The "O" Antiphons

If you know the traditional song "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", you may be familiar with the O Antiphons... a series of ancient names for Jesus, describing his various roles in our salvation story.

Here are the antiphons, one for every day in the week leading up to Christmas, beginning today.

And if you would like to follow a daily reflection on the antiphons, please click on "O Antiphons" in the label list along the right column of this page, or go to December 2009 or 2010 in the blog archive and click for each date.

December 23: O Emmanuel

Epiphany by Janet McKenzie

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver,

desire of the nations, Savior of all people:

Come and set us free, Lord our God.

"Emmanuel" means "God is with us".
The Deity is no longer an abstract concept out there in the ether,
but a living, breathing baby who grew to know and understand our
every need, desire, hope and fear. 
God is with us!

 

May this Christmas season renew within you 

the power and peace of God's Holy Spirit.

December 22: O Rex Gentium, O King of All the Nations

O King of all the nations, 

the only joy of every human heart;

O Keystone of the mighty arch of humanity:

Come and save the creature 

you fashioned from the dust.

Why are we so enchanted by that which divides us? 
The word 'catholic' means universal... and Catholic Christianity is not to be confined by any boundaries of nation or race, status or language.  Jesus came to save all people by showing us the way to live that brings peace. The "king of all nations" chose to rule through humble service.
Out of love we were created; love is the keystone of our being.
God, who is Love, leads us from selfishness and distrust of the 'other' to the joy of an awareness of the shared redemption of all creation.

• Do you believe in God's love for you?
• How does this rule of love guide your life?

December 21: O Oriens, O Radiant Dawn

O Radiant Dawn, 
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:

Come, shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death.

The unknown, even if it is a good thing, can be scary. Being 'in the dark' makes us uneasy: what's the truth, where's the danger, what's going to happen next???? We yearn for the security that lets us sleep soundly through the night, rather than cowering against the shadows and noises of our fears and concerns.

• In what way can the light of the Gospel illuminate the dark corners of your life?
• In what way can you be light and warmth for someone in need?

December 20: O Clavis David, O Key of David

O Key of David, o royal Power of Israel,

controlling at your will the gate of heaven:

Come, break down the prison walls of death

for those who dwell in darkness 
and the shadow of death;

and lead your captive people into freedom.

Last month as we celebrated the feast of Christ the King, we talked about the qualities of a good king, including using power responsibly and looking out for the needs of his subjects.

Reading the Gospels, we find example after example of Jesus setting people free: from physical ailments,  emotional demons, slavish obedience to peripheral laws, cultural expectations, alienation, hunger, fear, even death. This descendant of David and Son of God overcame every obstacle in order to demonstrate the depth of Divine Love for us. 

As Moses led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, Jesus breaks down the things that bind us, hold us captive, or make us feel dead inside. We know this to be true, and we yearn for it to be realized in our hearts, our homes, our communities and our world, today.

• As you pray today, what bad habit keeps you imprisoned?
  Ask Jesus to show you the way to freedom.

December 19: O Radix Jesse, O Flower of Jesse's Stem

O Flower of Jesse's stem,

you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples;

kings stand silent in your presence;

the nations bow down in worship before you.

Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

The power of persistence can be awe-inspiring. A sapling growing through a crack in a sidewalk, a crocus blooming through the snow ... evidence of nature's determination to thrive.  Isaiah chapter 11 is the source of the imagery in today's cry of longing. Written to the Hebrews forced to live in exile in Babylon, the author reassures them that despite all odds justice will be restored. Jesse was the father of King David, whom the exiles would have recalled -fourteen generations earlier- as a leader when they were strong as a people. 

The great tree may be a stump right now, but the shoot will grow from it. 
The raging fire may be smoldering embers right now.... but it will be fanned into flames again. That's a promise.
A promise fulfilled 14 generations later with the birth of Jesus.

• As you pray today, what situations are testing your patience? 
• What example of persistence inspires you?

December 17: O Sapientia, O Wisdom

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God,
you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care:
Come and show your people the way to salvation.

• Among the people you know, who would you consider as a 'wisdom figure'?
• What qualities of that person define him or her as wise?
• When have you felt guided by God's spirit of wisdom?

O Antiphons

As we reach the latter part of Advent, we encounter seven traditional and ancient antiphons (responses) in the Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. You may recall that in Jewish practice the day begins at sundown, so praying these antiphons during the vespers of December 17-23 takes us to the beginning of Christmas Eve. Each of these prayers is a plea for Jesus' coming, addressing him by an ancient Scriptural name, and petitioning for a particular act of salvation from him.

Here's an interesting bit of information, found at catholic-resources.org:

In the traditional arrangement, when viewed from Christmas Eve backward, the first letters of the Latin texts (Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia) spell out the phrase ero cras ("I come tomorrow").

Please come back each day this week, as we bring our Advent preparation to its joyful conclusion!

December 23: O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver,

desire of the nations, Savior of all people:

Come and set us free, Lord our God.

Isaiah 7: 14
Matthew 1: 23
1 Timothy 4: 9

A 'mighty wind', the breath or Spirit of God swept over the waters
at the creation of the earth. (Gen 1:1)
Women are coached in their breathing as they labor to give birth.
You may be feeling out of breath from the last minute baking, housecleaning and gift-wrapping that leads up to the Christmas celebration... if so, please take a minute, and just breathe.

That breath is a gift to you from God. So is the next one.
And so on... you are being re-created throughout your life by
every breath that God gives you.
There's a certain freedom in knowing that at each moment,
we can make a choice to break old patterns, establish new ones,
repair a relationship, or nurture a new one.
Our past may form us, but it does not bind us.

