There is more to this story than just what I told you. But I have a weakness for saints. That and America’s favorite videos. I can’t help it or help but wonder why.
First of all, there is a large discrepency about the lifespan of her husband, Saint Isidro. By the way, they are said to be the only husband and wife saint team in Catholicism. The Spanish account, one you would think was fairly reliable since after all the lived in this country, has him passing away in 1172. But the English version claims that he died in 1130, some thirty years earlier. This is no typo. They actually point out that Maria outlived him by over three decades. So what’s up with that?
Another curiosity surrounds the miracle at the well. The couple decide, after having their son saved from certain drowning, that they would lead lives as celibates and even moved to separate homes (my guess is that they didn’t have much faith in their willpower). In a twisted twist of fate, that child would die only a few years later and never reach adulthood.
Speaking of twisted, María is sometimes called in to intercede in health problems involving the head, a fact I find to be a mix between a bad joke and just plain weird. Then again, I don’t know why I am surprised. Saint Blaise who was martyred by having his throat slit is the saint the devout look to when suffering an affiction in that part of the body…as if he could do anything about it. Ok…enough said.
