Each year the final days of Advent, leading up to December 24th, are graced with the singing of the traditional “O Antiphons” at Vespers, just before the chanting of the “Magnificat,” the Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, found in the Gospel according to Saint Luke, chapter 1, verses 46 to 55. The origin of the O Antiphons is from sometime well before the first millennium of the Church’s history.
Often called the “Great Antiphons,” they are verses derived from Scripture that point to the coming of the Savior of All nations, Christ the Lord. Each of the O Antiphons begins with the word “O,” as a form of jubilant expression, then continues with one of the names of God, fittingly attributed to Jesus.
These names are: Divine Wisdom, Adonai (Sovereign Lord), Root of Jesse, Key of David, Rising Sun, King of All Nations, and finally Emmanuel (God-with-us). The popular Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” paraphrase the texts of the O Antiphons.
Today’s photo is an image of “Our Lady of the O Antiphons,” with the large “O” surrounding the Virgin. We display the icon in front of the lecturn (reader’s stand) in our monastery church from December 17th to the 23rd, where the abbot intones the O Antiphon of the day. The “Our Lady of the O Antiphons” is a popular devotion in many places in Latin America, and our image is a copy of a Peruvian one.
A blessed and calm continuation for the coming Christmas celebrations. Haste and frantic preparation should be avoided by us all!
Abbot Christian and the monks
