Written by Fr. Steven
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”- many of us have no doubt heard or sung this song countless times during the Advent season. The lyrics of this song evoke a sense of longing and anticipation- a sense of waiting for the promised Messiah to come. These lyrics, based on the O Antiphons, are part of the Church’s tradition, used in the Church’s worship as Christmas draws near.
What are the O Antiphons, and where do they come from? In the Liturgy of the Hours, which is the prayer that all Clergy and Religious are required to pray as part of their day to day lives, various antiphons are given for the readings of the Psalms and Gospel Canticles throughout the year. The title “O Antiphons” refers to a set of antiphons used with the Magnificat, or Canticle of Mary, during the last seven days of Advent. The Church prays the Canticle of Mary each day at Evening prayer. These antiphons are called the O antiphons, because each one begins with the vocative particle “O.” These beginnings, in the order they appear, are as follows:
December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
December 18: O Adonai (O Lord)
December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring)
December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
December 23: O Emmanuel (O “God With Us”)
Each one of these titles is a title for Christ. And so, each Antiphon over the course of the seven days is a prayer, asking Christ to come and bring salvation to his people. Reflecting on these antiphons each year gives us a chance to more fully enter into the mystery of who Christ is, and what his coming as man accomplished for our salvation.
You may have noticed that in the above list, there is no Antiphon for December 24. That is because in the Church, any major Solemnity always begins at sundown the day before- similar to how the Jewish Passover begins at sundown on Friday. Therefore, Evening prayer for December 24 is the first evening prayer for the Christmas season.
This year, Campus Ministry will be sharing the O Antiphons on our Instagram and Facebook Stories for each of these last seven days of Advent. We invite you to join us in reflecting on, and praying with these texts, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior.
On behalf of the Campus Ministry team, we wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Blessed and Happy New Year!
-Fr. Steven