’m sorry I can’t say the same, since I can’t see you whatsoever. Who is this?”

“Oh, you can’t see me? Wait, I’ll fix that.” sounds of bumps are heard and the snow changes into an image of a weird man dressed with strange lavish garments, including a green sash. “There. Sometimes you just have to show this equipment who is the master…”

Deceit Scrooge looked at the screen as stunned as you would be if you saw an old friend who passed away years ago talking to you on TV as if he was broadcasting live from the other side.

“Remus? Remus Marley? This… this can’t be. I must have fallen asleep and this is a nightmare, that has to be. You can’t be talking to me, from TV or in person. You died seven years ago!”

“Yes, Deceit, I’m dead. And soon, it will be your turn.”

“What do you mean?” Scrooge said with a face of concern.

“Oh, Dee, come on, you don’t really mean you think you’re gonna live forever, do you?”

“Death is only a construct. I’m not gonna die.”

“You can lie to yourself just as much as you lie to everyone around you, Dee, but your end is approaching. And your eternal punishment comes with it, just as it happened to me.”

“Pu… punishment? What punishment?”

“Well, I don’t know what they have in store for you. Me, I was condemned to be a gruesome incarnation of intrusive thoughts in the mind of a weird Floridian man that makes YouTube videos, so…”

“What?”

“Never mind, it’s a long story. The point is, something horrible is awaiting you for all eternity, unless you change your attitude in regards of your greed and the way you treat other people!”

“That… that can’t be! Please! There must be some way of getting rid of that punishment! Whatever that punishment may be, I still don’t get…”

“That’s what I came here for, Dee. To save your soul, as I hope in doing so, I’ll save my own soul too. Tonight you will receive the visit of three ghosts. You must listen to what they say or nothing will save you from falling into the flames of Hell… or in the mind of another Floridian man, who knows… Farewell, Deceit Scrooge…” Remus waited for five seconds, then he started talking to someone off-screen. “Okay, is this thing off? Glad that the broadcast is over, how did I do? Don’t tell me, I was great as usual, I bet you couldn’t deliver a performance better than…” Remus looked at the camera. “Wait, is this thing still on?” Remus pulled out a mace and yelled angry. “ROMAN, WHY DIDN’T YOU SWITCH IT OFF AS I TOLD YOU, YOU MOTHERF…!”

The broadcast stopped abruptly, and the regular channel returned to the screen. Deceit still needed two full minutes to start reacting.

“What… what has happened? I must have been hallucinating. Yes, that was it, a hallucination. I’m exhausted of all the work I had to do today without Thomas’ help, it must have been that. I’m going to bed and I’ll be good as gravy after I get some rest.”

Deceit Scrooge turned the TV off and got ready for bed. He wore is yellow pajama decorated with embroidered snakes and tucked himself into bed. Not even ten minutes had gone by when he heard a noise, as if someone was knocking at the window. It startled him but he didn’t move a muscle. After some eternal seconds, something crossed the window, crashing through the glass and falling in the middle of the bedroom. Dee screamed like a little girl and covered himself with the sheets.

“Wow, all my hopes for a nice entrance got shattered… Do you get it? Shattered?” he heard a voice saying.

“Who… who’s there? Who are you?” Deceit said, stuttering out of fear.

“What? Didn’t Remus warn you about my coming, kiddo? I’m Patton! I’m the ghost of Christmas past!”

“So, I wasn’t hallucinating?” Deceit said, getting out of bed.

“Of course you weren’t, kiddo. What would make you think that?”

“Well, seeing someone speaking at you from the TV really does make you question your sanity…”

“Okay, you may have a point, Deceit. But trust me, you’re not going insane. I’m here with the mission of leading you in your journey through your past.”

“My past?”

“Yes, kiddo, your past. You have lived a long life, and I’m certain you must have forgotten some things that happened long ago, things that made you the way you are now. Only knowing the past can someone make changes in their present and plans for their future. Okay, kiddo, let’s go.”

“But where? And how? If you think I’m going to get an expensive cab or something…”

“Oh, don’t worry, where we’re going we don’t need cabs…”

“I don’t like the way you’ve said that…”

Patton grabbed Deceit’s hand and the room started spinning around them.

“Whoa, what is going on?”

