O Antiphons for Advent

Yesterday I saw a flurry of Facebook postings about the O Antiphons, as yesterday was the first day of their use.  Here's how a Wikipedia article lists them:


17 December: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
18 December: O Adonai (O Lord)
19 December: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
21 December: O Oriens (O Dayspring)
22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
23 December: O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)

You may or may not notice that each of these Antiphons gives us a name of God, and by using these names, we're calling on God to come to us while reminding ourselves of ancient prophecies that reminded us that God will come.

Here's the Antiphon for today, in modern language:

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

And in more ancient language (from this website):


aAdonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at whom kings shall shut their mouths, to whom the Gentiles shall seek: Come and deliver us, and tarry not.

I confess that I haven't used these antiphons much, and I often forget about them until people start posting.  And though they are often used with evening liturgies, we didn't use them last night when we lit the 3rd candle on our Advent wreath (we were at our atheist friends on Sunday night, so we didn't light our Advent wreath on Sunday).

The Christian church has been using these antiphons for many centuries, and often in monastic traditions more than others, so I feel a tug.  

I like a way of marking the season, especially a season that is long and moving towards a dramatic conclusion.  We often lose sight of it all along the way, especially during a season of hectic pace, like many of us experience in December.

And yet, they don't speak to me in a deeper way.  I wonder if I could create a version of them that would.