Bless the Labours of the Husbandman

The three days before Ascension Day have, since the 6th century, been days of prayer for a good harvest. It isn't surprising that the custom began then, as the volcanic event of 536AD and the resulting three to five years of appalling harvests led to chaos, including the collapse of Romano-British attempts to prevent Anglo-Saxon incursions into lowland Britain. There were originally two sets of Rogation days - one associated with the feast of St Mark (April 25th) which were more popular in Southern Europe, and the ither associated with Ascension Day which was more popular in the North. The term Rogation comes from the late Latin rogare 'to make supplication' - and their function was to ask God to bless the crops in the fields and to ask for a good growing season and harvest. They were days marked by customs such as going out and singing Litanies in the fields, and in later times this was used as an opportunity to 'beat the bounds' so everyone knew the extent of their own parish.

In much of Protestant Europe the Rogation Days disappeared with the Reformation, but in the 1550s England suffered a series of bad harvests, and so Elizabeth I ordered their reform and continuance. Psalms 103 and 104, the Litany, and special prayers were appointed to be read as priest and people processed around the fields. As time passed the Rogations tended to fall out of use, especially during the Puritan rule of the 1650s, but they did not disappear completely in England, and there are still a few parishes today which make the Rogation processions. In America, they were never common custom as early Virginia parishes were co-terminus with the counties they served, and that meant the parish boundary could be 100 miles or more! However, prayers were still made for a good seed time and harvest, especially on the Sunday before the feast of the Ascension, which became known as Rogation Sunday in consequence.

These days, unless one is an enthusiastic gardener, about 98% of the American population has little connection with food production, and we tend to forget that our food supply, even when one allows for all the methods we have for ameliorating the effects of pests and bad weather, is dependent on the skill of the farmer, good weather, and God's Providence. We still need to pray for God to bless the labours of the husbandman, so that we can buy our food at reasonable prices, and eat adequately. These three days before the Ascension are the days appointed in the Church's liturgy, so as you pray this evening, lift up your voice in prayer for a good harvest!