{"id":5951,"date":"2010-12-17T00:01:17","date_gmt":"2010-12-17T06:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=5951"},"modified":"2011-12-17T20:36:54","modified_gmt":"2011-12-18T02:36:54","slug":"o-holy-wisdom-the-o-antiphons-on-the-days-before-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2010\/12\/17\/o-holy-wisdom-the-o-antiphons-on-the-days-before-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"O Sapientia: O Holy Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beginning with the 17th of December, the liturgical tradition marks each day until Christmas Eve with an ancient and mysterious text, one of the so-called O-Antiphons. The O-Antiphons are among the most magnificent and ancient compositions of the Roman liturgy. Dating back to at least the seventh century, they are antiphons for the Magnificat<\/em>, chanted at Vespers on the days before Christmas Eve. They are named \u201cO\u201d after their introductory exclamation of longing. The O-Antiphons give voice to the deepest longing of Advent, the coming of the Redeemer. Each daily antiphon takes a different image from the Hebrew Scriptures \u2014 Wisdom, Lord of Israel, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dawn, King of Nations, Emmanuel \u2014 to plead for the coming of Christ. Together, these antiphons move toward Christ\u2019s birth, celebrated the day after the last of them has been chanted. In the English-speaking world, the hymn \u201cO Come, O Come, Emmanuel\u201d has popularized these O-Antiphons far <\/ins>beyond the confines of the church\u2019s liturgy.<\/p>\n

On December 17, the O-Antiphon begins by invoking \u201cHoly Wisdom,\u201d the ancient feminine embodiment of the Divine Presence in the Hebrew Scriptures. Here is the Latin text, and a literal translation:<\/p>\n

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.<\/em><\/p>\n

O Wisdom, who proceeded from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other and ordering all things powerfully and gently: come to teach us the way of prudence.<\/p>\n

And here is how one might speak this ancient text for today:<\/p>\n

O Holy Wisdom,
\n<\/strong>how I long for you!
\n<\/strong>You are the Word of Life
\n<\/strong>whispered by the Divine Presence.
\n<\/strong>With fierce tenderness
\n<\/strong>you reach to touch the ends of the galaxy
\n<\/strong>and the edges of the universe,
\n<\/strong>inviting all creation to flourish.
\n<\/strong>Come, Holy Wisdom,
\n<\/strong>show us wisdom\u2019s ways.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With eight more shopping days left before Christmas, may the praying and counting the O-Antiphons direct our desires toward that midnight hour between the 24th and the 25th of December when, two millennia ago God was born in human form.<\/p>\n

The above rendition of the first of the O-Antiphons by Teresa Berger originally appeared in her book <\/em>Fragments of Real Presence<\/a> (NY; Crossroad, 2005). Copyright \u00a9 2005, Teresa Berger. All rights reserved. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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