The Rogation Days
Being the Three Days before Ascension Day.
The Collect.
ALMIGHTY God, Lord of heaven and earth; We beseech thee to
pour forth thy blessing upon this land, and to give us a fruitful
season; that we, constantly receiving thy bounty, may evermore
give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
For the Epistle. Ezekiel xxxiv. 25.
I WILL make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause
the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell
safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will
make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and
I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall
be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield
her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall
be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when
I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out
of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they
shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast
of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none
shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant
of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in
the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. Thus
shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that
they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord
GOD. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I
am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
The Gospel. St. Luke xi. 5.
JESUS said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and
shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend
me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come
to me, and I have nothing to set before him? and he from within
shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and
my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because
he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise
and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and
it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall
be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father,
will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a
fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer
him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?