I love being Cajun!

Every year during crawfish season, without fail I think and often say aloud “I love being Cajun!” This past Sunday for the first time in four years, I had all three of my sons with me on Mother’s Day. The oldest who hasn’t been home from college during crawfish season in as many years requested to have boiled crawfish while he was here, and I was too happy to exclaim that it was the perfect lunch for Mother’s Day.

I love taking “the back way” to drive among our Acadiana communities, especially when the sky’s reflection on the water of the ponds is dotted with those red rings atop the traps. The joy of crawfish is such an experience for the senses – seeing their aquatic habitat and watching the manned boats move from one basket to the next; and when eating them the texture and vibrancy of their shells, the cracking of their crusts heard in a happy crowd enjoying the banquet. And it’s all a reminder of the bounty from our local land, harvested through the labor of local hands. Add to the feast for the eyes, ears and palate the deep faith of our community, and we’re filled with spiritual nourishment, too. I love being Cajun!

Today, May 15^th we celebrate the Feast of the Virgin Mary of the Harvest and the lives of Saints Isidore the Farmer and his wife, Maria de la Cabeza. In our predominantly rural region, the conjunction of these feasts resonates deeply where the land is central to both our livelihoods and spiritual lives.

Saint Isidore, the patron saint of farmers, worked the land with faith – and it is believed with angels helping him. His wife, Saint Maria de la Cabeza, shared this devotion, supporting Isidore’s work with prayer and love; and the two of them, who did not have much, always shared with the poor.

The Virgin Mary, honored as “the garden who has given the world the fruit of life,” is the good earth that nurtures and protects us as she did Christ. Our agriculture community turns to her on this day specifically in prayer for protection over their crops.

May the Virgin Mary of the Harvest intercede for us, and may Saints Isidore and Maria de la Cabeza remind us that every season, every task, and every harvest is an opportunity to grow in holiness, to trust in divine providence, and to live with hearts full of gratitude.