Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.
Showing posts with label The Great O Antiphons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Great O Antiphons. Show all posts

Sunday, 22 December 2013

The Great O Antiphons. 22 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.


File:Adoration of the shepherds reni.JPG

English: Adoration of the Shepherds (Detail).
Deutsch: Anbetung der Hirten, Detail.
Artist: Guido Reni (1575–1642).
Date: 1630 - 1642.
Current location: Certosa di San Martino, Naples, Italy.
(Wikimedia Commons)



O Rex Gentium.
The Great O Antiphon
for 22 December.
Available on YouTube at


 22 December:  Aggeus ii. 8;  Ephesians ii. 14, 20.

O Rex Gentium,
et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis,
qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem,
quem de limo formasti.

O King of the Gentiles,
and the desired of them,
Thou cornerstone that makest both one,
come and deliver man,
whom Thou didst form out of 
      the dust of the earth.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."

"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Saturday, 21 December 2013

The Great O Antiphons. 21 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 
unless otherwise stated.


File:Sandro Botticelli 062.jpg

Artist: Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510).
Deutsch: Madonna und zwei Engel
English: Madonna and Child with two Angels.
Italiano: Madonna con due angeli.
Date: 1468 - 1469.
Current location: Galleria Nazionale di Capodimonte.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. 
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1]
(Wikimedia Commons)



O Oriens.
The Great O Antiphon
for 21 December.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/1BsZH7e27Dg.



 21 December:  Psalm cvi.  10.

O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae,
et sol justitiae;
veni et illumina sedentes in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.

O Dawn of the East,
brightness of the light eternal,
and Sun of Justice;
come and enlighten them that sit in darkness,
and in the shadow of death.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Thursday, 19 December 2013

The Great O Antiphons. 19 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 
unless otherwise stated.


File:Madonna michelangelo.jpg

Madonna and Child,
(1501-1504).
Brügge Cathedral,
"Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk", Belgium.
Photo: 7 February 2005.
Author: Elke Wetzig (elya).
(Wikimedia Commons)



O Radix Jesse.
The Great O Antiphon
for 19 December.
Available on YouTube at


19 December: Isaias xi. 10.

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,
who standest for an ensign of the people,
before whom kings shall keep silence,
and unto whom the Gentiles shall make their supplication:
come to deliver us, 
and tarry not.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Wednesday, 18 December 2013

The Great O Antiphons. 18 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 
unless otherwise stated.


File:Lorenzo Lotto 017.jpg

English: Christ is born.
Deutsch: Christi Geburt.
Artist: Lorenzo Lotto (1480–1556).
Date: 1523.
Current location: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. 
ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1]
(Wikimedia Commons)




O Adonai.
The Great O Antiphon
for 18 December.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/dn1cloz0ssQ.


18 December: Exodus iii. 2, xx. 1.

O Adonai,
et dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimentum nos in brachio extento.

O Adonai,
and Leader of the House of Israel,
who didst appear to Moses in the flame of 
      the burning bush,
and didst give unto him the Law on Sinai:
come and with an outstretched arm redeem us.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Tuesday, 17 December 2013

The Great O Antiphons. 17 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 
unless otherwise stated.



English: Madonna and Child.
Deutsch: Sixtinische Madonna, Szene: Maria mit Christuskind, 
Hl. Papst Sixtus II. und Hl. Barbara.
Artist: Raphael (1483 - 1520).
Current location: Gemäldegalerie, Dresden, Germany.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. 
ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1]
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Boundless desire for the coming of Christ, which is a feature of the whole of Advent, is expressed in the Liturgy with an impatience which grows greater, the closer we come to Christmas and, so to speak, to the world's end.

"The Lord comes from far" (First Vespers, First Sunday of Advent).
"The Lord will come" (Introit, Second Sunday of Advent).
"The Lord is nigh" (Introit. Third Sunday in Advent).

This gradation will be emphasised throughout the whole Season, ever more and more.

Thus, on 17 December, begin the Greater Antiphons, which, from their initial letters, are called the "O Antiphons", and which form an impassioned appeal to the Messias, whose prerogatives and glorious titles they make known to us.

Dom Guéranger [Editor: He who was the author of "The Liturgical Year"] affirms that those Antiphons contain the "whole marrow" of the Advent Liturgy.

