O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Fr. Aaron Hess
Here we are, the last day of Advent before the great celebration of Christmas! These last few weeks have been filled with different preparations for one of the biggest celebrations for Catholics throughout the year. The season of Advent is one of expectation as we eagerly await the coming of Christ. Our anticipation for the coming of Christ in the manger should be as strong as the anticipation of children for gifts to appear around their tree tonight!
Besides the Advent wreath, there is a more forgotten aspect of Advent that nevertheless is so important to the Church and to the season. On each of the last 7 days of Advent, there is a special prayer that is supposed to be prayed at the beginning of each Mass. These are what is called the “O Antiphons.” While that may sound a bit odd to many people, I can say for certain that all of you have heard of them-- they are the basis for the verses in the most popular Advent Hymn of all time--O Come, O Come Emmanuel! I’ve been preaching about many of these at St. Michaels this past week, but if you are unfamiliar with them, they are listed below. I encourage you to take some time to pray with these over the next week in constant wonder and awe at all that God has done for us, even if Advent has already past. Each antiphon has an interesting point to reflect upon, and they over and over ask expectantly for the Lord to come and grant us a great grace.
O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!
O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!
O Root of Jesse’s stem,
sign of God’s love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!
O Key of David,
opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!
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.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
May you and your families have a grace-filled Christmas season!