A reminder that December 17, we start the “O” ANTIPHONS at Vespers, prayers that are recited or chanted in an ancient tradition leading up to Christmas.
Sister Ansgar Holmberg, CSJ
Composed in the sixth or seventh century, the seven O Antiphons are taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah and the first letters of each antiphon form the Latin word SARCORE, which read backwards is ERO CRAS, which means ‘Tomorrow I come,’
Each night, the O Antiphons progress with ever-increasing anticipation of the coming of Emmanuel (God is With Us.) In this prayer, we express our deep longing for the coming of the Messiah.
These Antiphons have a three-fold structure. Each begins with “O” a term of wonder and amazement that gets our attention that something new is going to happen. Then, each Antiphon includes a Messianic name to describe Jesus, such as Wisdom or Key of David. And finally, each Antiphon concludes with a call for Jesus as God to come rapidly to save us. In our modern times, so filled with a lack of hope, they give voice to our poignant longings to be saved.
Dec. 17 — “O Sapientia”/“O Wisdom” (Isaiah 11:2-3; 28:29)
Dec. 18 — “O Adonai”/“O Lord” (Is. 11:4-5; 33:22)
Dec. 19 — “O Radix Jesse”/“O Root of Jesse” (Is. 11:1; 11:10)
Dec. 20 — “O Clavis David”/“O Key of David” (Is. 9:6; 22:22)
Dec. 21 — “O Oriens”/“O Dawn of the East” (Is. 9:2)
Dec. 22 — “O Rex Gentiu”/“O King of the Gentiles” (Is. 2:4; 9:7)
Dec. 23 — “O Emmanuel”/“God with Us” (Is. 7:14)