O Emmanuel - Vespers Antiphon 23 December

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the long awaited hope of the nations, Savior of all people; O come, our Lord and God, set free the people whom you love.

BIBLICAL SOURCE:
Isaiah 7:14

O King - Vespers Antiphon 22 December

O King of all nations, the desired One of their hearts, the cornerstone that joins in one the peoples sin had kept apart. O come, and save man whom you formed from earth and dust.

BIBLICAL SOURCES:
Isaiah 9:6
Isaiah 2:4
Isaiah 28:16

O Daystar - Vespers Antiphon 21 December

note - this antiphon is sung
on the "darkest" day of the year
in the Northern Hemisphere.

O Daystar, (O Oriens) splendor of eternal light and Sun of Justice, O come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.


BIBLICAL SOURCES:
Isaiah 9:2
Isaiah 60:1-2
Malachi 4:2
Micah 3:20

O Key of David - Vespers Antiphon 20 December

O Key of David and Power of the house of Israel, what you unlock, no man can close, for you alone can bind fast. Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

BIBLICAL SOURCES:
Isaiah 22:22
Isaiah 9:7
Isaiah 42:7

O Root of Jesse - Vespers Antiphon 19 December

O Root of Jesse, sign of peace, before whom all nations stand in awe: kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. O come, and set us free; delay no longer in your love.

BIBLICAL SOURCES:
Isaiah 11:1
Isaiah 11:10
Micah 5:2
Isaiah 45:14
Isaiah 52:15

O Lord - - Vespers Antiphon 18 December

O Lord and Giver of the Law on Sinai, the Leader of your chosen people Israel, appearing in the burning bush, revealed to Moses face to face, O come, stretch out your mighty arms to set us free.

BIBLICAL SOURCES:
Isaiah 11:45
Isaiah 33:32
Exodus 3:2
Exodus 24:12

O Wisdom - Vespers Antiphon 17 December

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God's mouth, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come, and teach us all the ways that lead to life.

BIBLICAL SOURCES:
Isaiah 11:2-3
Isaiah 28:29
Sirach 24:3
Wisdom 8:1

The O Antiphons - an introduction

Today we begin our Advent reflections on the "O Antiphons" or "Great Antiphons."  These are the beautiful, biblically-based acclamations that cry out for the coming of the Messiah in late Advent. 

Catholics sing one of the "O Antiphons" at Evening Prayer (Vespers) from the 17th of December through the 23rd. Keeping this tradition in the digital age, we will post the O Antiphon for each of these days to help you pray for the coming of Christ and join us in this ancient Catholic tradition.  The Antiphon in English, its main Biblical sources, and a video of the Latin chant comprise each blog post.

Today we simply provide the historical background on the Antiphons.

The exact origin of the "O Antiphons" is not known. Boethius (480–524/5) made a slight reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence at that time.

At the Benedictine Saint Benedict Abbey of Fleury (now Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire), these antiphons were recited by the abbot and other abbey leaders in descending rank, and then a gift was given to each member of the community.

By the eighth century, they were in use in the liturgical celebrations in Rome. The usage of the "O Antiphons" was so prevalent in monasteries that the phrases "Keep your O" and "The Great O Antiphons" were common parlance. One may thereby conclude that in some fashion the "O Antiphons" have been part of Western liturgical tradition since the very early Church.

The Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one—Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia—the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come". Therefore Jesus, whose coming Christians have prepared for in Advent and whom they have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to them: "Tomorrow, I will come." So the "O Antiphons" not only bring intensity to their Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

 - Wikipedia, Saunders, William, What are the "O Antiphons"?, CatholicEducation.org, retrieved 30 November 2009.