On account of their number, Honorius of Autun connects them with The Seven Gifts of The Holy Ghost, with which Our Lord was filled.






O Sapientia.
The Great O Antiphon
for 17 December.
Available on YouTube at
http://youtu.be/8ngcQDQfhlA.


17 December: Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 5; Wisdom viii. 1

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,
who camest out of the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from end to end and ordering all things
      mightily and sweetly:
come and teach us the way of prudence.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."

Saturday, 22 December 2012

The Great O Antiphons. 23 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 
unless otherwise stated.



 Artist: Gerard van Honthorst (1590–1656).
The Adoration of the Shepherds.
Date: 25 December 1622.
Current location: Wallraf-Richartz-Museum.
 Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. 
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1] 
(Wikimedia Commons)


 23 December: Isaias vii. 14, xxxiii. 22.

O Emmanuel,
Rex et legifer noster,
exspectatio Gentium,
et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos,
Domine Deus noster.

O Emmanuel,
our King and Lawgiver,
the expected of the nations 
and their Saviour,
come to save us,
O Lord our God.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."

"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


The Great O Antiphons. 22 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless otherwise stated.

 

Artist: Guido Reni (1575–1642).
Deutsch: Anbetung der Hirten, Detail.
Date: 1630 - 1642.
Current location: Deutsch: Museo di San Martino.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. 
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1]
(Wikimedia Commons)


 22 December:  Aggeus ii. 8;  Ephesians ii. 14, 20.

O Rex Gentium,
et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis,
qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem,
quem de limo formasti.

O King of the Gentiles,
and the desired of them,
Thou cornerstone that makest both one,
come and deliver man,
whom Thou didst form out of 
      the dust of the earth.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."

"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Friday, 21 December 2012

The Great O Antiphons. 21 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 
unless otherwise stated.



Artist: Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510).
Deutsch: Madonna und zwei Engel
English: Madonna and Child with two angels.
Italiano: Madonna con due angeli.
Date: 1468 - 1469.
Current location: Galleria Nazionale di Capodimonte.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. 
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202
Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1]
(Wikimedia Commons)


 21 December:  Psalm cvi.  10.

O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae,
et sol justitiae;
veni et illumina sedentes in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.

O Dawn of the East,
brightness of the light eternal,
and Sun of Justice;
come and enlighten them that sit in darkness,
and in the shadow of death.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Thursday, 20 December 2012

The Great O Antiphons. 20 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, 
unless otherwise stated.



English: Workshop of the Della Robbia (early 16th-Century)
Madonna with Child, the Holy Spirit and two cherubims, enamelled terracotta.
Français: Atelier des Della Robbia (début du XVIe siècle.
Vierge à l'Enfant avec le Saint Esprit et deux chérubins, terre cuite émaillée.
Current location: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
Accession Number: Campana 32.
Source/Photographer: Jastrow (2006).
(Wikimedia Commons)


20 December: Isaias xxii. 22; Apocalypse iii. 7; Luke i. 79.

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,
who openest and no man shutteth,
who shuttest and no man openeth;
come and bring forth from his prison-house,
the captive that sitteth in darkness and
      in the shadow of death.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Wednesday, 19 December 2012

The Great O Antiphons. 19 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless otherwise stated.



Madonna and Child.
Artist: Marianne Stokes (1855 - 1927),
Date: 1907 - 1908.
Current location: Wolverhampton Art Gallery and Museum.
Source/Photographer: Own work, user:Rlbberlin
(Wikimedia Commons)


19 December: Isaias xi. 10.

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,
who standest for an ensign of the people,
before whom kings shall keep silence,
and unto whom the Gentiles shall make their supplication:
come to deliver us, 
and tarry not.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Tuesday, 18 December 2012

The Great O Antiphons. 18 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless otherwise stated.


File:Lorenzo Lotto 017.jpg


English: Christ is born.
Deutsch: Christi Geburt.
Artist: Lorenzo Lotto (1480–1556).
Date: 1523.
Current location: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. 
ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1]
(Wikimedia Commons)


18 December: Exodus iii. 2, xx. 1.

O Adonai,
et dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimentum nos in brachio extento.

