O Antiphons - Oriens, Rex Gentium, Emmanuel

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It is the eve of the eve...

Today the remaining series of antiphons get down to the heart of the person and mission of Jesus Christ and why we, as his followers today, have to be clear as to why we continue his mission which he had mandated: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit... "

Those remaining antiphons put into place what we already have worshipped Jesus as all this while, namely he is the Rising Sun who comes to light the dark corners of our lives and give to us the true freedom as God's children, freeing us from the shadows of death. He is also our King to whom we must allow to matter most in our lives and not the kings of materialism, consumerism and other worldly priorities. He it is also whom we must acknowledge as Emmanuel, being among us, even in a world that doesn't want to acknowledge him.

All this is gathered up in a special day later when he is borned in a manger that is cold, of a lowly estate and vulnerable to the elements of the world, helped and cared for by the parents called by God in a mysterious manner, whose instructions were carried out only through faith for the very hope of Israel which welcomed the love that came down that profound night.

May your Christmas season be blessed, meaningful and joyful!

O Antiphons - Clavis

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Isaiah 22:22: "I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder. When he opens, no one shall shut; when he shuts, no one shall open."

The key and scepter are traditional symbols of kingly power and authority. Christ, the anointed one, is the heir of David and possessor of the kingdom. Jesus himself also made use of this symbol, showing the prophetic relationship of the earthly kingdom of David to the kingdom of God.  All power and authority was given to him after the resurrection, and he entrusted this power to "bind and to loose" to Peter and the ministers of his church. (Jeanne Kun)

O Antiphons - Radix

What is a sign to you?

We have them all over the place and we have taken them to a level where signs have been taken much for granted. Especially in advertisements, they have been used and milked in many forms and ways, just so they could provide monetary gains for businesses. Some signs do have their learning value and there are those which seem to pervert the notion of goodness and areas of decency (all for the license of creativity).

However, for us, the faithful believers of God, there is one clear and solid sign that we are made known of every time this Advent is here: Christ, himself.

O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presences; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

The question which Jesus asked his disciples at Caesarea Philippi continues to ring down to our times today as the implication of the sign of Christ bears down upon us: Who do you say that I am? How you answer this will tell you much about the question of signs in your life.

O Antiphons - Adonai

O Adonai... come and save us with your mighty power!

O Antiphons - Sapientia

Today we begin the last 7 days towards the push before the eve of Christmas and the eventual joyful celebration of the birth of Christ. It is a good opportunity then to consider the "O Antiphons" to help us take us there in good stead as we reflect the intentions that can arise from them.

These are the seven antiphons to the Magnificat in the ferial Office of the seven days preceeding the vigil of Christmas; so called because all begin with the interjection "O". Their opening words are: (1) "O Sapientia", (2) "O Adonai", (3) "O Radix Jesse", (4) "O Clavis David", (5) "O Oriens", (6) "O Rex Gentium", (7) "O Emmanuel". Addressed to Christ under one or other of His Scriptural titles, they conclude with a distinct petition to the coming Lord (e.g.: "O Wisdom … come and teach us the way of prudence"; "O Adonai … come and redeem us by thy outstretched arm"; "O Key of David … come and lead from prison the captive sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death" etc.)

As we see from this excerpt from the Catholic Encyclopedia from New Advent, the first one we will begin to look at is "O Sapientia", sapientia meaning wisdom. The antiphon goes, "O Wisdom, you come forth from the mouth of the Most High. You fill the universe and hold all things together in a strong yet gentle manner. O come to teach us the way of truth."

In our world today we are keenly aware how much we need wisdom. We make immediate choices about families and jobs, and we also face life-shaping decisions about where to work and live, even wrestle with crucial end-of-life dilemmas. We agonize over how to take appropriate responsibility in our relationships. On a larger scale, we wonder how to preserve the planet and the best of human culture for our children to be born in the future. It is a delicate balancing act and knowing what to give to immediate and distant family, friends, the needy, the church and the job becomes harder when resources seem limited.

Because we know such great need at a natural level, a plea for supernatural Wisdom should rise from within us with heartfelt poignance. The Wisdom that comes from God must lift us above a plea for holiday sanity or mere survival. It is the Wisdom that will certainly shake her head in disgust and sorrow at the way the world is heading with its so-called cleverness, especially in the area of eliminating babies and the unborn. One can only wish that this was a joke...

O Wisdom... really come and teach us the way of truth!