| The Great "O" Antiphons of Advent | |
 | These last appeals to God seem to read as if the iron of our misery is in our very blood. |
O Antiphons of Advent
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Wednesday 17 December 2014
O Antiphons of Advent: December 18th: O Adonai (Is. 11:4-5; 33:22)
Saying the O Antiphons as a family, whether during grace at meals, in front of the manger scene, or in front of the Christmas tree, is a wonderful Advent devotion. To make this devotion even more fruitful, read and meditate together on the Scripture texts on which the antiphons are based.
Dom Donald's Blog: The 12 Days of Christmas
Dom Donald's Blog: The 12 Days of Christmas: Christmas: December 27th Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist December 27, Feast of Saint John St. John was born in Bethsaida,...
Tuesday 16 December 2014
The Great "O" Antiphons of Advent
| The Great "O" Antiphons of Advent | |
| These last appeals to God seem to read as if the iron of our misery is in our very blood. | |
The Great “O” Antiphons of Advent William J. McGarry S.J. From December 17 to 23 the liturgy has seven antiphons which begin with O and are addressed before and after the Magnificat to the Lord King of the Advent….In their magnificent yet simple beauty the Great O’s are the quintessence of the Advent liturgy. Their language bears the weight of God’s eternity and mercy. They are a poignant cry of the soul of the people of Advent; they address God by the most compelling and tender of divine names, and they always end with an intense COME, VENI. All have the same structure, the O of apostrophe, and imperative of appeal. And while the imperatives of the season are often joyous and clamorous, these last appeals to God seem to read as if the iron of our misery is in our very blood. For though even in other parts of the liturgy of the last week our optimism continues and our hope is bright, in the solemn ceremonial of the evening Magnificat we are soberly acknowledging that our dire wretchedness can be remedied only by omnipotent mercifulness.Only one of the Great O’s is read each day of our approach to Christmas. The effect of this is noticeable, for we definitely feel a growing intensity as each evening passes. We seem to be making a forward step and to be covering infinite distances from eternity to Bethlehem. There is a climatic order in these antiphons. In the first, O Sapientia, we take a backward flight into the recesses of eternity to address Wisdom, the Word of God. In the second, O Adonai, we have leaped from eternity to the time of Moses and the Law of Moses (about 1400 B.C.). In the third, O Radix Jesse, we have come to the time when God was preparing the line of David (about 1100 B.C.). In the fourth, O Clavis David, we have come to the year 1000. In the fifth, O Oriens we see that the line of David is elevated so that the peoples may look on a rising star in the east, and hence in the sixth, O Rex Gentium, we know that He is king of all the world of man. This brings us to the evening before the vigil, and before coming to the town limits of Bethlehem, we salute Him with the last Great O, O Emmanuel, God-with-us. We have traveled a long distance and have waited long, but at Bethlehem we are to find the Little One who is Emmanuel, God of God and Light of Light, and yet God with us.”
From He Cometh (2011)
++ ++ + + + +
Marcellino D’Ambrosio
These moving ”O Antiphons” were apparently composed in the seventh or eighth century when monks put together texts from the Old Testament, particularly from the prophet Isaiah, which looked forward to the coming of our salvation. They form a rich, interlocking mosaic of scriptural images. The great “O Antiphons” became very popular in the Middle Ages when it became traditional to ring the great bells of the church each evening as they were being sung….
In Latin: the first letters of Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, andEmmanuel in reverse form the Latin words: ERO CRAS. These can be understood as the words of Christ, responding to his people’s plea, saying “Tomorrow I will be there.”
From The Crossroads Initiative (2014)
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| The Great "O" Antiphons of Advent | |
| These last appeals to God seem to read as if the iron of our misery is in our very blood. |
O Antiphons of Advent: O Emmanuel
Published on 23 Dec 2013
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Abbot Lehodey, Cistercian. Meditation (MAGNIFICAT 16/12/2014)
Meditation, Mass Advent,
By
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Theo - Published on Amazon.com
I'm not sure what the other reviewer of this book wanted, but I want to offer a different perspective, as I've owned and used this book for years. I own a whole shelf load of books on abandonment, including the great classic, Self-Abandonment to Divine Providence, by JP de Caussaude. This book, Holy Abandonment, exceeds them all.
