My brothers and
sisters, very close to the celebration of Christmas, I invite all of you to
consider a beautiful tradition in the Catholic Church: The O Antiphons. It
refers to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the
Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours. They cover the special
period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23,
with Dec. 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the
Christmas Vigil. The exact origin of the “O Antiphons” is not known. Boethius
(c. 480-524) made a slight reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence
at that time. At the Benedictine abbey of Fleury these antiphons were recited
by the abbot and other abbey leaders in descending rank, and then a gift was
given to each member of the community. By the eighth century, they are in use
in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. The usage of the “O Antiphons” was so
prevalent in monasteries that the phrases, “Keep your O” and “The Great O
Antiphons” were common parlance. One may thereby conclude that in some fashion
the “O Antiphons” have been part of our liturgical tradition since the very
early Church. The importance of “O Antiphons” is twofold: Each one highlights a
title for the Messiah: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord),
O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David),
O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations),
and O Emmanuel. Also, each one refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the
coming of the Messiah. Let’s now look at each antiphon with just a sample of
Isaiah’s related prophecies:
O Sapientia: “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.” Isaiah had prophesied, “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.” (11:2-3), and “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.”
(28:29).
O Adonai: “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.” Isaiah had
prophesied, “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.” (11:4-5); and
“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.” (33:22).
O Radix Jesse: “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 had prophesied, “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of
Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” (11:1), and A On that day, the
root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.” (11:10). Remember also that Jesse was the
father of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the
house and lineage of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:1).
O Clavis 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.” Isaiah had prophesied, AI 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.” (22:22), and “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.” (9:6).
O Oriens: “O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light,
sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of
death.” Isaiah had prophesied, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a
great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.”
(9:1).
O Rex Gentium: “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 had prophesied, “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.” (9:5), and “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.”
(2:4).
O Emmanuel: “O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the
nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.” Isaiah had
prophesied, “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). Remember
“Emmanuel” means “God is with us.” Probably the Benedictine monks arranged
these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and
takes the first letter of each one - Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai,
Sapientia- the Latin words ero cras
are formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose
coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven
Messianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O
Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but also bring
it to a joyful conclusion ■ Fr. Agustin, Pastor.