O Adonai,
and Leader of the House of Israel,
who didst appear to Moses in the flame of 
      the burning bush,
and didst give unto him the Law on Sinai:
come and with an outstretched arm redeem us.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Monday, 17 December 2012

The Great O Antiphons. 17 December.


Text and Illustrations taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal, unless otherwise stated.




Deutsch: Sixtinische Madonna, Szene: Maria mit Christuskind, 
Hl. Papst Sixtus II. und Hl. Barbara
Current location: Gemäldegalerie, Dresden.
Source/Photographer: The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. 
DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.
Permission: [1]
Madonna and Child by Raphael (1483 - 1520).
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Boundless desire for the coming of Christ, which is a feature of the whole of Advent, is expressed in the Liturgy with an impatience which grows greater, the closer we come to Christmas and, so to speak, to the world's end.

"The Lord comes from far" (First Vespers, First Sunday of Advent).
"The Lord will come" (Introit, Second Sunday of Advent).
"The Lord is nigh" (Introit. Third Sunday in Advent).

This gradation will be emphasised throughout the whole Season, ever more and more.

Thus, on 17 December, begin the Greater Antiphons, which, from their initial letters, are called the "O Antiphons", and which form an impassioned appeal to the Messias, whose prerogatives and glorious titles they make known to us.

Dom Gueranger [Editor: He who was the author of "The Liturgical Year"] affirms that those Antiphons contain the "whole marrow" of the Advent Liturgy.

On account of their number, Honorius of Autun connects them with The Seven Gifts of The Holy Ghost, with which Our Lord was filled.



17 December: Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 5; Wisdom viii. 1

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,
who camest out of the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from end to end and ordering all things
      mightily and sweetly:
come and teach us the way of prudence.

V. Rorate.

"Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . ."
"Ye heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One."


Sunday, 16 December 2012

The Commencement Of The Church's Great O Antiphons Begins, Tomorrow, 17 December.


Text and Illustrations are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.



"Sapientia".
Picture: From Codex Gigas.
Date: 13th-Century.
Source: Web of The Royal Library, National Library of Sweden 
(Full page image), cropped for usage here.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The O Antiphons are Magnificat Antiphons used at Vespers on the last seven days of Advent in Western Christian traditions.

Each Antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture.

They are:

December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
December 18: O Adonai (O Lord)
December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring)
December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the nations)
December 23: O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)

In the Roman Catholic tradition in which they originated, the O Antiphons are sung or recited at Vespers from 17 December to 23 December, inclusive (but see note, below, on alternative English usage).

In the Church of England, they have traditionally been used as Antiphons to the Magnificat at Evening Prayer during this period, and although not printed in the Book of Common Prayer, have long been part of secondary Anglican Liturgical sources, such as the English Hymnal. More recently, they have found a place in primary Liturgical documents throughout the Anglican Communion, including the Church of England's Common Worship Liturgy.



Fleury Abbey (Floriacum) in Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, Loiret, France, 
founded about 640 A.D., is one of the most celebrated 
Benedictine Monasteries of Western Europe, 
which possesses the Relics of Saint Benedict of Nursia.
Photo: July 2005.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Use of the O Antiphons also occurs in many Lutheran Churches. In the Book of Common Worship, published by the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Antiphons can be read as a Praise Litany at Morning or Evening Prayer.

The Hymn, O come, O come, Emmanuel (in Latin, Veni Emmanuel) is a lyrical paraphrase of these Antiphons.

The first letters of the titles, taken backwards, form a Latin acrostic of "Ero Cras" which translates to "Tomorrow, I will be there", mirroring the theme of the antiphons.



Isaiah's Lips Anointed With Fire.
Artist: Benjamin West (1738 - 1820).
Current Location: BJU Museum and Gallery.
Source/Photographer: BJU Museum and Gallery.
(Wikimedia Commons)


According to Fr. William Saunders:

“ The exact origin of the "O Antiphons" is not known. Boethius (480 A.D. – 524 A.D.) used language which may be a reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence in the 6th-Century A.D. At the Benedictine Fleury Abbey, these Antiphons were recited by the Abbot and other Abbey leaders in descending Rank, and then a gift was given to each Member of the Community. By the 8th-Century A.D., they were in use in The Liturgical Celebrations in Rome. The usage of the "O Antiphons" was so prevalent in Monasteries that the phrases "Keep your O" and "The Great O Antiphons" were common parlance. One may thereby conclude that, in some fashion, the "O Antiphons" have been part of Western Liturgical Tradition since the very Early-Church.

