Unless you have the blessing of being a regular or sometime parishioner someplace where the pre-Vatican II liturgy has not yet been suppressed by our Uber-Modernist overlords, and if you’re not old enough to remember what it was to be a faithful Catholic in those pre-conciliar days, then you may not be familiar with the custom of Rogation Days. Sorry about that very long sentence. In any event, today, May 6, 2024, is the first of the three “Minor Rogation Days” that lead up to Ascension Day this Thursday. The Major Rogation Day was April 25. These days were once marked by special Masses as well as processions, and the recitation of the Litany of the Saints with its accompanying prayers. The purpose was simple, and something we don’t do often enough as Members of the Body of Christ, i.e,, to beg God’s mercy for our sins and lack of faith, and to beg Him for a bountiful harvest. Heck, most people today don’t even think about harvests any more, unless they are farmers or live in farming communities. Everything we need is at the supermarkets and big box stores, so why bother worrying about it, right?
The invaluable Catholic Encyclopedia has a concise and informative article on the Rogation Days which I commend to you:
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13110b.htm
The text of the Litany is still easily available online, or in any Roman Breviary published with the 1960 Rubrics or older. Here is one good source (go to the Appendix):
https://www.divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/officium.pl
I encourage everyone to make the time, today through Wednesday, to at least pray the Litany for the traditional intentions, and in reparation for the lack of faith in our mostly Godless culture. If you can make it to daily Mass as well, especially a TLM, even better! Every little bit helps.
Surrexit Dominus Vere, Alleluia!
In Ministerium Maiorum 