The simple chant " O Come, O Come Emmanuel." , with its longing for the coming of the Savior, genuinely belongs to Advent and not to Christmas. Its melody is based on Gregorian Chant, and its verses are all taken from the Church's "O" antiphons. These antiphons introduce the Magnificat, or canticle of Mary, at evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, from December 17th through December 23rd. Each of them begins with a traditional title for Christ. They are: "O Wisdom," "O sacred Lord," "O Flower of Jesse's Stem," "O Key of David," "O Radiant Dawn," "O King of all the nations," and finally, "O Emmanuel," which means "God with us." Each of these traditional titles for the Messiah connects the coming of Christ with the prophetic writings of the Old Testament. As we end the third week of Advent, with the forth week just days away, perhaps it is a good time pray these antiphons and reflect on their meaning in our life as followers of Christ.
Thursday, December 18
O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!
Friday, December 19
O Root of Jesse’s stem,
sign of God’s love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!
Saturday, December 20
O Key of David,
opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!
Sunday, December 21
O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death.
Monday, December 22
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
Tuesday, December 23
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
