rogation days: taking the prayers of the earth to heaven

the 'meaning' of the days before the ascension, the rogation days, pretty much depends upon how we understand the ascension.  the more thoroughly we ponder and understand the wonder of our lord's taking the human body he received from the blessed virgin, taking our very nature as the human one, into heaven, the richer the rogation days become.

one tradition expressed on rogation days is prayer for crops, for agriculture, for 'the garden.'  in many places there are processions around the fields, and prayers for rain in due season, and general fecundity.

but they are also days to ponder prayer in general.  so on these rogation days, as i weed my garden, overgrown with strange things that appeared while i was out of town, and plant new seeds to replace those washed away in the recent deluge, i am also considering prayer, using fr. lev gillet's wonderful little book, in thy presence (crestwood, new york:  st. vladimir's seminary press, 1977).  i would love to put the whole thing in this post, but i will be content to one short chapter:
'first thing in the morning, lord . . . .
'lord love, may my first word this morning go out to thee, blessing thy name!
'as this day begins, i believe, i feel, that thy immense goodness is falling on all that exists.  the spring of love continues to pour forth even when we seem to see nothing but evil and suffering around us.  whether it be visibly, whether it be secretly, thou art never weary of helping and of loving.  today, again, thou wilt b fighting for us.
'we await from thee the graces needed for this day.  with our earthly bread, give us thy heavenly good, the pure wheat of thy limitless love, the true sustance of our life.  with trust, we place in thy hands our practical difficulties, our sorrows, our fears born of little faith.
'we have no other succour, we have no other hope than thy love.  may it guide our steps today, a column of light going forward into the heart of apparent darkness!
'lord,  a sense of life that is given, of sacrifice, inspires everything which, each day, comes to us from thee.  redeeming love wished to suffer for us, to die for us.  make me share this desire to give the live i have received.
'lord, may the purifying action of redeeming love wash from my soul the multitude of my sins.  unite around thy love, in thy love, those who know thee, those who seek thee without kowing thee, and those for whom thou seekest.  we want to be thine.  take us.'  (p. 31)