I am posting this on both the blog and facebook. I recently had to join fb so as to keep in touch with the English Language Mass group in LJ. Might as well use it for something productive.
Preparation Day: 16 December
The "O
Antiphons" are ancient chants dating from before the 6th century. They introduce and close the Magnificat at the office of vespers
beginning on December 17 and concluding on December 23. The seven exquisite images of the coming
Messiah are the basis for the Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." Many point out that the Latin antiphons form
an acrostic. If they are arranged as a
column and one reads the first letter after the O from
the bottom up the message is: ERO CRAS, Latin that means, "Tomorrow I will
come." There is no universal
agreement on this theory among academics and, I suspect, no small amount of
trees were sacrificed to argue the point. Be that as it may, the O Antiphons
represent one of those oftentimes unnoticed and underappreciated celebrations
that add savor to our liturgical life.
Whether chanted using the ancient formal Gregorian chant or said alone
in one's room the antiphons bring an extra element of joy that reminds us of
the nearness of the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord.
Over the next seven
days beginning tomorrow I will post each antiphon in Latin and English. Each
post will include a photo, a short reflection or meditation, a musical 'lagniappe' and a closing prayer. May these posts provide a few moments of
rest, contemplation, prayer, sanity, or relaxation, pretty much the definition
of a retreat, during what can be a chaotic time of year.
Photo: The calligraphy was done by Fr.
David, an Australian religious priest, who made the long retreat at Sevenhill,
SA with our tertian class. He is a talented artist who made eighteen markers,
one for each of the men in the retreat.
We used them to chant the hymn at Mass.
After Mass I propped it up in a rosebush where it was illuminated by the
setting sun.
Meditation: At the beginning of the Spiritual
Exercises, Ignatius instructs retreatants to stand at the foot of the cross and
contemplate the strange fact that the King of the World is hanging on that
cross. He then tells the retreatant to
ask himself three questions.
What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What ought I to do for Christ?
In these last days
of Advent when the Lord is near, we must ask ourselves three additional questions:
What has Christ done for me?
What is Christ doing for me?
What will Christ do for me?
Lagniappe: "In the Lord I'll be Ever Thankful." Taizé (See photo.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAx8gjQrsOY (copy and paste in browser to hear)
Prayer: Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
My soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices
in God my savior;
for he has looked
with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all
generations shall call me blessed:
the Almighty has
done great things for me,
and holy is his
Name.
He has mercy on
those who fear him
in every
generation.
He has shown the strength
of his arms,
he has scattered
the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down
the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up
the lowly.
He has filled the
hungry with good things,
and the rich he has
sent away empty.
He has come to the
help of his servant Israel,
for he has
remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made
to our fathers,
to Abraham and his
children forever.
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