The author, a Cistercian priest writing in the early 20th century, takes the entire Catholic tradition of suffering and abandonment, and develops and summarizes it in a very helpful and methodical way. It is also laced with countless practical examples from the lives of the greatest Catholic saints. I learned more on the subject from this one book than from all the other books on abandonment combined, not only on a theoretical, but a very practical level. Has helped me immeasurably through all the difficulties and contradictions of life I've encountered since, and in a way the helps me really grow in holiness and trust in the Lord, regardless of what is happening in life. I'm very appreciative of Tan Books for keeping this in print, and recommend it to everyone. It is a real classic and one of the best books on my shelf.
The book first lays a foundation for understanding the concept of abandonment and how to recognize the will of God in your life. It then, chapter by chapter, explains how to practice abandonment in virtually every sort of difficulty in life: prosperity and adversity, health and sickness, reputation, humiliations, works of zeal, prayer, interior trials, you name it, in really detailed and specific ways. It is exhaustive and practical, and based on sound theology and the experience of the saints.
This is not lightweight, watered-down spirituality, but real meaty stuff, solid food for those serious about growing in holiness and real closeness to the Lord. Truly an irreplaceable book.
The author, a Cistercian priest writing in the early 20th century, takes the entire Catholic tradition of suffering and abandonment, and develops and summarizes it in a very helpful and methodical way. It is also laced with countless practical examples from the lives of the greatest Catholic saints. I learned more on the subject from this one book than from all the other books on abandonment combined, not only on a theoretical, but a very practical level. Has helped me immeasurably through all the difficulties and contradictions of life I've encountered since, and in a way the helps me really grow in holiness and trust in the Lord, regardless of what is happening in life. I'm very appreciative of Tan Books for keeping this in print, and recommend it to everyone. It is a real classic and one of the best books on my shelf.
The book first lays a foundation for understanding the concept of abandonment and how to recognize the will of God in your life. It then, chapter by chapter, explains how to practice abandonment in virtually every sort of difficulty in life: prosperity and adversity, health and sickness, reputation, humiliations, works of zeal, prayer, interior trials, you name it, in really detailed and specific ways. It is exhaustive and practical, and based on sound theology and the experience of the saints.
This is not lightweight, watered-down spirituality, but real meaty stuff, solid food for those serious about growing in holiness and real closeness to the Lord. Truly an irreplaceable book.
Holy Abandonment
Jul 1, 2004
3rd
Advent Tuesday 16/12/2014
The holy Gospel according
to Matthew 21:2R-32
JESUS SAID TO the chief priests and
elders of the people, "What is your opinion? A man had two sons. ..."
MEDITATION OF THE DAY
Courtesy of MAGNIFICAT.COM
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
By
Abbot Lehodey, Cistercian
Sharing in the Docility of the First Son
The action of God
has not always the same degree of intensity. He increases or diminishes it
according to the designs of his love, and according to the strength and
generosity of different souls. If he does not judge it well to treat them all
with a constant holy severity, at least he makes them pass through alternate
seasons of consolation and desolation, peace and combat, light and obscurity.
By means of such continual vicissitudes, he renders them pliable and docile to
all his motions. For, owing to repeated changes in her interior state, the soul
finally loses her attachment to every condition and is ready to welcome all at
the will of the Holy Spirit who breathes where he pleases and as it pleases
him.
In short, by means
of all these trials, says the Venerable Louis de Blois, "God purifies,
humbles, instructs our souls, and renders them pliable to his will; everything
defective, everything deformed, everything disagreeable to his sight, he
removes from them, and at the same time embellishes them with all the ornaments
which can make them pleasing in his eyes. And when he finds them faithful, full
of patience and good-will; when the long endurance of tribulations has brought
them, with the assistance of his grace, to such a degree of perfection that
they suffer with tranquillity and joy all manner of temptation and afflictions:
then he unites them not intimately to himself, confides to them his secrets and
his mysteries and communicates himself to them without reserve.”
Dom Vitalis Lehodey, O.C.R.
Dom
Vitalis Lehodey, O.C.R. (+1948) was abbot of Notre Dame de Grace, Bricquebec,
France.
by Rt. Rev. Abbot Dom Vitalis Lehodey O.C.R.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The Ways of Mental Prayer, February 16, 2010
By
Eileen Rupel "Eileen Mary" (Huntington, WV United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Ways of Mental Prayer (Paperback)
I enjoyed this particularly because of its "hands-on" approach to mental prayer. Various states of mind are described, and methods outlined to match each state of mind. So I have hope I will be able to acheive some quality of mental prayer. which enhances my overall prayer life. It's not easy, but definitely worthwhile, especially if any of us find ourselves asking "mental prayer"--what is that? You will find your way! Highly recommended.
