8.294. Is there a contradiction between the post-Vatican II elimination of Ember and Rogation Days and the traditional Catholic penitential cycles established by the Church?
Yes. The traditional Catholic Church, as founded by Jesus Christ and preserved through the centuries, instituted Ember Days and Rogation Days as solemn penitential observances intimately tied to the sanctification of time, the agricultural seasons, the priesthood, and man’s dependence on God. These practices, mandated by popes and universally observed, formed part of the liturgical and spiritual life of Catholics for over a millennium. Their abrupt suppression following Vatican II—by the counterfeit religion that falsely claims to be the Catholic Church—represents a rupture from sacred tradition and reflects a profound shift away from the Church’s true mission: the salvation of souls through penance, sacrifice, and sanctification.
Ember Days and Rogation Days were more than mere traditions; they expressed the theology of a Church aware of original sin, divine chastisement, and man’s need to atone for personal and communal offenses. After Vatican II, however, the false “Conciliar Church” eliminated these days in practice, substituting a man-centered religion of optimism, ecology, and vague spirituality. This change is emblematic of a broader loss of Catholic identity and penitential life.
1. Traditional Origin and Importance of Ember Days
Ember Days—Quatuor Tempora—originated in the early Roman Church, possibly in apostolic times, and were codified by Pope St. Gelasius I (492–496). Occurring quarterly (after Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, Exaltation of the Cross, and St. Lucy’s Day), they consisted of Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday set aside for fasting, abstinence, and prayer to sanctify the seasons and beseech God's blessings on nature, vocations, and labor.
These days were characterized by:
Fasting and partial abstinence
Liturgical prayers unique to each season
Public ordinations on Ember Saturdays
Sacrificial offering in union with the Church’s liturgical year
Pope Leo the Great emphasized:
“The Church fasts in these four seasons so that we may learn that we must moderate our pleasures always and that we should at no time be without the duty of fasting.”
The Ember Days were incorporated into the Roman Missal of St. Pius V (1570) and observed worldwide until they were rendered obsolete by the post-Vatican II revolution.
2. Rogation Days: Public Processions for Divine Mercy
The Rogation Days—named from the Latin rogare, “to ask”—were times of public supplication, including processions, the chanting of the Litany of the Saints, and special Masses. The Greater Litanies (April 25) and the Minor Rogations (three days before Ascension Thursday) were marked by:
Prayers for protection from natural disasters, war, and famine
Blessings of fields and crops
Acts of public reparation and intercession
These observances acknowledged man’s total dependence on God and reaffirmed the Church’s authority to sanctify all creation. They also reinforced Catholic identity through communal acts of public prayer and humility before God.
3. The Vatican II Suppression by the Counterfeit Church
Following the Second Vatican Council, the 1969 General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar—promulgated by Paul VI, a false pope presiding over a false church—removed Ember and Rogation Days from the general calendar. Though technically left to the discretion of local bishops, they were almost universally abandoned.
This was no accident. The post-Vatican II religion intentionally dismantled traditional penitential practices. Its new calendar, sacraments, and theology replaced the Cross with celebration, penance with progress, and the spiritual combat of the saints with worldly “renewal.” The Ember and Rogation Days were considered outdated and “too negative” for modern man.
In reality, their suppression was consistent with the counterfeit Church’s rejection of the true Catholic Faith and its sacrificial, penitential spirit.
4. Theological Implications of the Suppression
Eliminating these ancient observances is not merely a loss of tradition—it is a rejection of Catholic theology. Their suppression undermines:
The need for penance and reparation: The traditional Church, in continuity with the Gospel, taught that sins bring chastisement and that fasting, prayer, and public acts of penance draw down God’s mercy.
The sanctification of time: The true Church sanctifies the seasons and work of man through her liturgy. The counterfeit Church replaced this sanctification with horizontal concerns like ecological sustainability.
The spiritual role of clergy: Ember Days included ordinations and prayers for the clergy. Their removal coincided with the new, doubtfully valid ordination rite of 1968.
The authority of the Church over the world: Rogation processions blessed land, creatures, and crops, asserting the Church’s dominion under Christ. The Vatican II sect now bows to secular and interreligious ideologies.
These changes were not organic or pastoral—they were revolutionary and rupture with Apostolic Tradition. No true pope or council could suppress practices so deeply rooted in the liturgical life of the Church without rejecting the faith itself.
