Rogation Days
Rogation Days.
The three days of penance and prayer preceding the Solemnity of the Ascension. This is an ancient tradition in the Church on which, each day, the newly planted fields are blessed and prayed over - asking God's help with their growth and begging Him for freedom from pestilence, blight, hail, storm...the prayers and litanies are incredibly beautiful. When they came to St Bernard in the litany I could not help but think of him and his monks doing this same thing in the fields around their monastery.
And that exquisite Latin word prayed by us over and over: exaudi - a word which sounds so plaintive when sung and has many nuanced meanings: "hear clearly" "to heed" "to hear from afar" "to understand". We ask all these things from God.
This was my first taste of a Rogation procession. It was quite moving, as my Church is in an old, rather run down, inner city neighborhood. I genuinely wondered what the man was thinking at the bus stop when he looked up from his phone and suddenly saw us processing by in "full regalia". It was telling that he didn't return to his phone but stared intently at every little thing. And our priests leading the way with their, what I have come to call, peaceful, unapologetic oddity - an 'oddity' that is so comforting to a surprised world whenever they watch it go by. You see it in their faces. What is this? It is beautiful.
It was also quite moving as we passed through alleys with dumpsters, old factory buildings with broken windows, Father's silk vestments passing unperturbed over the grass growing in the cracks of the sidewalk. Everywhere cement, brick, chain link. Except we ended up at a community garden nestled in the middle of all this urban sprawl. That is where the crops were blessed. It was amazing!
I am nearing the close of a full circle of the liturgical year at this Church I returned to late last spring. It has been a year of beauty and surprises and incense and chanting and wonderful Masses and processions and Holy Hours. Stations of the cross. Confessions. Christmas. Holy Week!
The artist in me exults at their command and protection of METAPHOR in bringing me understanding of the God I cannot see. Oh so Powerful metaphor.
Deo Gratias!
I am enjoying tagging along as you share glimpses into the beautiful liturgy at your parish. The center altar-piece and stained glass windows are exquisite. So wonderful that this beauty is being brought out into the community for all to see! Love that even the community garden in an urban setting can be apart of the Rogation Day tradition. Talk about blooming where you are planted! Thank you.
Beautiful! Thank you!