Category: antiphons
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Vero Cras
Generally, during the period from 15 November until 20 December, I have posted meditations (every 5 days or so) on the Great O Antiphons, including the 8thg Antiphon tradition in the Sarum Rite (O Virgo). I have been lax in recent years because Western Advent does not begin on the 15th of November (as it…
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Gotta Start Somewhere
OVirgo virginum, quomodo fiet istud?Quia nec primam similem visa es nec habere sequentem.Filiae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini?Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cernitis.O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be?For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after.Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me?The thing which ye behold is a divine…
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This Changes Everything
OEmmanuel, Rex et legifer noster,exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum:veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,the hope of the nations and their Saviour:Come and save us, O Lord our God. GOD WITH US: what can that mean? How can the infinite be with us? How can there even be a…
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Power of the King
O REX Gentium, et desideratus earum,lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:veni, et salva hominem,quem de limo formasti.O King of the nations, and their desire,the cornerstone making both one:Come and save the human race,which you fashioned from clay. MODERN DEMOCRACIES from Athens and England, to latecomers like France and America, are pretty much brainwashed into thinking…
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Power of light
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.O Rising Dawn, splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. RBUCKMINSTER FULLER, aka Bucky, was an American architect whose gigantic, dome-shapes are probably familiar to…
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Power of the Keys
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.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…
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Jesus: the Great Reset
O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum,super quem continebunt reges os suum,quem Gentes deprecabuntur:veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.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. WALKING THROUGH the Great…
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Jesus is in Control
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.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. The…
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Discerment and FOMO
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,attingens a fine usque ad finem,fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.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. In the Serenity Prayer, we ask God…
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O Virgin
O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be? For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after. Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me? The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery. Sarum Use (the ancient liturgical of the Cathedral of Salisbury) has one extra Great O Antiphon, assigned…
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O Emmanuel
O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God. Have you ever heard of a pamphlet called The Four Spiritual Laws? I think it was written in 1965 by the folks at Campus Crusade for Christ (which is now, evidently, just…
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O King
O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay. Making both one? Walk back through the O Antiphons. They tell a story of division and union. Wisdom is sought in the first one just so we can understand what’s happening.…
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O Dawn
O Dayspring, splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. And why not? We sing this verse at Vespers on the 20th (in Anglican tradition) or on the 21st (in Roman Catholic and Western Rite Orthodoxy). So it comes either side of…
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O Key of David
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. What is happening here? After yesterday’s particularity, the coming Christchild is…
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O Root
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. At the heart of the story of the Incarnation is one family, one mother, one Child. We can see this: God…
Orthoparadoxy 