5. Apostolic Tradition and Saints Upholding These Days
Saints, popes, and councils consistently upheld the necessity and fruitfulness of Ember and Rogation Days:
St. Charles Borromeo promoted them as essential in forming priests and laypeople alike.
St. Dominic, St. Francis of Assisi, and others used these days to preach penance and conversion.
The Council of Trent defended public penitential acts against Protestant attacks.
Pope Benedict XIV warned:
“He who neglects Rogations or suppresses Ember Days harms the faith and piety of the faithful.”
These observances shaped the Catholic liturgical rhythm for over a thousand years. Only a counterfeit church—guided by modernism and rupture—could dare to discard them.
Conclusion: A Counterfeit Spirit Discarding the Cross
The suppression of Ember and Rogation Days by the Vatican II Novus Ordo religion is a glaring sign that it is not the Catholic Church. These days expressed a spirit of humility, sacrifice, and reparation—everything the modern counterfeit religion rejects.
The true Church, faithful to her Divine Founder, always points souls toward Heaven through the Cross, through suffering, and through penitential discipline. By contrast, the false post-Vatican II religion seeks to blend in with the world and avoid anything offensive to modern man.
The destruction of the traditional penitential cycle—like the destruction of the Mass, sacraments, calendar, and doctrine—is not a renewal, but apostasy.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Post-Vatican II Reform | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ember Days | Quarterly penitential days of fasting, prayer, and ordination | Suppressed in the new calendar; observance left to bishops | Ruptures with apostolic tradition and priestly formation |
| Rogation Days | Public processions and litanies to beg God’s mercy and protection | Eliminated from universal calendar; largely forgotten | Loss of Catholic worldview of divine providence and chastisement |
| Liturgical Spirit | Penance, reparation, and sanctification of time and creation | Focus on joy, ecology, and dialogue | Rejects spirit of penance central to Catholic life |
| Theological Meaning | Reminds man of sin, judgment, and God’s mercy through sacrifice | Centers on human progress, fraternity, and optimism | Naturalistic emphasis replaces supernatural doctrine |
| Ecclesial Authority | Church blesses seasons, land, vocations through divine authority | Seeks approval of modern man and ecumenical partners | Abandons visible signs of the Church’s sanctifying mission |
Summary:
The traditional Catholic Church instituted Ember and Rogation Days as essential expressions of penance, divine worship, and sanctification of the world through prayer and sacrifice. Ember Days were observed quarterly to offer reparation, ask God’s blessings on labor and vocations, and sanctify the seasons. Rogation Days, particularly the processions with litanies before Ascension, begged divine protection against natural disasters and public chastisements. These observances were not optional but integral to the Church’s liturgical and doctrinal life.
For over 1,500 years, popes, saints, and councils defended and promoted these penitential days. They were embedded in canon law, tied to ordination ceremonies, and reflected a worldview deeply rooted in original sin, divine justice, and the necessity of public reparation. The faithful were reminded that everything—crops, vocations, nature, even weather—depends on God, and that sin brings temporal and eternal consequences.
With Vatican II, however, came a counterfeit religion that rejected this traditional Catholic spirituality. The Ember and Rogation Days were removed from the general calendar in 1969 under the false “pope” Paul VI. This was not an organic change, but a rupture. While nominally left to local bishops’ discretion, these days virtually disappeared. No theological necessity prompted their suppression. Rather, the decision reflected the Conciliar Church’s broader agenda: to align with modern secularism, ecumenism, and humanism.
Instead of fostering penance and reparation, the Novus Ordo religion promoted a man-centered liturgy and optimism about the world. Themes like social justice, ecology, fraternity, and psychological well-being replaced the Catholic focus on the Cross, sin, penance, and eternal life. The new religion discouraged visible expressions of the Church’s divine authority and supernatural mission, and instead emphasized compatibility with modern values.
The result was catastrophic. Fasting declined. Ordinations dropped. Public processions vanished. The faithful were no longer formed by the cycles of penance and grace that shaped generations of saints. Instead of preparing for Heaven, the new emphasis turned souls toward human development and worldly cooperation.
The elimination of these days is emblematic of the larger betrayal wrought by Vatican II and its false church. It is not simply a calendar change—it reflects a new religion with new priorities, a different theology, and a counterfeit spirit.
True Catholics must reject these changes and return to the full penitential cycles of the Church. Observing Ember and Rogation Days—whether publicly or privately—helps restore the rhythm of Catholic life, reconnects us with the saints, and reminds us of our dependence on God. The traditional Church alone, not the post-Vatican II imposter, offers the means of salvation and the path to sanctity.