“Don’t let go of my hand, kiddo. I wouldn’t want you to get sent by mistake to the Middle Ages, appear in some random village and get arrested on the charge of witchcraft. It happened to me once already, and it was not pleasant. The bosses above punished me by giving me allergy to cats for 100 years, and now I can’t approach kitties. And I love them so much… Oh, well… We’ll always have puppies. If I don’t mess it up again, that is. So. Don’t. Let. Go.” he said these last words deadly serious.

“Okay, gotcha…”

After some time, the place stopped spinning around them. Now they were in front of a zoo. It looked like the 1960’s.

“I… I know this place. It’s the place where I had my first job. I worked as a part-time employee to pay college, starting as a cleaner. Gosh, I loved animals, especially snakes, they’ve always fascinated me. But they would never let me get into the cages where they held them to clean them. So I stuck with cleaning corridors, emptying trash bins and cleaning the trash left behind by some rude visitors. One day, someone learned that I was studying business, and they offered me to work on the souvenir store as a clerk.”

“Wait, wait,” Patton interrupted, “we’re going to see that too.”

Before Deceit knew how, they were inside a store.

“Yep, this was it. Here I started as a clerk, tidying the place, putting the goods in the correct shelves, and attending the cash register. On my own initiative, I started offering customers some of the goods, and I wasn’t bad on it. The zoo managers saw how well I was on that and they promoted me to manager of the store, and I learned a lot in the five years I spent there, until I graduated. On the second year, I met… I met this cute guy and… I went nuts for him. And he fell for me too.”

“That’s cute.”

“It was, but not as much as you’d think. At that time it wasn’t as easy as it is today. Even though there’s still a lot be done now, back then we didn’t have any kind of support. Society was clearly against our type of love. A part of it still is nowadays despite it has no real impact in their lives. Imagine how it was sixty years ago. So we started dating in secret. He got himself a job as a cleaner, the same one I left behind when I went to the shop, and we had lunch together everyday.”

“Let’s see that, shall we?”

Deceit and Patton appeared outside, next to a bench. Young Deceit and another guy were eating a sandwich together, laughing happily.

“He was so handsome, and such a kind man…” Deceit continued talking. “For the rest of the world, we were just close friends, and if someone approached us, we started talking about all the fake girls we were interested in from college or whatever. But when we were alone, it seemed as if the rest of the world wasn’t there. We were living in a weird state of communion with each other mixed with fear that other people noticed it and got us marked forever.”

“Well, times were bad back then, weren’t they?” Patton said.

“As college went on, I started worrying about my own position, and I started seeing my… boyfriend? I don’t know if I should use that word, we never officially dated, for obvious reasons. I started seeing him like a danger for that position. So I asked out a girl in college who I personally knew had feelings about me, and started dating her, as a cover. When the graduation came, I asked her to marry me. When I told him, he didn’t take it very well.”

“Yes, I know, that’s what we’re going to see next.”

“Do we have to?” Deceit said, with a painful expression.

“Yes, kiddo, I’m sorry, but we have to.”

Suddenly they were in Deceit’s porch. His boyfriend was in front of him, and they were having an argument. He had just told his boyfriend that he was leaving him to marry his girlfriend.

“How can you do this? Can you really sleep at night knowing you’re nothing but a hypocrite and a liar?” his boyfriend yelled.

“I have no choice! This is the way society works right now and I can’t change it on my own!”

“So instead of fighting society, you decided to join society, and if you leave something or someone behind, so be it! What about us? What about me? Am I suddenly like a used Kleenex that you can just throw into the trash can? Not to mention that poor woman you’re using too. Is that how it works for you?”

“You’re not being fair! You know I really lo…” suddenly he lowered his voice. “Quiet, the neighbors might be listening.”

“And you don’t want them to know the truth about yourself, so you bump away anything and anyone that can threaten the masquerade of deception you’ve built, am I right? Maybe I shouldn’t call you by your given name. Maybe I should just call you Deceit. Deceit Scrooge. Seems more appropriate for a liar snake like you.”

“Call me whatever you want. I want you to hate me. That will make it easier for you to forget me.”

“You’re an idiot… Deceit. That’s not how love works. You can’t just click a button in your heart and, poof, love is gone. I still love you and I know you love me and not her. But I’m not gonna let you turn me into a toy you can play with whenever you’re tired of your boring loveless life. At least I’ve got some dignity left, unlike you. I really pity you. You’re gonna make a miserable man out of yourself… I think you already are… Deceit.”