The Benedictine Monks arranged these Antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last Title and takes the first letter of each one—Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia—the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning: "Tomorrow, I will come". Therefore, Jesus, Whose coming Christians have prepared for in Advent and Whom they have addressed in these Seven Messianic Titles, now speaks to them: "Tomorrow, I will come." So, the "O Antiphons" not only bring intensity to their Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion. ”

A number of other Antiphons were found in various Mediaeval Breviaries.

The importance of the "O Antiphons" is twofold. First, each one is a Title for The Messiah. Secondly, each one refers to the Prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of The Messiah. The Latin Antiphons are from The Breviarium Romanum. The English versions, which are not always literal translations of the Latin, are from The Church of England's Common Worship Liturgy. Biblical quotations are from The NRSV.

Friday, 14 December 2012

The Mystery of Advent (Part Four)


Italic text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

The Saint Andrew Daily Missal is obtainable from Carmel Books, Blackford House, Andover Road, Highclere, Newbury, Berkshire, England RG20 9PF. Tel: (01635 255340).
E-Mail: enquiries.carmelbooks@gmail.com

Illustrations are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.


070 - Copy - Copy


Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe “at St. Bernard.”, 328 West 14th Street, New York.
Taken from the Blog of The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny at http://sthughofcluny.org


In this way, the Church makes pass before our eyes the magnificent procession which, all down the ages, goes before Jesus Christ. There we see Jacob, Judah, Moses, David, Micheas, Jeremias, Ezechiel, Daniel, Joel, Zacharias, Habacuc, Osea, Aggeus, Malachias, and, above all, Isaias, Saint John The Baptist [with whom three out of the four Advent Gospels are concerned], Saint Joseph, and the glorious Virgin Mary, who sums up in herself all Messianic hopes, seeing that their fulfilment hung on her Fiat. "Be it done unto me according to Thy word. All these holy Souls yearned for the Redeemer, and in their fervent longing they besought Him to hasten the day when He would come.

As we follow the Masses and Office of Advent, we are impressed by these urgent and pressing appeals to the Messias:

"Come, Lord, nor tarry longer [Gradual for the Fourth Sunday]". 
"The Lord is nigh, come, let us adore Him." 
"Come, Lord, and save us." 
"The King who is to come; O come, let us adore Him." 
"Show forth Thy power, O Lord, and come [Collect for the Fourth Sunday]." 





English: Stained glass, St John the Baptist's Anglican Church
Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia. 
Illustrates Jesus' description of Himself: "I am the Good Shepherd
(from the Gospel of John, Chapter 10, Verse 11). 
[This version of the image shows a vertical section focusing on Jesus.]
The memorial window is also captioned: 
"To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. 
Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70."
Français : Vitrail de l'église anglicane Saint Jean Baptiste d'Ashfield (site de l'église), 
en Nouvelle Galles du Sud (Australie). 
Le vitrail illustre la description de Jésus par lui même dans le livre de Jean (chapitre 10, verset 11). On lit aussi sur ce vitrail: (« Dédié à la gloire de Dieu, et à la mémoire de William Wright, 
mort le 6 Novembre 1932 à l'âge de 70 ans »).
Author: Stained glass: Alfred Handel, d. 1946[2], Photo:Toby Hudson.
(Wikimedia Commons)


[All the following are from the Greater Antiphons] [the Great O Antiphons]

"O Wisdom, come and teach us the way of Prudence." 
"O God, guide of the House of Israel, come, stretch forth Thy hand and redeem us."
"O Root of Jesse; come to deliver us and tarry not."
"O key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel, come and release the captive plunged in darkness and the shadow of death."
"Morning Star; brightness of Eternal Light, come and enlighten those who are plunged in darkness and the shadow of death."
"O King and Desire of nations, come and save man whom Thou hast made from the slime of the Earth."
"O Emmanuel [God with us], Our King and our Lawgiver, O Lord, Our God."



