Saint Isidore of Seville Also known asIsidore the
BishopSchoolmaster of the Middle Ages
Memorial4 AprilProfileSon of Severianus and Theodora, people known for their piety. Brother of
Saint Fulgentius,
Saint Florentina, and
Saint Leander of Seville, who raised him after their
father’s
death. Initially a poor
student, he gave the problem over to
God and became one of the most learned men of his time.
Priest. Helped his brother
Leander,
archbishop of
Seville, in the
conversion the Visigoth
Arians.
Hermit.
Archbishop of
Seville c.
601, succeeding his brother to the position.
Teacher, founder, reformer. Required
seminaries in every
diocese, and wrote a rule for religious orders. Prolific
writer whose works include a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a history of Goths, and a history of the world beginning with creation. Completed the Mozarabic liturgy which is still in use in Toledo,
Spain. Presided at the Second Council of Seville, and the Fourth Council of Toledo. Introduced the works of
Aristotle to
Spain.Proclaimed
Doctor of the Church by
Pope Benedict XIV in
1722, and became the leading candidate for
patron of
computer users and the
internet in
1999.Bornc.
560 at Cartagena,
SpainDied4 April 636 at
Seville,
SpainCanonizedPre-CongregationPatronagecomputer technicianscomputer userscomputersthe InternetschoolchildrenstudentsRepresentationbeesbishop holding a
pen while surrounded by a swarm of
beesbishop standing near a beehiveold
bishop with a
prince at his feet
penpriest or
bishop with pen and bookwith
Saint Leander,
Saint Fulgentius, and
Saint Florentinawith his EtymologiaReadings
Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. Both are good when both are possible. Otherwise, prayer is better than reading. If a man wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us. All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection. By reading we learn what we did not know; by reflection we retain what we have learned. Reading the holy Scriptures confers two benefits. It trains the mind to understand them; it turns man’s attention from the follies of the world and leads him to the love of God. The conscientious reader will be more concerned to carry out what he has read than merely to acquire knowledge of it. In reading we aim at knowing, but we must put into practice what we have learned in our course of study. The more you devote yourself to study of the sacred utterances, the richer will be your understanding of them, just as the more the soil is tilled, the richer the harvest. The man who is slow to grasp things but who really tries hard is rewarded, equally he who does not cultivate his God-given intellectual ability is condemned for despising his gifts and sinning by sloth. Learning unsupported by grace may get into our ears; it never reaches the heart. But when God’s grace touches our innermost minds to bring understanding, his word which has been received by the ear sinks deep into the heart. - from Book of Maxims by
Saint Isidore
Heresy is from the Greek word meaning ‘choice’…. But we are not permitted to believe whatever we choose, nor to choose whatever someone else has believed. We have the Apostles of God as authorities, who did not…choose what they would believe but faithfully transmitted the teachings of Christ. So, even if an
angel from heaven should preach otherwise, he shall be called
anathema. -
Saint Isidore