"Emmanuel" means "God is with us".
The Deity is no longer an abstract concept out there in the ether,
but a living, breathing baby who grew to know and understand our
every need, desire, hope and fear. 
God is with us!
May that assurance leave you breathless!

(Still.... keep breathing.)

December 22: O Rex Gentium, O King of all the nations

O King of all the nations, 
the only joy of every human heart;

O Keystone of the mighty arch of man:

Come and save the creature 
you fashioned from the dust.

Isaiah 2: 4, 11: 10
Psalm 47: 8 ; Jeremiah 10: 7

Daniel 7: 14 ; Haggai 2: 8
Romans 15: 12
Ephesians 2: 14, 20

Mural from Christ the King Mission in Kings Mountain, NC

The word 'catholic' means universal... and Catholic Christianity is not to be confined by any boundaries of nation or race, status or language.  Jesus came to save all people by showing us the way to live that brings peace. The "king of all nations" chose to rule through humble service.
He gives us a law of love that leads to freedom, not slavish obedience.
Out of love we were created; love is the keystone of our being.
God, who is Love, leads us from selfishness and distrust of the 'other' to the joy of an awareness of the shared redemption of all creation.

• Do you believe in God's love for you?
• How does this rule of love guide your life?
  

December 21: O Oriens, O Radiant Dawn

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, 
sun of justice:

Come, shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death.

Isaiah 9: 1, 58: 8, 60: 18-20
Malachi 4: 2
Luke 1: 78-79
John 8: 12

Today we praise Jesus the Son of God as our Sun of Justice. The sun and its light and warmth is a powerful image that has resonated with people over the millennia. Today is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice, marked by ancient agrarian cultures as a time of new birth - the moment when the sun begins again to overcome the darkness.

• In the dark corners of your life, what fears and life-sapping forces cry out for transformation through the power of God's illumination?
• How can you be a source of 'warmth' or 'light' for someone else today?
  

December 20: O Clavis David, O Key of David

O Key of David, o royal Power of Israel,

controlling at your will the gate of heaven:

Come, break down the prison walls of death

for those who dwell in darkness 
and the shadow of death;

and lead your captive people into freedom.

Revelation 3: 7

Isaiah 22: 22

Jeremiah 13: 13, 51: 19

Matthew 4: 16, 16: 19

Luke 1: 79

...How much time has been wasted in the futile search for keys, how many hours poured into rearranging schedules when they go missing?

Knowing how crucial the key can be helps us appreciate how, of all the antiphons, this one is most clearly realized in Jesus. For many people, he was key to liberation, but one example will suffice: a story told in Luke 13:10-17. To a woman who had been bent double for 18 years, Jesus called, "You are free of your infirmity!" As her spine straightened, she praised God. And those who were listening carefully might have heard a key clink in a rusty lock.

She is not unique. Over and over, Jesus calls people to freedom and friendship. ...
 (by Kathy Coffey in the December 1999 Catholic Update "O Come, O Come Emmanuel")

December 19: O Radix Jesse, O Flower of Jesse's Stem

O Flower of Jesse's stem,

you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples;

kings stand silent in your presence;

the nations bow down in worship before you.

Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

Isaiah 11: 1,10

Isaiah 52: 15

Romans 15: 12

The Tree of Jesse, representing the ancestry of Jesus Christ. 

Ivory panel from Bamberg (?), Bavaria, ca. 1200. Location: Louvre Museum, Paris

• New life can come from the most unlikely places: a flower from a sidewalk crack, a tree from a seemingly dead stump. Our faith celebrates this extravagant fecundity of God, our Creator... the one who chose to become human in most humble circumstances, and who brought us eternal life through Jesus' death - and resurrection.
• Is there anyone you easily dismiss because of some aspect of their background? In what way might they actually be a source of inspiration for you?
• Are there areas of your life in need of new growth? If so, offer your needs to the One who brings hope and life when all seems lost.
  

December 18: O Adonai, O Lord

O Sacred Lord of Ancient Israel,

who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,

who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain:

Come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

Exodus 3:2

Isaiah 33:22, 63: 11-12

Micah 6:4

Acts 7:30-31

Moses Before the Burning Bush, bas relief plaque by Scott Sullivan, 2004.

• Consider this: our all-powerful God, the one who created everything that exists, is not a remote and indifferent Being. Throughout history,  God's love and concern for us has been communicated through signs and prophets, powerful works and common-sense commandments, aiming to free us from the slavery of sin.
• Offer a prayer for where God's power is most needed in your life/family/community/world.
  

December 17: O Sapientia, O Wisdom

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God,
you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care:
Come and show your people the way to salvation.

Wisdom 8:1

Isaiah 11:2-3; 28:29

Proverbs 8:1-36

John 1:1-5

 "Wisdom" mural by Robert Lewis Reid. Second Floor, North Corridor.
Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.

• Are there decisions in your life for which you need guidance? 
• How does your knowledge of Jesus' words and life impact the choices you make each day?
  

The O Antiphons

As we reach the latter part of Advent, we encounter seven traditional and ancient antiphons (responses) in the Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. You may recall that in Jewish practice the day begins at sundown, so praying these antiphons during the vespers of December 17-23 takes us to the beginning of Christmas Eve. Each of these prayers is a plea for Jesus' coming, addressing him by an ancient Scriptural name, and petitioning for a particular act of salvation from him.

Here's an interesting bit of information, found at catholic-resources.org:

In the traditional arrangement, when viewed from Christmas Eve backward, the first letters of the Latin texts (Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia) spell out the phrase ero cras ("I come tomorrow").

Please come back each day this week, as we bring our Advent preparation to its joyful conclusion!