December 17
Christ as Sapientia (Wisdom)
Isaiah 11:2-3, 28:29
Today begins the O Antiphons. They are called the O Antiphons because they all begin with the letter word ‘O’: they address Jesus by one of His Old Testament titles. They are fervent prayers asking our Lord to come to us.
An interesting side note mentioned; taking the first letter of each title of Jesus starting with the last and you spell, EROCRAS or ‘ero cras’ which means, “Tomorrow I come.”
The O Antiphons begin on the 17th of December, seven days before the Vigil of Christmas.
The song ‘O Come O Come Emmanuel’ takes its lyrics from the O Antiphons.
After the Antiphon is recited, pray the Magnificat:
My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded the humility of His handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His Name. And His Mercy is from generation unto generations upon them that fear Him.
He hath shewed might in His arm, He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel, His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our Fathers, Abraham and His seed forever.
Wisdom–The first and highest gifts of the Holy Spirit. It makes the soul responsive to God in the contemplation of divine things. Where faith is a simple knowledge of the articles of Christian belief, wisdom goes on to a certain divine penetration of the truths themselves. Built into wisdom is the element of love, which inspires contemplative reflection on these divine mysteries, rejoices dwelling on them, and directs the mind to judge all things according to their principles.
Fr. John Hardon– Modern Catholic Dictionary
To have a mind that would judge all things according to the principles of love and divine mystery. To judge the intentions of my husband, children, friends, fellow shoppers…and not just the actions. That would make for a pretty different day wouldn’t it?
That would make for a pretty different life!
Jesus, I pray for the grace of Your wisdom. I pray for the overwhelming desire to dwell on You, to be penetrated by You and to see You in others. If I could do this one thing, I would surely become a saint of great love for You and for those who are Yours.
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Good Morning, Jenny!!!
It’s a beautiful day today, made even more so with your meditations.
Isn’t that the truth? And it works both ways..how wonderful life becomes as our children grow in knowledge and maturity, and reach that moment when they realize our intentions as parents are for their good, and not just ‘actions’ designed to annoy and aggravate them. I wonder if God sees the same in us as we grow in our faith?
Angela Pea recently posted..Sweet Shot Tuesday – December 11
Hi Angela! Yes, I too wonder if God sees me the same way I see my children as they grow? He must know my heart no matter how badly I blunder things.
Jenny recently posted..December 10
Thanks for these beautiful meditations. They have really been meaningful this Advent. Just a note that Isaiah 11 doesn’t have a verse 23. Thought you might want to fix that. Thanks again for the beautiful posts. Beth
Thank you Beth. I fixed it. It should have been 2-3 instead of 23.
Jenny recently posted..December 17