If you, like us, enjoy fresh produce at the local grocery store, it’s time to pray for those who do the hard work of farming and harvesting for us!
Here in the Archdiocese of Denver, Wednesday is a special day to do just that. The Day of Prayer for the Harvest and the Fruits of the Earth, which coincides with the feast of St. Isidore the Farmer, provides an opportunity for faithful from all over northern Colorado to join in prayer for those who cultivate the earth through the saint’s intercession.
The simple, saintly Spanish farmer was known for his deep devotion to the Lord, even eliciting frustration from his fellow farmers for his elongated prayer times, which frequently made him late to work. Nevertheless, his love for the poor, simplicity, and fidelity were, and continue to be, an inspiration to many.
Now, on his feast day, Catholic Coloradoans are encouraged to offer special prayers of rogation.
“Rogation comes from the Latin, rogare, to ask [for God’s blessings]. These are certain days set aside by the Church to ask God for the needs of all people, especially for the productivity of the earth and human labor and to also give public thanksgiving to God,” Catholic Culture’s Jennifer Gregory Miller explains. “The farmer’s calling is a sacred calling.”
Begun to “appease God’s anger at man’s transgressions” and to intercede for fruitful harvests, rogation days have a long history in the Catholic Church. From St. Gregory the Great’s legalization of the days to contrast with pagan prayers and processions to St. Mamertus’ expansion of the rogation days, Catholics have gathered in prayer, blessing and supplication for centuries.
Following the revision of the liturgical calendar following the Second Vatican Council, rogation days were no longer observed until Pope St. John Paul II permitted their observance anew. Since then, the faithful can recite the traditional Litany of the Saints, walk the boundaries of their farm (or church if you’re not near a farm!), and attend daily Mass.
However you offer your prayers on this Day of Prayer for the Harvest and the Fruits of the Earth and on this feast day of St. Isidore the Farmer, join us in praying for farmers, their crops and safety, and a bountiful harvest!