The boyfriend then went away and young Deceit stayed there, watching him go with a sad face. Old Deceit was watching the scene but he ended looking away, as he couldn’t stand seeing his former boyfriend’s face, how he had broken the heart of the only person he had truly loved and who had truly loved him in return.

“Please, ghost, I don’t wanna see anymore. It really hurts!” Deceit implored to Patton.

“As you wish, Deceit. But remember the acts of your past are what made you what you are now, so you only have yourself to blame if the past hurts you now, kiddo.”

Patton snapped his finger, and suddenly Deceit was back into his own bedroom, and Patton was gone.

“He… he’s gone. Well, Remus wasn’t bluffing. He told me that three ghosts would come to me, so it’s one down, two to go.”

“Well calculated, Deceit, but now it’s two down, one to go, if you count me in.” a voice said behind him.

Deceit turned back, startled, and saw another person looking at him with a serious attitude, adjusting his glasses and then his necktie.

“Are you… another ghost?” he stuttered.

“As a matter of fact, I am. I am Logan and I’m the ghost of Christmas present. Salutations.”

“You sound so serious for a ghost.” Deceit said, confused.

“Of course I’m serious, I wear a necktie.”

“Okay...” Deceit said. He was starting to think these ghosts were kinda weird.

“Well, if you have no more objections, I think it’s time for us to begin our journey.”

“Here we go again… Where are we going now?”

“Oh, not too far away. We’re going to the hospital. There’s someone you’ve gotta see. Someone you already know.”

“I think I guess where you’re going with this. Okay, lead the way.”

Logan grabbed Deceit’s hand and before they knew it, they were in a hospital room. Thomas was there, next to his child, Tiny Joan. They were wearing an oxygen mask and their face looked awful. Thomas was as worried as can be, holding Joan’s hand.

“Come on, my kid. I know you can do this. Be strong for me.” Thomas said, with a trembling voice and tears in his eyes. “Fight for me. Don’t leave me.”

“I didn’t realize Thomas’ child’s condition was so bad…”

“It is, indeed. A pneumonia is something not to be underestimated. It is the result of an infection in one or both lungs, and it can compromise the breathing function. In the worst cases, it could be fatal. They got it on time, thankfully, but the next hours are gonna be decisive. And the worst is yet to come.”

“What do you mean?”

“The treatment is too expensive. No insurance wanted to take care of that, and Thomas can’t afford the full treatment with the salary you give him. Right now, he’s also worrying about how he’s going to pay for it. If circumstances don’t change, he’s not gonna have enough to pay the rent of his house and they’re gonna be evicted. They’ll be living in the street, and you know what comes next. They’ll take the child away from Thomas. And they’re the only family he’s got.”

“What do you mean only family? I’m his family too.”

“Falsehood. You don’t really expect him to consider you family after the treatment you’ve given him all these years, do you?”

Deceit showed a face of remorse.

“No, Deceit, you don’t have any family left. You took care of setting them aside of you with your cold and greedy attitude.”

“Surely it’s not too late for a change, is it? There has to be something I can do…”

But now, there was no one to talk to. Deceit was all alone in what looked like a field.

“Where am I? Oh… I think I know where I am. I was here, seven years ago… It’s… the cemetery.”

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared before him. He was wearing a purple hoodie and dark makeup under his eyes, and he looked at Deceit with an ominous glance, not saying a word.

“I… I guess you are the last ghost. First the ghost of Christmas past, then the ghost of Christmas present… Are you the ghost of Christmas future?”

The hooded ghost nodded in silence.

“Why have you brought me here, ghost? Why the cemetery?”

The ghost only pointed to one of the tombstones, a few meters away. Thomas was there, his eyes full of tears and soaring red. He was mourning for whoever was buried in that grave.

“No… Please, ghost, don’t tell me that that tomb is…”

Deceit and the ghost approached the tomb. Tiny Joan’s name was written on it.

“My Tiny Joan…” Thomas said “…if only I could have done more to save you. If only your illness could have been well treated. Now this world is a lifeless place without you. I miss you so bad…”

Thomas put his hand on the tombstone, grabbing it with his fingernails as if he was desperately trying to snatch his child back from death with that gesture. Rivers of tears fell down his cheeks.

