Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.
Showing posts with label The Great O Antiphons. 17 December.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Great O Antiphons. 17 December.. Show all posts

Tuesday, 17 December 2024

The Great O Antiphons. 17 December.



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)

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

O Sapientia.

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).

O Sapientia.

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,
sung by The Dominican Student Brothers,
Blackfriars, Oxford, England.
Available on YouTube at

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.


“Rorate Cæli”.
Gregorian Chant for Advent.
Available on YouTube

Versicle: Rorate.

“Rorate cæli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . .”

“Ye Heavens, drop down from above,
and let the clouds rain down The Just One.”

Sunday, 17 December 2023

The Great O Antiphons. 17 December.



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)

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

O Sapientia.

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).

O Sapientia.

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,
sung by The Dominican Student Brothers,
Blackfriars, Oxford, England.
Available on YouTube at

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.


“Rorate Cæli”.
Gregorian Chant for Advent.
Available on YouTube

Versicle: Rorate.

“Rorate cæli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . .”

“Ye Heavens, drop down from above,
and let the clouds rain down The Just One.”

Saturday, 17 December 2022

The Great O Antiphons. 17 December.


Text and Illustrations 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)

O Sapientia.

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).

O Sapientia.

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,
sung by The Dominican Student Brothers,
Blackfriars, Oxford, England.
Available on YouTube at

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.

Versicle: Rorate.

“Rorate cæli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . .”

“Ye Heavens, drop down from above,
and let the clouds rain down The Just One.”

Friday, 17 December 2021

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)

O Sapientia.

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).

O Sapientia.

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,
sung by The Dominican Student Brothers,
Blackfriars, Oxford, England.
Available on YouTube at

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.

Versicle: Rorate.

“Rorate cæli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . .”

“Ye Heavens, drop down from above,
and let the clouds rain down The Just One.”

Thursday, 17 December 2020

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)

O Sapientia.

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).

O Sapientia.

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,
sung by The Dominican Student Brothers,
Blackfriars, Oxford, England.
Available on YouTube at

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.

Versicle: Rorate.

“Rorate cæli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . .”

“Ye Heavens, drop down from above,
and let the clouds rain down The Just One.”

Tuesday, 17 December 2019

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)

O Sapientia.

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).

O Sapientia.

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,
sung by The Dominican Student Brothers, at Blackfriars, Oxford, England.
Available on YouTube at

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.

Versicle: Rorate.

“Rorate cæli desuper, et nubes pluant justium . . .”

“Ye Heavens, drop down from above, and let the clouds rain down The Just One.”

Monday, 17 December 2018

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)

O Sapientia.

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).

O Sapientia.

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,
sung by The Dominican Student Brothers, at Blackfriars, Oxford, England.
Available on YouTube at

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.

Versicle: Rorate.

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

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

Sunday, 17 December 2017

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,
sung by The Dominican Student Brothers at Blackfriars, Oxford, England.
Available on YouTube at


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.

Versicle: Rorate.

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

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

Saturday, 17 December 2016

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.
Gregorian Chant notation from The Liber Usualis (1961), p. 340.
Latin lyrics sung by The Cantarte Regensburg.
Available on YouTube at

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.

Versicle: Rorate.

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

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

Thursday, 17 December 2015

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."

Wednesday, 17 December 2014

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."

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