Jean Danielou, S.J. (Le Myslere de l'Avent, 82-84) The mission of John the Baptist, 3rd Advent Monday
COMMENT:
Night Office Readings, Patristic Lectionary.
Jean Danielou, second paragraph merits lines as poem; 'One might say he was an educator of souls; his task was as it were to rough-hew them, to do the preliminary chiselling that would make them more receptive to Christ's message.
Our Lord's etching would have been too strong for souls not previously prepared for it.' (Mission of the John Baptist).
 |
| Cardinal Jean Danielou SJ |
Night Office Readings, Patristic Lectionary.
Jean Danielou, second paragraph merits lines as poem; 'One might say he was an educator of souls; his task was as it were to rough-hew them, to do the preliminary chiselling that would make them more receptive to Christ's message.
Our Lord's etching would have been too strong for souls not previously prepared for it.' (Mission of the John Baptist).
THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT Year I, MONDAY
First Reading
Micah 7:1-13
Responsory Mi 7:7; Gn 49:18
I will look to the Lord, + I will await my God and saviour.
V, I will wait for your salvation, Lord. + I will await.
Second Reading
From the writings of Cardinal Jean Danielou, S.J. (Le Mystere de l'Avent, 82-84)
The mission of John the Baptist
As John the Baptist was the Lord's precursor even before his birth, so also he was the forerunner of Christ's public life. After the desert period came the crowning moment of a life spent preparing the way for Christ. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came as a witness, to give testimony to the light, so that all might come to believe through him. He himself was not the light; his task was to bear witness to the light.
This text shows that the essential mission of John the Baptist was to bear witness to the light, to point to Jesus.
His was a pre-eminent role in the preparation for the coming of Christ and of Christ's own work.
John it was who paved the way for our Lord's public life and teaching by predisposing the souls of his hearers to receive it.
One might say he was an educator of souls; his task was as it were to rough-hew them, to do the preliminary chiselling that would make them more receptive to Christ's message.
Our Lord's etching would have been too strong for souls not previously prepared for it.
They needed some schooling in advance.
Their interests had to be redirected; it was necessary to wean them from worldly habits and to arouse a spiritual dissatisfaction in their hearts.
That was John the Baptist's assignment. Sent to people utterly heedless of the things of God, it was his task to awaken in them sufficient concern to disturb their settled ways and to stir up their initial goodwill, so that they might be capable of understanding Christ.
John the Baptist thus joins the long succession of those who have taken part in the work of preparing for the Lord's coming, those who, like John, were withdrawn by God from the things of this world and mysteriously admitted to the divine plans, in order that they might blaze the way for God among the people. John in his turn will move among his contemporaries to mark out the Lord's ways, smoothing paths and levelling hills. But for such a mission he must from the outset be utterly gripped by the inner vision he has received; he must be possessed by the Lord in the depths of his being, since it is a hard furrow he will have to plough. The people of the Baptist's generation were absorbed in the same pursuits as the people of our own day, Saint Luke describes them in a memorable passage, the soldiers engaged in violence and false charges, and the tax collectors in demanding more than their due.
Such is human nature. It was so in the time of John, and it is the same today. Preoccupied with worldly affairs, people are completely heedless of God. As one goes here and there in the world it is very painful to experience the utter indifference of the rank and file; to shake the world out of this indifference there have to be prophets, that is to say, souls possessed by the divine vision who can rouse the masses from their inertia, They have to be authentic witnesses. A witness is someone who has first been granted an inner vision; God has introduced him to the divine viewpoint so that he can pass on what he has seen to others.
So it was with John the Baptist. God first admitted him to his own counsel, revealing to him the mystery of the divine plan, drawing him into the desert to share with him his own joy; then came the essential part of his vocation: he was a witness to Christ, that is to say, he was the one who pointed out Christ to the people.
Responsory Lk 1:17.76
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, + to turn fathers back to their sons, to restore unbelievers to the wisdom of the just, and to prepare a holy people for the Lord.
V. You, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; you will go before the Lord to prepare his way. + To turn fathers ...
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