“Please, tell me this can still be changed, ghost!” Deceit implored. “This can’t happen! Not to this child! Not to my grandnibling!”

Suddenly, he heard noises from another tombstone. Two men were filling a grave. No one was there to mourn the recently deceased person that was being buried there. Deceit approached the hole and stared into it with fear.

“Whose… whose tomb is this?” he stuttered.

The hooded ghost grinned creepily and spoke with a demonic voice.

“It is your own tomb, Deceit. The best tomb money can buy, all for yourself to enjoy for all eternity!”

The ghost pointed at Deceit, and he felt as if some invisible hand started pulling from him, trying to make him fall into the pit.

“No! Please, no! This can’t be it! I need more time! I can change! I’m not the same I used to be already! Please, tell me I’m still in time to change! I beg of you, spirit!”

The ghost kept pointing at Deceit, and Scrooge got closer and closer to the pit.

“Do you honestly think you can change at this point?” the spirit said, “Your years are almost over. I’m Virgil, the ghost of Christmas future, and I’ve seen lots of people like you for centuries and centuries. None of them could change. Why would you be so different?”

“If you didn’t think I was able to change, you wouldn’t have shown me all these visions in the first place! I beg of you, spirit! I beg of all three of you, spirits! Give me another chance, please!”

Deceit was dragged to the edge of the pit. He tried to resist, but the attraction was too strong, and he finally fell into the hole with a horrible yell… Then he fell on his face in his own bedroom.

“Aw! What happened?” he said, covering his nose with his hand.

Deceit looked at the window, it was morning. He got up and looked at his clock on his side table. It was 7 a.m., December 25th.

“It’s Christmas Day!” he said, smiling. “I’m still on time! The ghosts have given me another chance!”

He started jumping and dancing all around the bedroom. It looked as if all his pains had suddenly faded away due to his joy.

“Okay, I’m still on time. I gotta get moving before it’s too late.” He said.

Deceit got a coat over his yellow pajama and put his bowler hat on, then got out. When he was out, he saw Roman, the boy who sang the Christmas song the day before. He made a gesture of fleeing away, but Deceit called.

“Wait, boy, don’t go. I’m sorry for yesterday.”

Not too convinced, Roman stayed, but a couple of steps away from him.

“I’m sorry I treated you so rudely. Perhaps, this will work as an apology. Give it to your hospital, I’m sure they’re gonna give them good use.

While he said this, he took off a check and signed it, then gave it to Roman. The boy almost fainted when he read the written amount.

“One thousand dollars!?” He yelled.

“I see. You’re right, it’s not gonna be enough. Let’s fix it right now.”

He picked the check and added a zero to the amount, meaning now it read ten thousand dollars. Roman was so stunned he couldn’t speak.

“I hope this is enough. Taxi! Taxi, please!” A taxi stopped in front of Deceit. He jumped into the taxi and yelled.

“Merry Christmas, young boy!”

“Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Scrooge, and God bless you!” Roman answered back with a face of joy.

“To St. Adrian’s Hospital, please. This is an emergency.” Deceit said to the cab driver.

The taxi drove him to the hospital. He asked at the counter where he could find Joan.

“Uncle Scrooge?” he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Thomas”, he said turning back.

“What are you doing here? If you want me to get back to work, I can tell you that…”

“It’s okay, boy, it’s okay. I came here to apologize. I was rude and inconsiderate and I’m really sorry.”

“I’m not going back no matter what you… Wait, what?”

“You have all the right to be upset. I didn’t realize how I was treating you. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Well… this was unexpected. What’s happened to you, uncle Scrooge? You don’t look like yourself.”

“I’m not like myself. I’ll never be like my old self anymore. You are facing your new uncle Scrooge. By the way, how is Tiny Joan doing?”

“They’re better, thank God. But I’m so worried. I don’t know how I am going to pay the bills and the rent at the same time. I’ll need a miracle to gather enough money before I lose my house. I’ve been searching for jobs on the internet, but I don’t have the qualifications for most of them. I’m desperate, uncle Scrooge. What will become of my child and me?”

“Well, your miracle has happened. Don’t worry about that anymore. I’ll pay all the costs.”

