“O” Antiphons

1. “O” Antiphons “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”

2. “O-H-H-H” The Greatest Prayer

3. We identify with those people of the Old Testament who yearned for the Messiah • We renew our awareness of God breaking into our lives today and being Emmanuel “God-with-us” in so many ways • We voice our own hopes for the second coming of Christ and God’s Kingdom of justice and peace The Three Comings of Christ

4. Prayerful Custom • Began in the Middle Ages • Part of the Liturgy of the Hours History

5. Sung by monks on the days before Christmas • December 17th to the 23rd “O Antiphons

6. Antiphon before the Magnificat in the Liturgy of the Hours Also substituted for the Alleluia verse at Mass on the last days of Advent O Antiphons

7. 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”

8. Use it when in anguish or desire something from the depths of our being Basic Prayer

9. 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

10. 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

11. Each antiphon begins with the word “come” and usually is related to the title in the first part Antiphon’sSecond Part

12. 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

13. 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

14. “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

15. “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

16. “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

17. “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

18. 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

19. “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

20. “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