{“O” Antiphons

“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”

“O-H-H-H”

The Greatest Prayer

1. We identify with those people of the Old Testament who yearned for the Messiah

2. We renew our awareness of God breaking into our lives today and being Emmanuel “God-with-us” in so many ways

3. We voice our own hopes for the second coming of Christ and God’s Kingdom of justice and peace

The Three Comings of Christ

Prayerful Custom Began in the Middle Ages Part of the Liturgy of the

Hours

History

Sung by monks on the days before Christmas

December 17th to the 23rd

“O Antiphons

Antiphon before the Magnificat in the Liturgy of the HoursAlso substituted for the Alleluia verse at Mass on the last days of Advent

O Antiphons

Probably the first prayer A primitive person’s response to

the wonders of the world Sunset Rainbow Star spangled sky Green shoots breaking through

the crust of the earth from seeds

“Oh”

Use it when in anguish or desire something from the depths of our being

Basic Prayer

All antiphons have the same structure Each begins with “O”

Emphasize need, desire, thirst for Jesus and attract his attention by crying out “O”

Structure

Each antiphon addresses the Savior by a title gleaned from Old Testament prophecies, followed by a brief explanation of that title

Antiphon’s First Part

Each antiphon begins with the word “come” and usually is related to the title in the first part

Antiphon’sSecond Part

First – relates to Creation Second – the Exodus Third – the time before Kings Fourth – the reign of David Fifth – the Prophets Sixth – the time before Christ Seventh – a joyous outburst in which

we address God-with-us now: Emmanuel

Spans all of Salvation History

Still imprisoned in many ways and sitting in darkness Shadow of death haunts us Nations divided Communities divided Long for unity Still await a Savior

Today

“O Wisdom, breath of the Most High, ordering all creation with strength and tenderness, come teach us the way of truth” (based on Wisdom 9:17-18)

Eye of God Wisdom

“O Lord of lords, Leader of the house of Israel, You appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: come set us free” (based on Psalms 59:6, 103.7)

Burning Bush: Lord of Lords

“O Root of Jesse, set up as a sign for the nations, kings stand mute before You and the nations give You honor. Come, deliver us, do not delay!” (based on Isaiah 11:10)

Jesse Tree: Root of Jesse

“O Key of David and ruler of the house of Israel, who can open what You have closed, or close what You have opened? Come, set Your captive people free.” (based on Isaiah 22:22)

Key of David

O Rising Dawn, splendor of eternal light and Sun of Justice, come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.” (based on Malachi 3:20)

Rising Dawn

“O King of nations, ruler that we long for, cornerstone of the human family: come, save the people You made from dust.” (based on Isaiah 28:16)

Cornerstone King of Nations

“O Emmanuel, God-with-us, the expected Savior of all the people, come and save us, O Lord our God!” (based on Isaiah 7:14)

Christ ChildEmmanuel