He is not a hapless white- collared worker who with his job has lost his personality, he is not a rebellious factory hand who has become an insignificant nobody in the great multitude of jobless, propertyless, landless, homeless proletarians. In such an hour the farmer has reason indeed to give thanks to God that he was called to till the soil, reason to offer up to his Eucharistic Lord the many sacrifices he must make on account of long hours of work, the loneliness of isolation, the lack of material comforts, or even of near-by facilities to practice his religion. In truth, the farmer's calling is one that must command great respect. Much knowledge and much skill are required to manage well a farmstead with its land and fences, barns and granaries, tools and machinery. Farming is among the greatest of human arts.
Few occupations require such a combination of knowledge, skill, and experience as farming.
The varied functions of a farmer require not merely a man of brawn but also a man of brain. Certainly it is not a calling for every man. In the presence of his Lord the farmer should recall all this, not in senseless vain-glory or in sinful 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 showered on him and his work. But other pious and fruitful thoughts come to his mind as he kneels in the presence of his Eucharistic Lord.