In the spirit of full disclosure, the owners of AgWired – Chuck and Cindy Zimmerman – have a confession to make. We go meatless on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The reason is because we love meat. Therefore, going without it is a sacrifice, a form of abstinence for religious reasons. From the time of the Holy Apostles, Christians have fasted on Wednesdays in remembrance of Christ’s betrayal, and on Fridays in remembrance of His Crucifixion. Even before Christ, fasting was observed by the devout for reasons of penance and prayer.

Admittedly, giving up meat is not much of a sacrifice at times, like tonight when smoked salmon is on the menu. But there are many other times when out at a meeting or event we have to try to quietly eat meatless without attracting any attention. Sometimes we are not able to do that, so we may forgo some other pleasurable food or drink, or go meatless on another day.

We don’t do it because we think meat is bad for us or the environment or because we think that animals have the same rights as humans. We do it for our own personal spiritual beliefs that we don’t push on anyone else.

We also believe in traditional marriage and are proud of it. There – full disclosure in a free country. Amen.

Speaking of faith, we have been seeing references to St. Isidore popping up lately, invoking the intercession of the patron saint of farmers to pray for rain. This is being circulated even among non-Catholics.

Here’s a little bit about Isidore from CatholicCulture.org.
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 Vargas estate. He was very prayerful and particularly devoted to the Mass and the Holy Eucharist. He 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.

In 1947, St. Isidore was officially named the special protector of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference and American farmers. His wife Maria is also considered a saint, and if you want a fix for our extreme drought, all we need is her head, which has been “carried in solemn processions during times of drought” in Spain.

CatholicCulture.org has a lovely Novena prayer to St. Isidore which couldn’t hurt to pray. We need all the help we can get.