It's Time to Return to the Waning Days of Advent: The O Antiphons of Advent ~ Contributed by M. A. Allen

The "O" Antiphons of Advent

Beginning December 17th and ending on December 23rd, people who daily pray The Liturgy of the Hours will find themselves praying the great "O" Antiphons.  Each day during the next seven days, a different name describing Christ found in the Old Testament is used during Evening Prayer or Vespers.

Here they are:

December 17 - O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other mightily, and sweetly ordering all things:  Come and teach us the way of prudence.

December 18 - O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai:  Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

December 19 - O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer:  Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

December 20 - O Key of David and scepter of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut, you shut and no one can open:  Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in the darkness and the shadow of death, Isaiah had prophesied.

December 21 - O Morning Star, splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness:  Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.

December 22 - O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one:  Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.

December 23 - O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Savior:  Come and save us, O Lord our God.

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I wrote this article a few years ago on my personal blog, "Now is the Time" and decided to use it (with minor changes) here on our parish blog.  I thought the O Antiphons were an interesting subject especially since they are so appropriate during this Advent time.