For the first three days of this week, we are in what are called rogation days, which, apparently, are for us to show the world that we are Christians.
Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The so-called major rogation is held on 25 April; the minor rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday preceding Ascension Thursday (where we are). The word rogation comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning "to ask", which reflects the beseeching of God for the appeasement of his anger and for protection from calamities. (I can't imagine any processions anywhere, unless you happen to be in a religious community where they actually have the Traditional Mass daily. Just sayin')
CHECK THIS OUT! '...Heresy is now in possession of whole countries, that were once faithful to the Church. In others, where heresy has not triumphed, religious indifference has left the majority of men with nothing of Catholicity but the name, seeing that they neglect even their most essential obligations without remorse. Among many of those who fulfill the precepts of the Church, truths are diminished. The old honesty of faith has been superseded by loose ideas and half-formed convictions. A man is popular in proportion to the concessions he makes in favor of principles condemned by the Church. The sentiments and actions of the saints, the conduct and teaching of the Church, are taxed with exaggerations, and decried as being unsuited to the period. The search after comforts has become a serious study; the thirst for earthly goods is a noble passion; independence is an idol to which everything must be sacrificed; submission is a humiliation which must be got rid of, or, where that cannot be, it must not be publicly acknowledged. Finally, there is sensualism, which, like an impure atmosphere, so impregnates every class of society, that one would suppose there was a league formed to abolish the Cross of Christ from the minds of men...The sins of men are increasing both in number and in enormity. The picture we have just drawn is sad enough; what would it have been, had we added such abominations as these, which we purposely excluded: downright impiety; corrupt doctrines, which are being actively propagated throughout the world; dealings with satan, which threaten to degrade our age to the level of pagan times; the conspiracy organized against order, justice, and religion, by secret societies?...'
It is hard to believe that this was written 95+ years ago by Our Abbot Gueranger. It's as if it was written today. This is why we are to do penance these days of Rogation; to try to appease our God from all of these things, and to ready ourselves for the Ascension of our Lord, and then the coming of the Holy Ghost.
Instructions Concerning the Processions on Rogation Days
by By Leonard Goffine, 1871
Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The so-called major rogation is held on 25 April; the minor rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday preceding Ascension Thursday (where we are). The word rogation comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning "to ask", which reflects the beseeching of God for the appeasement of his anger and for protection from calamities. (I can't imagine any processions anywhere, unless you happen to be in a religious community where they actually have the Traditional Mass daily. Just sayin')
CHECK THIS OUT! '...Heresy is now in possession of whole countries, that were once faithful to the Church. In others, where heresy has not triumphed, religious indifference has left the majority of men with nothing of Catholicity but the name, seeing that they neglect even their most essential obligations without remorse. Among many of those who fulfill the precepts of the Church, truths are diminished. The old honesty of faith has been superseded by loose ideas and half-formed convictions. A man is popular in proportion to the concessions he makes in favor of principles condemned by the Church. The sentiments and actions of the saints, the conduct and teaching of the Church, are taxed with exaggerations, and decried as being unsuited to the period. The search after comforts has become a serious study; the thirst for earthly goods is a noble passion; independence is an idol to which everything must be sacrificed; submission is a humiliation which must be got rid of, or, where that cannot be, it must not be publicly acknowledged. Finally, there is sensualism, which, like an impure atmosphere, so impregnates every class of society, that one would suppose there was a league formed to abolish the Cross of Christ from the minds of men...The sins of men are increasing both in number and in enormity. The picture we have just drawn is sad enough; what would it have been, had we added such abominations as these, which we purposely excluded: downright impiety; corrupt doctrines, which are being actively propagated throughout the world; dealings with satan, which threaten to degrade our age to the level of pagan times; the conspiracy organized against order, justice, and religion, by secret societies?...'
It is hard to believe that this was written 95+ years ago by Our Abbot Gueranger. It's as if it was written today. This is why we are to do penance these days of Rogation; to try to appease our God from all of these things, and to ready ourselves for the Ascension of our Lord, and then the coming of the Holy Ghost.
Instructions Concerning the Processions on Rogation Days
by By Leonard Goffine, 1871
What are processions?
Rocessions are the solemn, public marching together of a number of persons, which in the Catholic Church are instituted according to the very earliest directions of the fathers, partly to encourage the piety of the faithful, partly in remembrance of graces received, in thanksgiving for them, or to obtain the divine assistance, and refer to the great mysteries of salvation. Those who take part in them with true piety, will reap salutary harvests of Christian virtue from them.
Are processions something new?
