I remember the first time I heard the carol
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” I was 8 or
9. I remember thinking that it was a
very ancient song, with old, old feelings and sounds. It sounded very “Old Testament,” and that
marked it as ancient for me. I was
surprised as a teenager to learn that the English hymn we sang was from the
mid-1800s. And though it had originally
been written in Latin, it was not all that ancient—probably first published in
its Latin present form in the 1500s.
But the fact is, the hymn itself is a poem
drawn from a series of very ancient liturgical texts, from as early as the 6th
century.
In monastic daily prayer, Psalm and Canticle
texts were often given “headers” and “footers” to set them apart, ornament
them, sum up their ideas, and make the chanting seem not so monotonous. These lead-ins and codas are called antiphons. In the seven days leading up to Christmas,
the normal daily evening singing of the Blessed Virgin’s Canticle of Praise The Magnificat (“My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord…”) was set off by a special set of antiphons, one for
each day. Each of these began with the
word “O” and calling upon Christ with one of the various titles and images for him
in these early Christians’ reading of their Old Testament. Each is a meditation on Christ, and on the
prophetic vision of the Hebrew prophets.
The “O Antiphons” were a way for the monks to
prepare for Christmas. In an 8th
century manuscript, each of the officials of the monastery are given a separate
antiphon to chant on one of the days—together with the responsibility of paying
for that day’s wine or holiday snacks for the monks after service or in the
upcoming holiday feast!
The titles used all come from prophetic
passages, mainly Isaiah: Wisdom (Sapientia), Lord (Adonai), Stem of Jesse (Radix Jesse), Key of David
(Clavis David), Rising Sun (Oriens), King of the
Gentiles (Rex Gentium), and, of course, Emmanuel. The choice of names in this order was
intentional: when read backward from
Christmas Eve, the first letter of each title spelled out the message ERO CRAS.
“Tomorrow, I will be there!”
Beginning this morning, in daily morning prayer in the Church at
Trinity, we will be singing the Magnificat and the Great O Antiphons, one for each day, in the days
leading up to Christmas.
I encourage all of us to take a little time
each day December 16-23 to read aloud and reflect on the antiphons. I have included my translation of them here, plus a few of the
scriptural passages behind them. Simply
reading one a day, either once through or with a Lectio-style repeated reading with contemplation, would make a good
addition to our private prayers and devotions as we approach the Holiday.
Grace and Peace, Fr. Tony+
ANTIPHONS FOR THE FINAL 7
DAYS OF ADVENT
THE “O” GREAT ANTIPHONS
Dec. 17
O Sapientia (O Lady Wisdom):
“O Lady Wisdom, you came forth from the
mouth of the Most High, and reach from one end of the earth to the other,
mightily and sweetly putting all things in order: come and teach us the way of being
present!”
“The
spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and
fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.”
(Isaiah11:2-3); “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.” (Isa 28:29).
Dec. 18
O Adonai (O Yahweh; Lord):
“O
Adonai, ruler of the House of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the fire of the
burning bush; on Mount Sinai you gave him your law: come, stretch out your
mighty hand to set us free.”
“But
He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s
afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around
his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” (Isa 11:4-5); “Indeed the Lord will be there with us,
majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he
it is who will save us.” (Isa 33:22).
Dec. 19
O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse):
“O
Root of Jesse, you stand as an ensign for all peoples; before you kings stand
silent; all nations bow in worship: come and save us, and do not delay.”
“But
a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall
blossom.” (Isa 11:1), “On that day, the
root of [David’s father] Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the
Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious” (Isa 11:10). “But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be
among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be
ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:1).
Dec. 20
O Clavis David (O Key of David):
“O
Key of David, and scepter of the House of Israel; you open and no one closes;
you close and no one opens: Come and deliver us from the chains of prison, we
who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”
“I
will place the Key of the House of David on His shoulder; when he opens, no one
will shut, when he shuts, no one will open” (Isa 22:22); “His dominion is vast and forever peaceful,
from David’s throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by
judgment and justice, both now and forever” (Isa 9:6).
Dec. 21
O Oriens (O Eastern Dawn):
“O
Rising Dawn, brightness of the light eternal, sun of justice: come, shine on
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a
great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown” (Isa 9:1).
Dec. 22
O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations, Gentiles):
“O
King of all the nations, and their desire, you are the cornerstone that binds two
into one: come and save the creature you have fashioned from clay.”
“For
a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace” (Isa
9:5); “He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning
hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they
train for war again” (Isa 2:4).
Dec. 23
O Emmanuel (O God with Us):
“O
Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Savior: come
and set us free, O Lord our God.”
“The Lord himself will give you this sign: the
Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel”
(7:14).
Images by Sr. Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ
No comments:
Post a Comment