Fr Peter Helman

Dear friends,

The O Antiphons (also called the “Greater Antiphons” or “Major Antiphons”) are an ancient series of seven short sentences (“antiphons”) found in the Roman Breviary that are recited or chanted during Evening Prayer (Vespers) in the seven days leading up to the vigil of Christmas.

If you attended mass at St. Philip's yesterday morning, you encountered the O Antiphons as paraphrased in the favorite Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” but they have been in use in the church, particularly monastic communities, since at least the eighth century.

At Evening Prayer the recitation of the O Antiphons precedes and follows the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), the Song of Mary, and each of the O Antiphons begins with “O” and references one of the messianic titles for Jesus drawn from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Each antiphon also includes a petition apropos to its description of Christ, a plea to the God of Israel to come and save his people, and forms a stunningly climactic retelling of the history of God's redemptive work.

The Octave before Christmas begins today and the progression of O Antiphons in the seven days ahead follows this order:

December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)—Isaiah 11:2-3, 28:29
December 18: O Adonai (O Lord)—Isaiah 11:4-5, 33:22
December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)—Isaiah 11:1, 10
December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)—Isaiah 9:6, 22:22
December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring)—Isaiah 9:1
December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)—Isaiah 2:4, 9:5
December 23: O Emmanuel (O God with Us)—Isaiah 7:14

The O Antiphons offer a wonderful opportunity for individuals and families to pray, give thanks, lift up our hearts to God, join our voices of praise and gratitude with the hosts of heaven, and celebrate with anticipation the coming of Christ in our midst. There are a wealth of resources available to introduce the O Antiphons and direct one's prayers. I’ve included a link here to an helpful article published a few years ago by the Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, which includes lovely prayers and readings from scripture. I also want to commend to you and yours an amazing new book of devotions entitled O Wisdom: Advent Devotions on the Names of Jesus, published this year by Forward Movement. The description on the back cover says it best: “Through meditations, art, poems, and photos created by people from across the church, O Wisdom offers space and time to embrace Jesus’ presence among us now—and await his coming in glory.” We have copies for sale in the parish’s Little Shop!

How do you long for God to come to you now in this very moment and season of life? Take time in the week ahead, busy as it may be, to pause and reflect, with thanksgiving, for the many gifts and blessings of God. And with anticipation trust the promise of God that he will not tarry but indeed will appear as the dawn. God renews us in his love! May God bless you and fill you with peace as we await the dawning of God’s Light from on high. May God dispel the darkness before your path. May the love of God in Christ abound richly in your hearts and give you hope.


Yours in Christ,
Peter+