O dear...

English: Jesus Christ - detail from Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I looked at the calendar today and noted that it is the coundown towards Christmas and the appearance of the O Antiphons.

Today's being O Lord or O Adonai. In our Church's liturgical prayer of the Divine Office, the antiphons show themselves prior to and after the recitation of the Magnificat during the Evening Prayer (Vespers). But I wonder if the celebration of Christmas all this while really celebrates the Lordship of Christ as it really should....

I think the latest Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, can offer us a direction in this.

Dawn of the King!

English: Machilipatnam Beam Early in the Morning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are reading this, then you would have realised the world didn't end yesterday and life still carries on as we know it. So much for all those nonsensical prophecies of the end and doom. People just never learn but somehow always want to be caught up with the fascination of the end of the world, which no one really knows how it will really entail.

The Antiphons for yesterday was rather telling as it is on Christ as the Radiant Dawn (Oriens) who is to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Indeed it was the radiant dawn that greeted us at the break of yesterday promising a new day and the continued gift of life. It wasn't the darkness of death and total destruction which some unenlightened people were braying about.

O Key of David!

Keys. (Photo credit: Bohman)

This is the eve of the day that is supposedly to end....

Well, if you believe all that claptrap about the Mayan calendar and other nonsensical doomsday prophecies, which purportedly predict the end of life on 21st December as we know it, then shame on you! As Christians, we have been explicitly reminded not to dabble about any predictions concerning the end times. Even Jesus himself had said so, if you have any decent knowledge of Scripture:

"... of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son but the Father only." (Mt 24: 36)

O Flower of Jesse's Stem!

Cathedral St. Peter (Dom St. Peter), Worms, Germany - Tympanum - Tree of Jesse (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We come to the third element of the O Antiphons, which speaks to us of our spiritual roots: radix, in Latin.

One of the decors that children would be making during this period of Advent is the Jesse Tree. This is in relation to the genealogy of Jesus where is he to come from the House of David. David, or more precisely, King David, is the son of Jesse. When you come across the genealogies of Jesus Christ especially during the readings for Christmas, you will see the names of Jesse and David among the family line.

O Lord and Ruler!

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Latin rendition of this day's antiphon is O Adonai. It is about the Lordship of Christ whom all knee shall bow and tongue confess.

On our day of Baptism and once again strengthened at our Confirmation, we have been bestowed the spiritual titles of priest, prophet and king, the same titles alloted to Christ, because we being his disciples, follow in his footsteps. This means we, the baptised are all potential leaders in our own spiritual capacity to make a difference in the world today in bringing other people into the kingdom of God - His kingdom of love and light.

Do we take our spiritual roles seriously enough to see within ourselves this great opportunity to participate in this Lordship of Christ?

O Wisdom!

O Sapientia (Photo credit: Lawrence OP)

What is wisdom, really, to you?

What comes to mind when one mentions the word 'wisdom'? Is it all about human wisdom, cleverness, being street-smart and all knowing kind of attitude?

Oh, O!

Image via Wikipedia

The countdown is slowly getting us to the Christmas event and during this week it is being rung, not by silver bells, but by the O Antiphons.

If you go to the link from Wikipedia, you will get the whole description on what we are encountering here. So, since the 17th of this month, we have seen Wisdom (Sapientia), Lord (Adonai), Root of Jesse (Radix Jesse), and today, it is Key of David (Clavis David). These are excellent items you can use for your Advent reflections as we get closer towards Christmas. If you don't also already know, these antiphons are embedded in a very fitting way in a hymn which you may have already sung it at Masses during this period, or perhaps last Sunday recently: O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

Being here in Kajang, everything seems to have slowed down. Unlike in Singapore, where everything seems rushed, I can now really feel time slowing down as I savour the seconds and minutes passing by. I don't have to worry much about the next appointment or activity to be done, as there are none here now. So, for now, it is a slow burn towards Christmas with the Antiphons.

Meantime, do keep in your prayers for Deacon David Arulanatham who was recently ordained to the diaconate in his parish in Klang (Malaysia). Deacon David finished his priestly formation recently this year in the SFX Major Seminary, Singapore and will be serving the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur in his parish at Klang. He is among the batch of Malaysians who are studying in the Singapore seminary and has now finished and moved on towards the priestly ministry. His priesty ordination is expected to be in mid-January next year! Praise be to God!

Related articles

• The "O" Antiphons by Ilia Delio, OSF (franciscansisterswdc.wordpress.com)
• O! (wdtprs.com)