No, they were the custom in the very earliest centuries of the Church, as testified by the acts of the martyrs, of Cyprian, Lucius, Boniface, and the fathers of the Church, Basil, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Gregory, and others. They are also founded on Scripture. Thus King David caused the ark of the covenant to be carried in solemn procession to Jerusalem (ii. Kings vi.), and the same thing did Solomon, his son, when he placed the ark in the new temple, (iii. Kings viii.)
The ancients used to call the going out or going forth from Church procedere, "going away," hence the word procession, going out, marching about.
What do processions signify?
To the faithful they are a powerful incentive to fervor in prayer; when hundreds, even thousands of faithful praise God aloud, or cry to Him for help and mercy, must not even the coldest heart be roused to vivid, fervent devotion, since Christ has promised to be present even where two or three are assembled together in His name? Processions are a figure of the pilgrim life of the Christian upon earth; we are strangers here below, and wanderers, our journey stretches from this valley of tears to the heavenly Sion; and the procession therefore at the end goes into the house of God; our journey leads over the thorny ways of life, and the procession therefore marches in the open air, where the pilgrim is exposed to all kinds of weather; processions are an open acknowledgment that to the Almighty God alone praise, thanks, and adoration are due, while they are a public profession of our faith in Christ, the Crucified; they are a solemn thanksgiving for being permitted to profess Christ, our Lord, before the whole world, as also for all the graces obtained through Him; they are a public testimonial of our faith in the one, holy, Catholic Church, whose members are united by the same bond of faith, and who form under their head, Christ, one family in God. Therefore the marching from one Church to the other, the bending of the banners in mutual salutation when parts of the processions meet each other. Finally, they are a sign of the triumph of Christian faith over the darkness of heathenism. If processions are solemnized with such intentions, with order and dignity, with fervent devotion in the light of faith, they are indeed, under the direction of a worthy priest, pleasing spectacles for angels and men, soon silencing the sneers and derision of faithless men.
Why are banners and the cross carried in processions?
The cross signifies, that we are assembled, as Christians, in the name of Jesus, who was crucified, in whose name we begin and end our prayers, through whose merits we expect all things from the Heavenly Father, and whom we must follow all through our journey to heaven; the red and white banners indicate, that we must walk in all innocence under the banner of Christ, and fight unto death against sin, against the world and the devil, and be as ready as once were the martyrs to give our life for our faith; the blue banners show, that we must walk the road of self-denial and mortification, with really humble and penitent feelings for our sins. The banners are also emblematic of Christ's victory over death and hell, and of the triumph of His religion over the pagans and Jews.
Why do we go around the fields in processions?
To beg the merciful God to bless the fields with His fatherly hand, give and preserve the fruits of the earth, and as He fills the animals with blessings, and gives them food at the proper time, so may He give to us also our necessary food.
What is the origin of the processions on St. Mark's day and in Holy Cross Week?
The procession on St. Mark's day was instituted even before the time of Pope Gregory the Great (607) who, however, brought them into fervent practice, "in order," as he says, "to obtain in a measure forgiveness of our sins." The same pontiff introduced another procession called the "sevenfold procession," because the faithful in Rome took part in it in seven divisions, from seven different Churches, meeting in the Church of the Blessed Virgin. It was also named the "Pest procession," because it was ordered by St. Gregory to obtain the cessation of a fearful pestilence which was at that time raging in Rome, and throughout all Italy, which so poisoned the atmosphere, that one opening his mouth to gape or sneeze would suddenly fall dead (hence the custom of saying "God bless you", to one sneezing, and the sign of the cross on the mouth of one who gapes). In this procession the picture of the Blessed Virgin which according to tradition was painted by St. Luke, was carried by order of the Pope, that this powerful mother might be asked for her intercession, after which the pestilence did really cease. It is said, that the processions in Rogation Week owe their establishment to St. Mamertus, Bishop of Vienne in France; in the neighborhood of which city there were, in the year 469, terrible earth-quakes which caused great destruction, the fruits perished, and various plagues afflicted the people; the saintly bishop assembled the faithful, recommended them to the aid of the merciful God, and led them in procession around the fields. Such processions spread over France, and gradually throughout the Christian Church; they are held in order to obtain from God the averting of universal evils, such as war, famine, and pestilence, and are, at the same time, a preparation for the Ascension of Christ, who is our most powerful mediator with His Father, and whom we should especially invoke during these days.
With what intentions should we take part in the processions?
With the intention of glorifying God, of thanking Him for all His graces, and to obtain aid and comfort from Him in all our corporal and spiritual needs; with the view of professing our faith openly before the whole world, and with the sincere resolution of always following Christ, the Crucified, in the path of penance and mortification. He who entertains other intentions and takes part, perhaps, for temporal advantages, or for sinful pleasures, or to avoid labor, &c, sins against God and the Church, which weeps over such abuses and condemns them.
