The
O Antiphons refer to the seven Antiphons that are recited, or chanted,
preceding the Magnificat during Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours in
the Breviary. The ‘O Antiphons’ are chanted in the verses of the famous Advent
Hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. They
cover a special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas,
December 17 – 23. Each Antiphon
addresses Jesus with a unique title which comes from the prophecies of Isaiah
and Micah. The original Latin titles
are: Sapientia, (O WISDOM), Adonai, (O LORD OF ISRAEL), Radix Jesse, (O ROOT OF
JESSE), Clavis David, (O KEY OF DAVID), Oriens , (O RADIANT DAWN), Rex Gentium,
(O KING OF ALL NATIONS), Emmanuel, (O GOD WITH US). Notice when they are read in reverse order,
the first letter of each Antiphon forms the word, Eros Cras, which, when
translated means, Tomorrow I will Come, referring to the birth of Christ. On the 24th Of December, Christmas Eve, the
Church uses the prayers for the vigil of Christmas. The exact origin of
these Antiphons is not known but it is
thought that they were recited in the Benedictine Monasteries in France between
480 and 524. In the 8th Century, they
were in use in Rome during liturgical celebrations. We can conclude that they
have been an important part of our Advent liturgies for a long time. So the ‘O
Antiphons’ not only bring intensity to our Advent celebrations and preparation,
they bring the season of Advent to a joyful conclusion. I hope that you will enjoy praying these
short antiphons in anticipation of the birth of Christ. They are said directly
before praying the Magnificat, Mary’s Prayer of thanksgiving. I have included this prayer for you with the
insert of fridge prayers for week three of Advent.
Fr. Phil
