The Great O Antiphons

The Great O Antiphons
December 17: "O Sapientia"

These Great "O Antiphons" at the Magnificat were first used by the Church in the 8th and 9th centuries.

They are said in order, based on various titles for the Christ and are scripturally-based short prayers for the 17th to the 23rd of December.

In these "O Antiphons" the Church expresses her deep longing for the coming of the Messiah.

Christ, Wisdom and Creator of the world (See Proverbs 1:20; 8; 9 and I Corinthians 1:30)
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.	O Wisdom, who proceeds from the mouth of the Most High, reaching out mightily from end to end, and sweetly arranging all things: come to teach us the way of prudence.

http://dailygospel.org/

Click on symbols to see the day.

O WISDOM
December 17

Symbols: All-Seeing Eye and the Lamp

Come, and teach us the way of prudence.

O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly, Come, and teach us the way of prudence.

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

The "all-seeing eye" represents the all-knowing and ever-present God. During the late Renaissance, the eye was pictured in a triangle with rays of light to represent the infinite holiness of the Trinity. The lamp is a symbol of wisdom taken from the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25.

Recommended Readings: Proverbs 8:1-12

The Great O Antiphons December 23: "O Emmanuel"

CAPORALI Bartolomeo Virgin And Child With Angels Sunday, 23 December 2012 The Great O Antiphons: "O Emmanuel" Click on symbols to see the day. O EMMANUEL December 23 Symbols: Manger Come to save us, O Lord our God. O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: Come to save us, O Lord our God. O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster. The manger reminds us of the simplicity and poverty surrounding the birth of Jesus and is representative of His life of humility. Recommended Readings: Isaias 9:2-7 Catholic Culturere

The Great O Antiphons December 23: "O Emmanuel" Christ, the hope of all Nations, who await   his appearing (See Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; Matthew 1:23; Haggai 2:7) O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster. O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the one awaited by the gentiles, and their Savior: come to save us, Lord our God. Fr. Z's Rather Old "O Antiphon" Page www.wdtprs.com/JTZ/o_antiphons/Share The seventh and last antiphon is sung at Vespers on 23 December. They are called the "O Antiphons" because they all begin with the letter-word "O": they .. The O Antiphons developed during the Church's very first centuries. The writer Boethius (+525) mentions them. By the 8th century they were in use in Rome. There are seven of these special antiphons, and their texts spring from the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures, the Prophetic and Wisdom Books. They are found in the Liturgy of the Hours or older Roman Breviary, which clerics, religious, consecrated virgins, and others use for daily prayer. The O Antiphons are short prayers sung before and after the Magnificat, the great prayer of Mary in Luke 1:46-55 when coming visit to Elizabeth her cousin the Virgin praised God for His favor wondrous deeds. The Magnificat is sung during Vespers, evening prayer. The O Antiphons begin on 17 December, seven days before the Vigil of Christmas (24 December). The seventh and last antiphon is sung at Vespers on 23 December. They are called the "O Antiphons" because they all begin with the letter-word "O": they address Jesus by one of His Old Testament titles.  They are fervent prayers asking Our Lord to come to us.

The Great O Antiphons December 22: "O Rex Gentium"

The Great O Antiphons: O Rex Gentium

12/22/2012

Since at least the eighth century, the Great O Antiphons have been sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, in the Western Christian tradition, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17-23 December).

Each antiphon uses a different title for the Messiah, and refers to the coming of the Messiah. If you are saying Evening Prayer at home, you may wish to add the appointed antiphon before and after reciting the Magnificat.

The antiphon appointed for today follows:

O King of the nations, and their desire,
the cornerstone making both one:
Come and save the human race,
which you fashioned from clay.

(Text of the antiphon is from Common Worship: Times and Seasons. London : Church House Publishing, 2006).

http://www.stlukeandtheepiphany.org/post/the_great_o_antiphons_o_rex_gentium/ 

The Great O Antiphons December 20: "O Clavis David"

Thursday, 20 December 2012 The Great O Antiphons: "O Clavis David"
The Great O Antiphons December 20: "O Clavis David" Christ, harrower of hell (See Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7) O Clavis   David, et   sceptrum domus Israël, qui   aperis, et nemo claudit, claudis,   et nemo aperuit: veni, et   educ vinctum de domo   carceris, sedentem   in tenebris, et umbra   mortis. O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel, you open, and no one shuts, you shut, and no one opens: come, and lead the prisoner from jail, seated in darkness and in the shadow of death. 20 December, O CLAVIS DAVID By  Father Mark   on December 19, 2011 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)  http://vultus.stblogs.org/2011/12/o-clavis-david.html   To illustrate the antiphon O Clavis David, I chose Bartolomeo Bermejo's magnificent painting of the Harrowing of Hell. It depicts the Risen Christ descending into the dreary dungeon of Hades where Adam and Eve, Methuselah, Solomon, and the Queen of Shebah await Him. The Risen Christ descends into the darkness, radiant in the light of his glory. Psalm 106 expresses the mystery of the moment: "Then they cried to the Lord in their need and he rescued them from their distress. He led them forth from darkness and gloom and broke their chains to pieces" (Ps 106:13-14). O Key of David and Sceptre of the House of Israel , who opens and no one can shut, who shuts and no one can open (Is 22:22; Rev 3:7): Come and bring the prisoners forth from the prison cell, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death (Is 42:7; Ps 106:13-14; Lk 1:9). The Yes to Love On December 20th we stand in the doorway of the humble dwelling where the Blessed Virgin Mary receives the Angel's message. We are all ears, all eyes . . . listening, looking, and trying to take in something of the mystery that unfolds before us. The mystery of the Annunciation is, in essence, the Virgin’s utterly simple "Yes" to Love; through her "Yes"l'amore che move 'l sol e anche le stelle, the light that moves the stars and even the sun, encloses itself in her womb. We enter the mystery of the Annunciation, not by any effort of the imagination, but by an utterly simple and penetrating act of faith, by the "Yes" to Love. Love Conceived, Love Crucified, Love Risen One does not approach the Virgin of the Annunciation without discovering the Mother of Sorrows. The joyful "Yes" to Love conceived beneath the Virgin's heart flowers into the sorrowful "Yes" to Love crucified, and the glorious "Yes" to Love risen from the tomb. Standing in the doorway of the Holy House of Nazareth, listening and looking, we have only to believe in Love, in the Love to whom "nothing is impossible" (Lk 1:37). Annunciation Today's O Antiphon is closely tied to the Annunciation Gospel. "He will be great," said the Angel Gabriel, "and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Lk 1:32-33). We lift our voices to Christ, calling him "Key of David and Sceptre of the House of Israel." The Key of the House of David The antiphon draws its invocation from the twenty-second chapter of Isaiah. The Lord says to Shebna, the master of the household of King Hezekiah, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Helkias, and I will clothe him with thy robe, and will strengthen him with thy girdle, and will give thy power into his hand: and he shall be as a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Juda.