Rocessions are the solemn, public marching together of a number of persons, which in the Catholic Church are instituted according to the very earliest directions of the fathers, partly to encourage the piety of the faithful, partly in remembrance of graces received, in thanksgiving for them, or to obtain the divine assistance, and refer to the great mysteries of salvation. Those who take part in them with true piety, will reap salutary harvests of Christian virtue from them.
Are processions something new?
No, they were the custom in the very earliest centuries of the Church, as testified by the acts of the martyrs, of Cyprian, Lucius, Boniface, and the fathers of the Church, Basil, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Gregory, and others. They are also founded on Scripture. Thus King David caused the ark of the covenant to be carried in solemn procession to Jerusalem (ii. Kings vi.), and the same thing did Solomon, his son, when he placed the ark in the new temple, (iii. Kings viii.)
The ancients used to call the going out or going forth from Church procedere, "going away," hence the word procession, going out, marching about.
What do processions signify?
To the faithful they are a powerful incentive to fervor in prayer; when hundreds, even thousands of faithful praise God aloud, or cry to Him for help and mercy, must not even the coldest heart be roused to vivid, fervent devotion, since Christ has promised to be present even where two or three are assembled together in His name? Processions are a figure of the pilgrim life of the Christian upon earth; we are strangers here below, and wanderers, our journey stretches from this valley of tears to the heavenly Sion; and the procession therefore at the end goes into the house of God; our journey leads over the thorny ways of life, and the procession therefore marches in the open air, where the pilgrim is exposed to all kinds of weather; processions are an open acknowledgment that to the Almighty God alone praise, thanks, and adoration are due, while they are a public profession of our faith in Christ, the Crucified; they are a solemn thanksgiving for being permitted to profess Christ, our Lord, before the whole world, as also for all the graces obtained through Him; they are a public testimonial of our faith in the one, holy, Catholic Church, whose members are united by the same bond of faith, and who form under their head, Christ, one family in God. Therefore the marching from one Church to the other, the bending of the banners in mutual salutation when parts of the processions meet each other. Finally, they are a sign of the triumph of Christian faith over the darkness of heathenism. If processions are solemnized with such intentions, with order and dignity, with fervent devotion in the light of faith, they are indeed, under the direction of a worthy priest, pleasing spectacles for angels and men, soon silencing the sneers and derision of faithless men.
Why are banners and the cross carried in processions?
The cross signifies, that we are assembled, as Christians, in the name of Jesus, who was crucified, in whose name we begin and end our prayers, through whose merits we expect all things from the Heavenly Father, and whom we must follow all through our journey to heaven; the red and white banners indicate, that we must walk in all innocence under the banner of Christ, and fight unto death against sin, against the world and the devil, and be as ready as once were the martyrs to give our life for our faith; the blue banners show, that we must walk the road of self-denial and mortification, with really humble and penitent feelings for our sins. The banners are also emblematic of Christ's victory over death and hell, and of the triumph of His religion over the pagans and Jews.
Why do we go around the fields in processions?
To beg the merciful God to bless the fields with His fatherly hand, give and preserve the fruits of the earth, and as He fills the animals with blessings, and gives them food at the proper time, so may He give to us also our necessary food.
What is the origin of the processions on St. Mark's day and in Holy Cross Week?
The procession on St. Mark's day was instituted even before the time of Pope Gregory the Great (607) who, however, brought them into fervent practice, "in order," as he says, "to obtain in a measure forgiveness of our sins." The same pontiff introduced another procession called the "sevenfold procession," because the faithful in Rome took part in it in seven divisions, from seven different Churches, meeting in the Church of the Blessed Virgin. It was also named the "Pest procession," because it was ordered by St. Gregory to obtain the cessation of a fearful pestilence which was at that time raging in Rome, and throughout all Italy, which so poisoned the atmosphere, that one opening his mouth to gape or sneeze would suddenly fall dead (hence the custom of saying "God bless you", to one sneezing, and the sign of the cross on the mouth of one who gapes). In this procession the picture of the Blessed Virgin which according to tradition was painted by St. Luke, was carried by order of the Pope, that this powerful mother might be asked for her intercession, after which the pestilence did really cease. It is said, that the processions in Rogation Week owe their establishment to St. Mamertus, Bishop of Vienne in France; in the neighborhood of which city there were, in the year 469, terrible earth-quakes which caused great destruction, the fruits perished, and various plagues afflicted the people; the saintly bishop assembled the faithful, recommended them to the aid of the merciful God, and led them in procession around the fields. Such processions spread over France, and gradually throughout the Christian Church; they are held in order to obtain from God the averting of universal evils, such as war, famine, and pestilence, and are, at the same time, a preparation for the Ascension of Christ, who is our most powerful mediator with His Father, and whom we should especially invoke during these days.
