Today (December 17th) begins the "O" Antiphons for Vespers and Mass. The "O"antiphons take place at the Entrance Antiphon/Introit of the Mass, as well as the Antiphon for the Magnificat in Vespers (Evening Prayer). The "O" antiphons form the "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" chant, in reverse order. From the 17th until the 24th, these antiphons are used, as we wait for the Coming of the Messiah, on Christmas Day.
This Sunday we celebrated "Gaudete" Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. In this week we light the Pink (or Rose) Candle, and at mass the priest will wear pink, if he so chooses too. Rose is a liturgical color meant to represent joy in the midst of a penetential season. There is such a Sunday in Lent as well, though named differently.
The "O" Antiphons in a way should serve as a reminder, 1. we are still in the season of waiting for our Lord. It is not yet Christmas! We still have (as Gaudete Sunday reminds us) more than a week left! These Antiphons then, are a reminder of the wait which Isreal expereinced, waiting for the Messiah. And, 2. as a reminder of who we are still truly waiting for, we are waiting for the coming of Christ again, who will return in Judgement at the end of time. This season reminds us, Christ shoudl be the center, we should be constantly waiting in our hearts for Him.
That is why Advent, which used to be called "Little Lent", and in fact in the East is celebrated for 40 days, is a penetential season. A lot of parishes and schools have Advent Confession Services, with several priests to hear people's confessions. Advent, foremost, should be a penetential season. If we remove this aspect of it, then it only becomes an extension of Christmas. If we remove this waiting, this penance, we strip it of it's meaning, and it only becomes, a "Little Christmas".
Advent draws close to an end, with only a week left. But for Christ, that is enough. Spend these last days, praying, anticipating Him, if you can, go to confession. Make time for our Lord, as we preapre to celebrate his first coming, and as we await his Second Coming, in glory.
A more modern church song, one whos lyrics goes: "Keep your Lamps, trimmed and burning", it's an Advent song. It reflects in a way towards Christ in the Gospel who says: "You are the light of the World, let your light shine before all.". We are waiting for Christ, so, keep ready, keep watch. Keep bright, and prepared, ready for our Lord's coming. For no one knows the day or hour. Be ready.
This Saturday we held our "Rorate Caeli" mass (photo on the left), a candlelit mass held before dawn. We find ourselves watching and waiting for the Lord, early in the morning. It is a mass in honor of our Lady. If anyone knows anything about preparing for our Lord it would be her.
As advent draws nigh, let us continue to keep this season, watching and waiting.
First Image source: https://familyfeastandferia.com/o-antiphons/
Comments
Post a Comment