Advent Antiphon: O Flower of Jesse's Stem

"O come, thou rod of Jesse's stem, from ev'ry foe deliver them

that trust thy mighty power to save, and give them vict'ry o'er the grave."

The images in today's O Antiphon text (read the original: the Magnificat antiphon for Evening Prayer) seem not so much to jostle one another as almost to clash. A tender flower that an ancient, once noble tree, ravaged and assaulted over the centuries so that nothing is left but a stump, manages to squeeze out as with its last drop of energy; raised up as a sign for all peoples; yet so mighty that kings stand silent in its presence while the nations bow down in worship. Can all of this really occupy the same space as one sole person?
And yet this is precisely so. This is Jesus, to whom the peoples call, "Come, let nothing keep you." Lord, come and save us. We trust in your mighty power to--to do what? Only each one of us knows for what it is that we need to trust in his mighty power. The power of a Lord so mighty that even kings are struck silent. The power of a tender flower budding forth from a withered stump, seemingly against all odds. That's what's so great about Advent. It's the season of the most amazing contradictions.

Advent Antiphon: O Sacred Lord

"O come, O come, thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times didst give the Law, in cloud and majesty and awe."

Eighteenth-century aesthetic theory distinguished between the Beautiful and the Sublime. The Beautiful was -- well, beautiful. Harmonious, pleasing, restful. A well-landscaped park was beautiful. The Sublime, in contrast, was something that evoked awe, reverence, even fear. Mountains were sublime, not only because of their height and their uneven, often jagged appearance, but because it used to be thought that they were the abode of gods and other supernatural beings.
And so it was that the God of ancient Israel appeared in the burning bush on Sinai's peak to Moses to give him the Ten Commandments. And here the marvelous second verse of our Advent hymn, the second of the O Antiphons, identifies this "Lord of might" with Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah.
The text of the actual liturgical antiphon asks this "sacred Lord" to set us free -- that common Advent theme that invites each of us to consider what we need to be set free from.
Think of how Jesus at the Transfiguration appeared to his three friends "in cloud and majesty and awe." And think of the contrast between the descriptions of the Lord in these O Antiphons--because the sublimity is to be found in all of them, not just this one--and the tiny, helpless Baby that actually did appear on earth that first Christmas. It's one thing, that unexpected character, that makes the O Antiphons so stunning.  So -- awesome!

Advent Antiphon: O Wisdom

O come, thou Wisdom, from on high, Who ord'rest all things mightily;

to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

December 17, the first day of the beautiful and haunting O Antiphons! Among the most splendid poetry of the church, these ancient antiphons form the basis of the favorite Advent hymn "O come, O come, Emmanuel."  The church uses them in her liturgy as the Magnificat antiphon for Evening Prayer and also as the verse of the Gospel Acclamation at Mass. As you can see from the quotation above, the order of the O antiphons in the liturgy differs from that in the familiar hymn. The first one salutes Christ as Wisdom.

One of the psalms often used during Advent is Psalm 25, which asks God to teach us his ways and show us the path we must walk. This Advent antiphon, whether in the original text or in the hymn, succinctly and poetically sums up this request. Also, it follows the ancient Christian tradition of identifying Christ with the Wisdom of God. When you think of it, some of the greatest figures of ancient Israel prized wisdom and knew to ask God for this gift: King David in the great penitential Psalm 51, and of course, his son King Solomon, whose beautiful prayer for wisdom is found in the Book of Wisdom, chapter 9.  Chapter 8 of the same book contains a number of references that the Christian tradition applies to Jesus. Read it and you'll be amazed. And of course, read chapter 9 to pray for wisdom. Where do you need God's gift of wisdom in your life? Ask King Solomon to join you in prayer.