The O Antiphons are brief antiphons, prayers, used at evening prayer on each of the last seven days of Advent (Dec 17-23). They are referred to as the O Antiphons because the title of each one begins with the interjection O. Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture. The O Antiphons inspired many Advent hymns, the most familiar of which is: O Come, O Come Emmanuel, which incorporates the O Antiphons into its verses. The O Antiphons contain powerful pleas for the coming of the Lord. If you take the first letter of each Latin title starting backward at Dec. 23, you will form the Latin words, Ero Cras, which mean, Tomorrow I will come. On the last days of Advent, you may wish to add these “O Antiphons” to your evening prayer, your prayer at table, or your bedtime prayer. Today: Dec. 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.) In todays O Antiphon - O Sapientia - we are drawn into the Old Testaments wisdom literature. Wisdom is a divine attribute. The divine Wisdom is personified. Wisdom is the beloved daughter who was before Creation, Wisdom is the breath of Gods power, and Wisdom is the shining of Gods (transforming) glory. (See Sirach 24:3 and Wisdom 8:1.) Wisdom is also something which we deeply desire. It is also a human attribute, not just a divine attribute, though authentic human wisdom is never separated from a relationship with God. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, as we learn from the psalms as well as the school of personal hard-knocks. From this convergence of awesome respect for God with the experience of learning through lifes mysterious calendar, we understand (if we are wise) that wisdom is more than mere knowledge. It is something more than love. It is something more than just a special astuteness regarding how to get along in life. Rooted as it is in fear of the Lord, true human wisdom is both love and that knowledge of God that seeks to understand, the knowledge that is completed by faith.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 12:27:49 +0000
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