Sunday, December 24, 2006
THE "O" ANTIPHONS
December 17 - "O Sapientia" ("O Wisdom"): "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:2-3)
December 18 - "O Adonai" ("O Lord and Ruler"): "I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery." (Ex 20:2)
December 19 - "O Radix Iesse" ("O Root of Jesse"): "But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom." (Is 11:1)
December 20 - "O Clavis David" ("O Key of David"): "I will place the Key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open." (Is 22:22)
December 21 - "O Oriens" ("O Dayspring"): "All this is the work of the kindness of our God; he, the Dayspring, shall visit us in his mercy to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death." (Lk 1:78)
December 22 - "O Rex Gentium" ("O King of the Nations"): "He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples." (Is 2:4)
December 23 - "O Emmanuel" ("O Emmanuel"): "The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall give him the name Immanuel." (Is 7:14).