“What!?” Thomas’ mouth got open wide. “Are you serious!?”

“I’m always serious. Even though I’m not wearing a necktie.”

“What?”

“Never mind. Of course this won’t come free for you.”

“Of course…” Thomas sighed. “How many hours do you want me to work this time?”

“Just the same you used to work, but no longer as a clerk. From now on, you’ll be my business partner, with a share of all revenues. And when I retire, the business will be all yours.”

Tears jumped into Thomas’ eyes as he couldn’t help but hugging his uncle.

“Thank you so much, uncle. Thank you, thank you…”

“It’s okay. Now let’s go see Tiny Joan. I can’t wait to start spoiling them with gifts until they get better and beyond.”

“Of course, uncle Scrooge. Can I tell you merry Christmas?”

“Of course you can. Merry Christmas to you, my boy.”

Uncle and son got together into the hospital to see Tiny Joan. Meanwhile, the three spirits, with Roman, Remus and the regular Deceit, were watching the scene.

“So, I did it. Does it mean that I’m free now?” Remus said.

“Well, you successfully managed to save his soul, but there are some other things to consider, Remus.” Logan said.

“Yeah, like… could you avert stabbing me everyday?” Roman said.

“Yeah, I don’t like that you do that to Roman!” Virgil said.

“Well, that’s kind of you to sa…” Roman said.

“It’s gross and it’s so difficult to wash blood off that white suit of his.” Virgil interrupted him.

Roman frowned at Virgil.

“Ugh… you just give me the most difficult tasks so that I continuously fail in my redemption! Not fair!” Remus groaned. “Can’t I at least use my mace on him? He’ll barely bleed if I hit him on the right places!”

“No!” Roman yelled. “No, you can’t!”

“So, what was the point of all these shenanigans, anyway?” Deceit said. “I’m sorry, I can’t relate at all with that old dude you were talking to all night. We don’t look alike, at all.”

Remus started running after Roman, mace in hand.

“Guys, don’t fight!” Patton said. “It’s Christmas Day! Please, behave, you look like children! Stop right now or you won’t get any presents from Santa!”

They were still arguing when they all sank down back to their Sanders Sides routine.

[pamphletstoinspire]

Novena to Saint Isidore the Farmer of Seville Feast Day: May 15th (Ordinary Time) __________

Novena

The word Novena derives it name from the Latin word “novem” meaning “nine.” A novena can be either a private or public devotion in the Catholic Church to obtain special graces.

Novena in Honor of St. Isidore - Patron of Rural People

Life of St. Isidore and S. Maria de la Cabeza

St. Isidore, the Farmer, was born in Madrid, Spain, about the year 1110. He came from a poor and humble family. From childhood he worked as a farm hand on the De Varga estate. He was very prayerful and particularly devoted to the Mass and the Holy Eucharist.

Isidore loved the good earth, he was honest in his work, and careful in his farming practices. It is said that domestic beasts and birds showed their attachment to him because he was gentle and kind to them. Master De Vargas watched Isidore at plowing and he saw two angels as his helpers. Hence, the saying arose, "St. Isidore plowing with angels does the work of three farmers." Isidore married a sweet and pious maidservant by the name of Maria. They had only one son who died in youth. Both were most charitable and ever willing to help neighbors in distress and the poor in the city slums.

St. Isidore died on May 15,1170; his saintly wife, a little later. He was canonized on March 22, 1622. The earthly remains of the holy couple are found over the main altar of the cathedral in Madrid, Spain. S. Maria was not officially canonized, but is honored as a saint throughout Spanish countries. Her head (cabeza) is carried in solemn processions during times of drought.

By a special decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, dated February 22, 1947, St. Isidore was constituted as the special protector of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference and American farmers.

How beautiful and appropriate for the Catholic farm family to be devoted to this simple and saintly couple, who like farmers everywhere are "partners with God," in furnishing to the world food, fiber, and shelter. __________

Appropriate Times for the Novena

May 7‐15: To end on the feast of St Isidore. It is suggested that seeds be blessed on the feast day (or nearest Sunday) in the parish church.

August 7‐15: To end on the feast of the Assumption (called also the feast of Our Lady of the Fields). It is an immemorial custom in the Church to bless herbs & flowers on that day.

