Exploring the 7 O Antiphon's of Advent, which are usually said, sung and prayed during the last 7 days of Advent at Vespers (Evening Prayer):
- O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
- O Adonai (O Lord)
- O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
- O Clavis David (O Key of David)
- O Oriens (O Dawn of the East)
- O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
- O Emmanuel (O God with us)
They call to mind the ancient longing and pleading of the people of the Old Testament for a Savior to come, invoking different Christological titles on the seven days before Christmas Eve. In praying these we remember the original yearning for the First Coming of Christ at Bethlehem, and echo the same waiting and supplication for the Emmanuel to come at Parousia, His Second Coming. The ‘O’ Antiphons take us through chronological order from before Creation to the birth of Christ at Bethlehem.
We will go deeper with the prayers, scriptures and traditional music which have been inspired by these names for Jesus.
Resources and info:
- O Antiphons - Wikipedia
- The O Antiphons (Latin and English Text) (learnreligions.com)
- Look to Him and be Radiant: The O Antiphons
- Colouring book
- Look to Him and be Radiant: O Antiphons Projects (Free Printables, Bible Study)
- What Are We Waiting For?: Re-Imaging Advent for Time to Come - Petersen, William H. | 9780898690378 | Amazon.com.au | Books
Music from Harpa Dei: