Rogation Days: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Days of fasting and prayer amid a feast season seem counterintuitive. However, Rogation Days remind us that our lives and seasons are in God’s hands. “Rogation” comes from the Latin noun rogatio, meaning “asking” (the verb is rogare, “to ask”). The Rogation Days are also known as Rogationtide.
When are the Rogation Days?
The Sixth Sunday of Easter (the fifth Sunday after Easter Sunday) is traditionally known as “Rogation Sunday.” This is because the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the following week are known as the “Rogation Days,” days for fasting and prayer. The Thursday of that week is the feast of the Ascension, which comes on a Thursday, the fortieth day after Easter (when Easter Sunday counts as the first day).
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Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24
What do the Rogation Days mean?
As the 2019 Book of Common Prayer explains: “Rogation Days are the three days preceding Ascension Day, especially devoted to asking for God’s blessing on agriculture and industry” (689). Churches will often mark the Rogation days with a “Rogation procession” and the praying of the Great Litany, as the 2019 BCP notes, “The Great Litany is especially appropriate for Rogation Days, other days of fasting or thanksgiving, and occasions of solemn and comprehensive entreaty” (6).
The Collect for Rogation Sunday
Here is the collect for Rogation Sunday (the Sixth Sunday of Easter):
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (613).
The Collects for the Rogation Days
Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray that your gracious providence may give and preserve to our use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper all who labor to gather them, that we, who are constantly receiving good things from your hand, may always give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen (635).
or this
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with your people where they work; make those who carry on the industries and commerce of this land responsive to your will; and give us all a right satisfaction in what we do, and a just return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen (635).
Other Prayers Appropriate for the Rogation Days
For the Harvest of Lands and Waters
O gracious Father, you open your hand and fill all living things with plenteousness: Bless the lands and waters, and multiply the harvests of the world; send forth your breath, and renew the face of the earth; show your loving-kindness, that our land may yield its increase; and save us from selfish use of what you provide, that the poor and needy may give thanks to your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (653).
For Agriculture and Farming
Almighty God, we thank you for making the earth fruitful, so that it may produce what is needed to sustain our life: Bless those who work in the fields; give us seasonable weather; and grant that we may all share the fruits of the earth, rejoicing in your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (660).
Scripture Passages for Rogation Days
The Sunday, Holy Day, and Commemoration Lectionary in the 2019 BCP includes two sets of Scripture passages for use on Rogation Days (732). Here’s the first set:
- Deuteronomy 11:10-15
- Psalm 147
- Romans 8:18-25
- Mark 4:26-32
Here’s the second:
- Ecclesiasticus 38:27-32
- Psalm 107:1-9
- 1 Corinthians 3:10-14
- Matthew 6:19-24
Special thanks to Tai French for her help in putting this guide together!
Image: Vincent van Gogh, The Sower (after Millet), 1889. Oil on canvas. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo. Source: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
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