November, eight days preceding Thanksgiving Day: As Americans we join the nation in a day of thanks to God for all benefits received. This can be the Harvest Novena.

Directions for the Novena

The Novena is intended for parish and home use. In the church the leader should be the priest or someone designated by him. In the home, father, mother, or child can take the lead. The daily novena prayers, readings and reflections have been arranged for maximum group participation. The leader will start the hymns, psalms and prayers, reciting the first few words up to the asterisk; then all join, alternating as customary. The diagonal indicates a pause.

Each day after the Reflections and the

Our Father [Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.],

Hail Mary - [Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.],

and

Glory be to the Father - [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.], three times for the intention of the Holy Father,

the leader then chooses a prayer or the litany.

If no Benediction or other church function follows, it is suggested to recite or sing "Holy God We Praise Your Name." __________

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.

REFLECTION

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. (From "Partnership with God," by the Most Reverend Aloysius J. Muench.)

Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by a prayer of your choice for special needs. __________

SECOND DAY - Family Life in Christ

Hymn

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 Zion; / 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.

REFLECTION

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 family 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."

Recite the 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 Zion; 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.

REFLECTION

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.'"

Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by a prayer of your choice 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.

REFLECTION

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."

Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by a 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. 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. __________

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 sixty fold, and some thirty fold. (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 sixty fold, and some thirty fold.

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.

REFLECTION

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 surplus 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. ("The Holy Earth," by L. H. Bailey.)

Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by a 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.

REFLECTION

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.

Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.), three times, followed by a 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, Almighty. 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 ofsin 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

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 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’s 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." (Most Reverend William A. Griffin.)

Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.) three times, followed by a 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.

REFLECTION

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." (From "Partnership with God," by the Most Reverend Aloysius J. Muench.)

Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be (etc.) three times, followed by a prayer of you choice for special needs. __________

LITANY OF ST. ISIDORE

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us. St. Isidore, pray for us. St. Isidore, patron of farmers, pray for us. St. Isidore, illustrious tiller of the soil, pray for us. St. Isidore, model of laborers, pray for us. St. Isidore, devoted to duty, pray for us. St. Isidore, loaded down with labors of the field, pray for us. St. Isidore, model of filial piety, pray for us. St. Isidore, support family life, pray for us. St. Isidore, confessor the faith, pray for us. St. Isidore, example mortification, pray for us. St. Isidore, assisted by angels, pray for us. St. Isidore, possessor of the gift of miracles, pray for us. St. Isidore, burning with lively faith, pray for us. St. Isidore, zealous in prayer, pray for us. St. Isidore, ardent lover of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. St. Isidore, lover of God's earth, pray for us. St. Isidore, lover of poverty, pray for us. St. Isidore, lover of fellowmen, pray for us. St. Isidore, most patient, pray for us. St. Isidore, most humble, pray for us. St. Isidore, most pure, pray for us. St. Isidore, most just, pray for us. St. Isidore, most obedient, pray for us. St. Isidore, most faithful, pray for us. St. Isidore, most grateful, pray for us. Jesus, our Lord, We beg of You, hear us. That You would protect all tillers of the soil, We beg of You, hear us. That You would bring to all a true knowledge of the stewardship of the land, We beg of You, hear us. That You would preserve and increase our fields and flocks, We beg of You, hear us. That You would give and preserve the fruits of the earth, We beg of You, hear us. That You would bless our fields, We beg of You, hear us. That You would preserve all rural pastors, We beg of You, hear us. That You would grant peace and harmony in our homes, We beg of You, hear us. That You would lift up our hearts to You, We beg of You, hear us. Be merciful, spare us, O Lord. Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord. From lightning and tempest, deliver us, O Lord. From pestilence and floods, deliver us, O Lord. From winds and drought, deliver us, O Lord. From hail and storm, deliver us, O Lord. From the scourge of insects, deliver us, O Lord. From the spirit of selfishness, deliver us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us.

Let us pray.

Grant, O Lord, that through the intercession of blessed Isidore, the husbandman, we may follow his example of patience and humility, and so walk faithfully in his footsteps that in the evening of life we may be able to present to You an abundant harvest of merit and good works, who live and are King world without end.

R. Amen.

Hymn for the Novena to St. Isidore

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. __________

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Novena Pamphlet to Saint Isidore the Farmer of Seville

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All Novena Pamphlets

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