With what intentions should we take part in the processions?
With the intention of glorifying God, of thanking Him for all His graces, and to obtain aid and comfort from Him in all our corporal and spiritual needs; with the view of professing our faith openly before the whole world, and with the sincere resolution of always following Christ, the Crucified, in the path of penance and mortification. He who entertains other intentions and takes part, perhaps, for temporal advantages, or for sinful pleasures, or to avoid labor, &c, sins against God and the Church, which weeps over such abuses and condemns them.
Rogation Monday
Lesson i. Ch. 11, 5-13:
At that time: Jesus said to His disciples: Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him in the middle of the night and say to him: Friend, lend me three loaves. And so forth. Homily of St. Ambrose, Bishop Book 7 on Luke, Ch. 11
Lesson i. Ch. 11, 5-13:
At that time: Jesus said to His disciples: Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him in the middle of the night and say to him: Friend, lend me three loaves. And so forth. Homily of St. Ambrose, Bishop Book 7 on Luke, Ch. 11
This passage gives occasion for another teaching: that at every moment, not only by day, but by night as well, prayer should be offered up. For you see how he who went at midnight to beg three loaves of his friend, and persisted in asking, was not disappointed in what he asked. What are these three loaves, but the food of heavenly mysteries? And this food, if you love the Lord your God, you will merit to obtain, not only for yourself alone, but for others also. For who is more of a friend to us, than he who delivered up his body for us?
R. Let those now say, who have been redeemed, alleluia, * By the Lord, alleluia, alleluia.
V. Whom he has rescued from the hand of the enemy, and has gathered them out of the lands. By the Lord.
From him at midnight David begged bread, and received it. For he was asking this, when he said: I rose at midnight to give praise to thee. Even so did he obtain those loaves which he has set before us as our refreshment. He was asking this when he said: Every night I will wash my bed. For he was not fearful of waking him who does not sleep. And therefore, bearing in mind what is written, persevering in prayer by day and by night, let us beg forgiveness for our sins.
R. Sing to the Lord, alleluia: * Pour forth a psalm unto him, alleluia.
V. Bring to the Lord glory and honor, bring to the Lord glory for his name. Pour. For if David, a man so holy, and one who was occupied with the affairs of his kingdom, gave praise to the Lord seven times a day, and never missed the morning and evening sacrifices; what ought we to do, who should beseech him all the more earnestly, because we transgress the oftener, by reason of the weakness of our flesh and of our mind, that when, weary of our journey, and tired by the affairs of the world and the winding paths of this life, the bread of refreshment, which strengthens the heart of man, may not fail us? The Lord teaches us to be watchful, not only at midnight, but at almost every moment. For he comes at the evening hour, and in the second watch, and in the third: and he is accustomed to knock. Blessed therefore are those servants whom, when the Lord shall come, he shall find watching.
R. I will declare thy name to: my brethren, alleluia: * In the midst of the congregation will: I praise thee, alleluia, alleluia.
V. I will give praise to thee, O Lord, among the people, and; I will sing a psalm to thee among the nations. Glory be to the Father.
R. Let those now say, who have been redeemed, alleluia, * By the Lord, alleluia, alleluia.
V. Whom he has rescued from the hand of the enemy, and has gathered them out of the lands. By the Lord.
From him at midnight David begged bread, and received it. For he was asking this, when he said: I rose at midnight to give praise to thee. Even so did he obtain those loaves which he has set before us as our refreshment. He was asking this when he said: Every night I will wash my bed. For he was not fearful of waking him who does not sleep. And therefore, bearing in mind what is written, persevering in prayer by day and by night, let us beg forgiveness for our sins.
R. Sing to the Lord, alleluia: * Pour forth a psalm unto him, alleluia.
V. Bring to the Lord glory and honor, bring to the Lord glory for his name. Pour. For if David, a man so holy, and one who was occupied with the affairs of his kingdom, gave praise to the Lord seven times a day, and never missed the morning and evening sacrifices; what ought we to do, who should beseech him all the more earnestly, because we transgress the oftener, by reason of the weakness of our flesh and of our mind, that when, weary of our journey, and tired by the affairs of the world and the winding paths of this life, the bread of refreshment, which strengthens the heart of man, may not fail us? The Lord teaches us to be watchful, not only at midnight, but at almost every moment. For he comes at the evening hour, and in the second watch, and in the third: and he is accustomed to knock. Blessed therefore are those servants whom, when the Lord shall come, he shall find watching.
R. I will declare thy name to: my brethren, alleluia: * In the midst of the congregation will: I praise thee, alleluia, alleluia.
V. I will give praise to thee, O Lord, among the people, and; I will sing a psalm to thee among the nations. Glory be to the Father.
No comments:
Post a Comment