Nativity of Christ in the Flesh The last eight articles have been on the seven “O Antiphons” used in the Liturgy Advent and which contain rich Biblical images for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The antiphons are: O Wisdom; O Sacred Lord; O Root of Jesse; O Key of David; O Radiant Dawn; O King of All Nations; O Emmanuel. These antiphons are also paraphrased in the popular carol, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel . The deacon St. Ephraim the Syrian (c. 306-373), an incredible poet and hymn writer, wrote a marvelous Christmas hymn with many biblical images of the Messiah. Following is a portion of Hymn I for the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh . This is the day that gladdened them, the Prophets, Kings, and Priests, for in it were their words fulfilled, and thus were the whole of them indeed performed! For the Virgin this day brought forth Immanuel in Bethlehem. The voice that of old Isaiah spake, today became reality.... The Psalm that David once sang, by i...

O Antiphons: O Emmanuel       This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and the “O Antiphon” we consider this week is the Lord’s Messianic title, “O Emmanuel.” This is the last of the seven “O Antiphons” we have discussed over the last six weeks.       The antiphon for Vespers is:           O Emmanuel, King and Lawgiver,           Desire of the Nations, Savior of All People,           come and set us free, Lord our God.       The Alleluia for Mass modifies it as, “O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!”       Isaiah’s prophecy giving us the messianic title of “Emmanuel” (or “Immanuel”) is from a prophetic word to King Ahaz (ca. 735-715 BC): “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,...

  O Antiphons: O King of All the Nations       This Sunday is the Third Sunday of Advent, and the “O Antiphon” we consider this week is the Lord’s Messianic title, “O King of All the Nations.”  The antiphon for Vespers is:           O King of all the nations,           the only Joy of every human heart;           O Keystone of the mighty arch of man,           come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust. The Alleluia for Mass modifies it as, “O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!”       We start with the last phrase, the “dust.” Genesis 2:7 tells us, “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The prophet Isaiah has this to say to us creatures of dust: “Your d...

O Antiphons: O Radiant Dawn   This Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent, and the “O Antiphon” we consider this week is the Lord’s Messianic title, “O Radiant Dawn.” This antiphon reads the same both for Vespers and at Mass: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. The Latin is “ O Oriens ,” which can mean “rising” and “dawn,” so sometimes this is translated, “O Rising Dawn.” The Antiphon tells us of a radiance of the rising dawn, a splendor of light that is eternal, a “sun” who is justice and righteousness – the Messiah – who will dawn upon our darkness, shadows, gloom, and death. Isaiah prophesies, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown” (Is 9:1; quoted at Mt 4:16 as fulfilled in Christ). And, “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily” (Is 58...

O Antiphons: O Key of David           This Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent, and the “O Antiphon” we consider this week is the Lord’s Messianic title, “O Key of David.”       The antiphon for Vespers is:                O Key of David, O Royal Power of Israel,                  controlling at your will the gate of heaven:                 come, break down the prison walls of death                 for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death;                 and lead your captive people into freedom.          The Alleluia for Mass modifies it as, “O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!”...

  O Antiphons: O Root of Jesse       We are in a series of articles meditating on our Lord’s coming again this Christmas by using the lovely Advent tradition of calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ with one of his messianic titles. This week we call upon him as “O Root of Jesse,” also translated, “O Flower of Jesse’s stem.”       This “O Antiphon” (as they are called) for Vespers is rendered in today’s English as:           O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples;              kings stand silent in your presence;              the nations bow down in worship before you.             Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.       The lectionary for Mass for the Gospel Alleluia modifies it to read: “O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love...

O Antiphons: O Lord          We are in a series of articles meditating on our Lord’s coming by using the lovely Advent tradition of calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ with one of his messianic titles. This week we call upon him as “O Lord” (Adoni), also translated, “O Leader.” This “O Antiphon” (as they are called) is rendered in today’s English as:                O Sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,                who gave him the Holy Law on Sinai mountain:                come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.          The lectionary for Mass modifies it to read: “O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue u...

O Antiphons: O Wisdom       Fall is now upon us. Advent is near. Christmas is coming.       We might begin thinking of our Lord's coming by using a lovely Advent tradition of calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ with one of his messianic titles, such as “O Wisdom.” Liturgically and traditionally, they start on Dec. 17th, but we might prepare ourselves for Advent and Christmas by taking more time, starting today, to meditate on these seven different themes.       The tradition is commonly called the “O Antiphons” because each begins with an “O.” (An “antiphon” is a verse added before and/or after a Psalm or canticle from Scripture; something like we use a refrain for songs and hymns today.)       The popular Advent and Christmas hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” is an English paraphrase of these seven O Antiphons.       They probably began in the 5th or 6th Century and...

The Two Waits of Advent        Advent is a time of waiting. While we wait for the coming of Christ, the Church reads from the prophet Isaiah during Advent as the clearest prophetic expression of Christ. Isaiah 30:18 has an interesting take on this waiting. It says: “Blessed are all those who wait for” the Lord, which we hear often from many passages in Scripture. But this verse actually begins by saying an astonishing thing: “The Lord waits to be gracious to you.” We wait for the Lord; but first the Lord is waiting for us so that He might shower us with grace. Part of our Advent reflection, then, is: how open, receptive, and available are we to this God of grace who is waiting for us?       The Christmas and New Year’s schedule for Our Lady of Lourdes Church is as follows:       This Saturday, Dec. 21, our Pastor, as Vicar of the High Desert Region, must be in Fresno for a priestly ordination, and therefore ther...