Winter had hardened the road to the mill. Isidore carried his scant wheat, the fruit of many days, when he came upon a flock of pigeons pecking at frozen ground. Compassion, trained by prayer, is immediate: he loosed the mouth of the sack and poured out precious grain until the birds were fed. Every prudent instinct objected—yet charity prevailed. At the mill a paradox awaited him: the sack was found as full as before, and the grinding yielded beyond the expected measure. The story catechises the heart: mercy does not impoverish those who give from love; Providence is creative, not miserly. The multiplication does not mock thrift; it baptises thrift with generosity. Feed the hungry, and heaven repays in the coin of sufficiency and joy.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, form in me a ready compassion. Grant that I may not withhold good when it is in my power to act. Saint Isidore, obtain for me a generous heart.
Scripture: Proverbs 19:17; Luke 6:38.