O Antiphon December 18: "O Adonai"

http://dailygospel.org/

Tuesday, 18 December 2012 The Great O Antiphons: "O Adonai"
The Great O Antiphons December 18: "O Adonai" These Great «O Antiphons" at the Magnificat were first used by the Church in the 8th and 9th centuries. They are said in order, based on various titles for the Christ and are scripturally-based short prayers for the 17th to the 23rd of December. In these "O Antiphons" the Church expresses her deep longing for the coming of the Messiah. Christ, Lawgiver and Redeemer of Israel (See Exodus 3; Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6) O Adonai, et dux domus Israël, qui Moyse in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento. O Mighty Lord, and leader of the house of Israël, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and on Sinai gave him the law, come to redeem us with outstretched arm.

Late Advent Day 17th O Wisdom

Advent: December 17th

Monday of the Third Week of Advent 

 http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2012-12-17 

Click on symbols to see the day.

O WISDOM December 17 Symbols: All-Seeing Eye and the Lamp Come, and teach us the way of prudence. O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly, Come, and teach us the way of prudence. O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae. The "all-seeing eye" represents the all-knowing and ever-present God. During the late Renaissance, the eye was pictured in a triangle with rays of light to represent the infinite holiness of the Trinity. The lamp is a symbol of wisdom taken from the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25. Recommended Readings: Proverbs 8:1-12

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December 17 marks the beginning of the O Antiphons, the seven jewels of our liturgy, dating back to the fourth century, one for each day until Christmas Eve. These antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies and types of Christ. The Church recalls the variety of the ills of man before the coming of the Redeemer.

O Antiphons ~ Wisdom

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O Wisdom
Divine Wisdom clothes itself in the nature of a man. It conceals itself in the weakness of a child. It chooses for itself infancy, poverty, obedience, subjection, obscurity. "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the prudence of the prudent I will reject. . . . Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of our preaching, to save them that believe. For both the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews, indeed, a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. . . . But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that He may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that He may confound the strong. And the base things of the world and the things that are contemptible, hath God chosen, and the things that are not, that He might bring to naught the things that are" (I Cor. 1:19 ff.).

• Come, O divine Wisdom, teach us the way of knowledge. We are unwise; we judge and speak according to the vain standards of the world, which is foolishness in the eyes of God.
• Come, O divine Wisdom, give us the true knowledge and the taste for what is eternal and divine. Inspire us with a thirst for God's holy will, help us seek God's guidance and direction, enlighten us in the teachings of the holy gospel, make us submissive to Thy holy Church. Strengthen us in the forgetfulness of self, and help us to resign ourselves to a position of obscurity if that be Thy holy will. Detach our hearts from resurgent pride. Give us wisdom that we may understand that "but one thing is necessary" (Luke 10:42). "For what doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" (Matt. 16:26.) The Holy Spirit would have us know that one degree of grace is worth more than all worldly possessions.

Excerpted from The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.

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1st O Antiphon: 
Who hast issued from the mouth of the Most High, Reaching from end even unto end, Ordering all things indomitably yet tenderly,

COME
To teach us the way of prudence.

Today is Day Two of the Christmas Novena.

Advent Wreath 4

   

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: DGO
Sent: Monday, 19 December 2011, 17:02
Subject: The Daily Gospel

Tuesday, 20 December 2011 The Great O Antiphons: "O Clavis David" The Great O Antiphons December 20: "O Clavis David" These Great "O Antiphons" at the Magnificat were first used by the Church in the 8th and 9th centuries. They are said in order, based on various titles for the Christ and are scripturally-based short prayers for the 17th to the 23rd of December. In these "O Antiphons" the Church expresses her deep longing for the coming of the Messiah. Christ, harrower of hell (See Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7) O Clavis   David, et   sceptrum domus Israël, qui   aperis, et nemo claudit, claudis,   et nemo aperuit: veni, et   educ vinctum de domo   carceris, sedentem   in tenebris, et umbra   mortis. O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel, you open, and no one shuts, you shut, and no one opens: come, and lead the prisoner from jail, seated in darkness and in the shadow of death.