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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 20:23:29 GMT -5
December 17th
Latin:
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.[8] English:
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence. Isaiah had prophesied:
"The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:2-3
This prophecy is also relevant in that it describes the Messiah as "coming forth from the mouth of the Most High", which is very significant in light of the Christian doctrine, rooted in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, according to which Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the Incarnate Word of God the Father. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 20:30:27 GMT -5
December 18th
O Adonai
Latin:
O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento. English:
O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.
Isaiah had prophesied:
"[...] but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins." Isaiah 11:4-5 "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king; he will save us." Isaiah 33:22 |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2017 16:35:44 GMT -5
 December 19th
Latin:
O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem Gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.
English:
O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer. Isaiah had prophesied:
"A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Isaiah 11:1 "On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious." Isaiah 11:10
Today we are reminded that Jesus is connected to the line of David. One thing that always strikes me about Matthew’s geneology is that many of the people included are not who one might expect. There are prostitutes, murderers, adulterers, and all sorts of “interesting” people. But there is also the reminder that there is never a time to be without hope. The prophet Isaiah’s words were a reminder to the people that the Messiah would come, But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. (Isaiah 11:1) Roots are important in living a life of faith. They are the continual source of the things that give us life, and we know that even when a tree is cut down, if the roots are good, life will once again spring forth. These final days of Advent remind us to look to our roots. We are reminded that when we sin and as a result kill off some of our faith not to lose our hope for salvation but to return to God who is our source of forgiveness and hope. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2017 17:05:03 GMT -5
December 20
O KEY of DAVID
Latin:
O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
English:
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Isaiah had prophesied:
"I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open." Isaiah 22:22 "His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore." Isaiah 9:7 "...To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."Isaiah 42:7.
When it comes to God, we should always expect the unexpected. Today’s antiphon brings us back to reflecting upon David, the king. The story of how David was anointed as King of Israel is found in the first book of Samuel. Samuel was sent to Jesse to anoint one of his sons as king. Samuel surprised everyone by announcing that God has chosen Jesse’s youngest son David. Isaiah gives us these words to ponder, 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. (Isaiah 22:22) David was a man with many faults, but God chose him nonetheless. He also chooses us to follow him, despite our weakness. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2017 15:52:32 GMT -5
 December 21
O MORNING STAR
Latin:
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.
English:
O Morning Star, splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
As we continue towards the end of our Advent journey it is important to remember that no matter how far we slip into the darkness of sin and death, that a savior has been born unto us who will scatter the darkness once and for all. Sunlight serves many purposes in our world. Without it, there can be no life. We know also that those things that have died need the sun’s light in order to decay. Light both brings forth life and destroys those things that are dead. Christ’s light does the same. It brings forth new life for each person who receives his light, while destroying those things in each of us that would otherwise bring death upon us. Today we rejoice in the light of Christ that shines forth to destroy the darkness. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2017 10:17:49 GMT -5
Dec. 22
O KING OF NATIONS
Latin:
O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.
English:
O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.
We begin and end each liturgical year with our focus on Christ the King. The appearance of the Magi with their gifts are reminders to us that even as a baby, Christ is our true king. Fr. Bob Barron has suggested that there is a contrast of kings in the Christmas story. There is Herod, the tyrant and worldly king, and there is Christ, the savior of the world and prince of peace. Barron reminds us the Christmas is the time when we must make the choice of which king we will follow. Christ is certainly a different sort of king in that his power and armies are not at the service of death and destruction, but rather bring forth the power of grace and forgiveness. Isaiah’s words have much to teach us in this regard. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. (Isaiah 2:4) The celebration of Christmas and these final days of Advent should allow us to look for the areas of our life needing peace. For many of us, this time of the year brings a hectic pace and the reminder of strained relationships with family members and friends. Today we have the opportunity to invite God into these areas by following Christ, the king of the nations. Let us invite him to rule our hearts and bring them his peace. |
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Post by Clipper on Dec 23, 2017 13:14:01 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing with us Will. I am enjoying reading this series of advent readings. I have always had a fondness for the book of Isaiah and his prophesies.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2017 16:00:42 GMT -5
 Dec. 23
O EMMANUEL
Latin:
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.
English:
O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God.
Isaiah had prophesied: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14 As the hours until Christmas draw near our prayers seem even more urgent. Come and save us, O Lord our God! The hymn O Come O Come Emmanuel, which draws entirely upon these O Antiphons begins by saying, ransom captive Israel. I believe Christians have often taken this idea of God’s paying a ransom of his son in the wrong way. Too many times we have allowed ourselves to see God and the devil on an equal playing field and wonder what kind of God would demand the death of his son as expiation for our sins. A better explanation of the idea of a ransom is that God indeed sent his son to rescue us from the power of sin and death, but that once the trade has taken place there is a surprise awaiting those same powers. Christ is infinitely more powerful than the forces of evil and they have no power to hold him. |
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Post by Clipper on Dec 23, 2017 16:44:24 GMT -5
One of the memories of Advent and Christmas with my paternal grandparents is of the gift of an advent calendar each year containing bible verses, most of which were derived from the book of Isaiah. I don't have very many memories of my days as a Catholic, but the observance of advent, and the celebration of Christmas and Easter in the church will forever be emblazoned in my memories of my grandmother, who was a devout Catholic that attended mass just about every day of her life. At Christmas and Easter she often attended mass at several different churches in order to enjoy the beautiful flowers and decorations. In later years she lived across Eagle Street from St. Francis church and attended mass there each morning before she started her day. Quite often when I would stop to see her I would find her saying her rosary. She said that her spare time was better spent in prayer than in watching television. She was born in Notre Dame De LaSallette, Quebec. A favorite memory is when our family took her back to her home church in Notre Dame to retrieve a copy of her baptismal certificate and to attend mass in the church she attended as a child. We also took her to the shrine at St Anne De Beaupre' on that same trip. She talked about that trip for the rest of her life.
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