057 - Copy


Our Lady of Coromoto, 
(Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Coromoto,)
Patroness of Venezuela.
Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe “at St. Bernard.”, 328 West 14th Street, New York.
Taken from the Blog of The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny at http://sthughofcluny.org



The longed-for Messias is the Son of God, Himself, the Great Royal Deliverer, who is to conquer Satan and reign over His people for ever, whom all nations shall serve. The very reason why we should utter "Come", crying to Our Lord, "O, Thou corner stone, uniting in Thyself the two peoples, come," is that the Divine Mercy extends, not only to Israel, but to all the Gentiles as well.

"And when He comes, we shall all be guided together by this Divine Shepherd." "He shall feed His flock," says Isaias, ". . . He shall gather together the lambs with his arm, and shall take them up in his bosom." He, even our Lord God.


THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON THE MYSTERY OF ADVENT.



The Mystery of Advent (Part Three)


Non-Italic text is taken from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.
(Translated from the French by Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.)
Advent. Volume 1. St. Bonaventure Publications, www.libers.com
Originally published 1949.
Republished by St. Bonaventure Publications, July 2000.

Italic text is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

The Saint Andrew Daily Missal is obtainable from Carmel Books, Blackford House, Andover Road, Highclere, Newbury, Berkshire, England RG20 9PF. Tel: (01635 255340).
E-Mail: enquiries.carmelbooks@gmail.com


Illustrations are taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.





The first three Great O Antiphons (which commence on 17 December) are shown on this Verso
 of folio 30 from The Poissy Antiphonal, a certified Dominican antiphonal of 428 folios from Poissy, written 1335-1345, with a complete annual cycle of chants for the Divine Office 
(Temporal, Sanctoral and Commons) and a hymnal. Date: 1335 - 1345.
Source: La Trobe University Library, Medieval Music Database, 
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Church aspires also to the second coming, the consequence of the first, which consists, as we have just seen, in the visit of the Bridegroom to the bride. This coming takes place, each year, at the Feast of Christmas, when the new birth of the Son of God delivers the faithful from that yoke of bondage, under which the enemy would oppress them. [Collect for Christmas Day.]

The Church, therefore, during Advent, prays that she may be visited by Him who is her Head and her Spouse; visited in her hierarchy; visited in her members, of whom some are living, and some are dead, but may come to life again; visited, lastly, in those who are not in communion with her, and even in the very infidels, that so they may be converted to the true light, which shines even for them.

The expressions of the Liturgy which the Church makes use of to ask for this loving and invisible coming, are those which she employs when begging for the coming of Jesus in the flesh; for the two visits are for the same object.




English: Church of Saint-Étienne in Beauvais, France. 
Jesse Tree window by Engrand Le Prince, 1522-1524.
Français : Vitrail de l'église Saint-Étienne de Beauvais, France, 
représentant l'arbre de Jessé. Sa réalisation, par Engrand Le Prince, date de 1522-1524.
Source: Book "Stained Glass: An Illustrated History" by Sarah Brown.
Author: Engrand Leprince.
(Wikimedia Commons)


In vain would the Son of God have come, nineteen hundred years ago, to visit and save mankind, unless He came again for each one of us and at every moment of our lives, bringing to us and cherishing within us that supernatural life, of which He and His Holy Spirit are the sole principle.


The following is taken from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal.

SEASON OF ADVENT.
(From the First Sunday of Advent to 24 December).

Doctrinal Note.

If we read the Liturgical texts which the Church uses in the course of the four weeks of Advent, we see clearly that it is her intention to make us share the attitude of mind of the Patriarchs and seers of Israel, who looked forward to the Advent of the Messias in His twofold coming of Grace and Glory.

During this Season, the Greek Church commemorates Our Lord's ancestors, especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. On the Fourth Sunday, she honours all the Patriarchs of the Old Testament; from Adam to Saint Joseph, and the Prophets, of whom Saint Matthew speaks in his genealogy of Our Lord.

The Latin Church, without honouring them in any special form of devotion, nevertheless speaks to us of them in the Office, when quoting the promises made to them concerning the Messias.


PART FOUR FOLLOWS


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