Rogation Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

 Yesterday was the Fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called Rogation Sunday in the Anglican tradition. The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day have been called Rogation Days. These days seem to date from the sixth century at Rome where Christian prayers for crops were appointed. Early processional litanies were associated with this observance, and other prayers of supplication were included during times of disaster. At the time of the English Reformation, the Rogation Days continued to be observed. In 1544, Thomas Cranmer first published the English Litany (based on Medieval and Lutheran sources). Although the Litany was originally said weekly, the Rogation Days were notable occasions for saying or singing the Litany in procession.

Books of Common Prayer from 1549 onward continued to include the Litany petition "that it may please thee to give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth so that in due time we may enjoy them." There were also other prayers related to nature and weather, and the American Prayer Book has incorporated a collect, epistle, and gospel on this theme (see !928 BCP, pp. 261-263).

Although many modern people are far removed from the agricultural cycle of life, we should continue to be aware of and pray for the natural cycle that provides food and sustains earthly life. Furthermore, as we  approach Ascension Day on Thursday, it is also appropriate that we be especially aware of Christ as our heavenly Intercessor and Mediator. So on these days and every day, let us pray for both natural and spiritual needs in Christ's name, in His spirit, and for His purposes.

Good Friday- John 18-19

The traditional Books of Common Prayer provide rich resources for Good (or Holy) Friday.  There are Morning and Evening Prayer, the Ante-Communion service of the Word, and the Litany. Of course, there are numerous Scripture readings, especially the Passion of our Lord according to John 18 and 19. 

Besides Scripture, some other resources have been particularly striking. For Anglicans, there are three traditional collects (here in the 1928 American form):

Almighty God, we beseech thee graciously to behold  this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever,  one God, world without end. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the  whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified; Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before thee for all estates of men in thy holy Church, that every member of the same, in his vocation and ministry, may truly and godly serve thee; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

O  Merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest  nothing that thou hast made, nor desirest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live; Have mercy upon all who know thee not as thou art revealed in the Gospel of thy Son. Take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy fold, that they may be made one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy  Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Litany is always striking on solemn occasions, and the following words of the Litany apply with great strength on Good Friday:

By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension, and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost,
Good Lord, deliver us.
In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us. (1928 BCP, The Litany, p. 55)

Whatever forms we use, let us focus on what our Lord Jesus Christ does to redeem us!

The Prayer Book Litany

Lent always reminds me of the devotional value of saying or singing the Prayer Book Litany. Litanies or responsive prayers go back to the early days of Christian worship., and the earliest litanies were probably simple expansions of the Kyrie eleison. In Italy during the fifth and sixth centuries, more elaborate responsive and processional prayers developed. Such litanies continued to develop during the Middle Ages. As they became more elaborate over time, more and more of the intercessions were directed to the saints.

In 1529, Martin Luther revised a popular litany by emphasizing the work of Christ and removing the invocations of the saints. Borrowing from Luther's model, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer issued the first version of the English Litany in 1544 while Henry VIII still ruled. So the English Litany was the first official part of the English Liturgy. This Litany was later included in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. The rubrics directed that the English Litany be said on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as included on Sundays between Matins and Holy Communion.

Most contemporary Anglicans spend less time in church than our sixteenth-century forebears. So we are not likely to see the whole Sunday array of services or find the Litany recited every Wednesday and Friday. However, the Litany is a valuable form of prayer, and its tone is particularly suitable for our Lenten devotions. It is appropriate to use it more frequently in Anglican parishes and to include it in private prayers. For example, one meaningful practice is to pray the Litany at midday on Fridays during Lent.

First Sunday in Lent

 In praying the Litany this week, I was struck by a relationship between the temptation Gospel in Matthew 4 and the phrase in the Great Litany on the temptations or "deceits of the world, the flesh and the devil." 
 The Gospel about Christ's Temptation can be viewed in terms of the three temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Although the devil is at work in all the temptations, Christ's first temptation to turn stones into bread is primarily a temptation of the flesh. The second temptation to jump from the Temple to impress people is a temptation of the world. And although the third temptation involves worldly power, it is even more directly about serving the devil.

So, whenever we call to mind our Baptisms or say prayers such as the Litany, there is a connection to our Lord's Temptation. He has overcome the flesh, the world, and the devil for us, and through His grace, we can grow in our resistance to such temptations. Lent is a season for us to increase our awareness and improve our discipline in this spiritual arena.

The Litany

Saying or singing a Litany has long been an important devotional practice. Litanies or responsive prayers go back to the early days of Christian worship. The earliest litanies were probably simple expansions of the Kyrie eleison. In Italy during the fifth and sixth centuries, more elaborate responsive and processional prayers developed. Such litanies continued to develop during the Middle Ages. As they became more elaborate over time, more and more of the intercessions were directed to the saints.

 
In 1529, Martin Luther revised a popular litany by removing the invocations of the saints and emphasizing the work of Christ. Influenced by Luther's model, Thomas Cranmer issued the first version of the English Litany in 1544 while Henry VIII still ruled. So the English Litany was the first official part of the English-language Liturgy. This Litany was later included in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. The rubrics directed that the English Litany be said on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as included on Sundays after Matins and before Holy Communion.

Most contemporary Anglicans spend less time in church than our sixteenth-century forebears. So we are not likely to see the whole Sunday array of services or find the Litany recited every Wednesday and Friday. However, the Litany is a very meaningful form of prayer, and its tone is particularly suitable for our Lenten devotions. It is appropriate to include it in private prayers and use it more frequently in Anglican parishes. For example, one might say the Litany at midday on Fridays in Lent.

Fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called Rogation Sunday

The Gospel appointed for this Sunday (St. John 16:23-33) is the third in the series from the Farewell Discourses, and it is appropriate for the Sunday before the Ascension. The theme is in the words, Whatever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you (16:33b). This is a bold claim and has often been misunderstood. Using Christ's name in Christian prayer is an ancient and laudable practice, but the real significance of the verse is deeper than a liturgical formula. We truly pray in Christ's name when we approach the Father in Christlike humility. Such prayer includes the attitude of Christ in Gethsemene: nevertheless not what I will but what thou wilt (St. Mark 14:36b). What the Father gives us is through our participation in Christ and in accordance with His great purposes of redemption. When we pray in that spirit, God is doing greater things for us than we in our human limitations can comprehend.

The common name for the the Fifth Sunday after Easter is Rogation Sunday, and the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week have also long been known as Rogation Days. The term "rogation" comes from the Latin verb rogo, rogare. This is one Latin term for praying and is used in the Latin version of St. John 16:26, that I will pray (rogabo). Rogation Days go back to the sixth century at Rome where Christian prayers for crops were appointed to replace certain pagan customs. Early processional litanies were associated with this observance, and other prayers of supplication were included during times of disaster.

At the time of the English Reformation, practices were simplified, but the Rogation Days continued as occasions for the Litany and prayers for agriculture. Although many modern people are far removed from the agricultural cycle of life, it is good for us to continue to be aware of and pray for the natural cycle that sustains earthly life. And as we approach the Ascension, it is also appropriate that we be more aware of Christ as our heavenly Intercessor in whose name and spirit we are to offer up all our prayers.