Church of St. Mary at Clinton Heights

Two days ago I had my monthly meeting with my spiritual director: a fellow-priest who is a very prayerful man and who is grounded in his parish ministry.  Anyway, this session lasted twice as long as usual because I was expressing to him some of my spiritual struggles of late.  As I shared many of the small, simple images which were contributing to the larger struggle, he listened gently and reflected his very keen understanding.  Yet, along with this understanding came some very powerful guidance and insight!  Yes, with the help of saintly images and delicate theological points, he and I were able to come to new depths of my appreciation for priestly ministry in our parish.  It was quite beautiful, really.

As much as I’m grateful for this priest’s insight and direction, I must admit that it is clearly God’s work that really makes the difference in these spiritual struggles.  Sure, I was the one seeking to wrestle with my dryness, and I was the one hoping for consolation in my personal prayer, but it was God’s Holy Spirit who then allowed me to see Him anew.  God is the one who continues always to invite me into deeper faith inand rest withHim.

Recall Samuel in our first reading: he is disposed to hearing the Lord’s voice in his sleep, but it takes anotherElito direct him to listen and respond.  Thus Samuel is schooled to move toward the reward of knowing God.  And what of Andrew in our gospel? Or Simon?  Both of these grow into apostles first from their openness and seeking, then through their dialogue with another (Andrew with John, and then Jesus; Simon with Andrew and, of course, then with Jesus as well).

It would seem to me that as we enter into the ordinary times of the Church year, we might consider how we are disposed to God’s whisper, His promptings, His invitation.  We might, too, consider how we enter into a dialogue of faith with God and others.  Clearly, our disposition and our dialogue can be paths toward the greatest of rewards: the gift of faith…the gift of God’s own self.

(It’s been wonderful to celebrate the Christmas season with so many–and to enjoy a short hiatus from my weekly blog.  This weekend, my online reflections begin again:)

In our everyday lives, we are busy about many things and many ‘do-ings’.  We strive for income, for purchasing goods, for acquiring, for recognition…the list is almost endless.  Yet, on today’s feast, we find that we are doing nothing…yet.  This word “epiphany” or ‘manifestation’ is not something that the Magi do; rather it is something done to and for them.  Almighty God reveals and makes known the gift of Himself in the little babe at Bethlehem, and the Magi are witnesses; recipients of this revelation, this manifestation.  Unwarranted on their own accord, these wanderers follow the inclinations of the Star and they are brought to rejoice when they see the Christ-child.  God’s own initiative manifests the vision of His gift, and from there, after adoring, the Magi go forth by a new route: a route of rejoicing and proclaiming what they had heard and seen.

Now that this epiphany has been shared with usthe Churchwe too, after adoring, are invited to take on new ‘do-ings’.  We are given the awesome task of sharing what we have seen, and heard, and learned, and now know:  that God makes his dwelling among our human race and his dwelling is eternal, is one of peace.  May our voices, our activities and our very lives echo the great news of the Magi and the song of the angels.

The “O Antiphons” refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours. They cover the special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil.

The exact origin of the “O Antiphons” is not known. Boethius (c. 480-524) made a slight reference to them, thereby suggesting their presence at that time. At the Benedictine abbey of Fleury (now Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire), 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 eighth century, they are 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 our liturgical tradition since the very early Church.

The importance of “O Antiphons” is twofold: Each one highlights a title for the Messiah: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), and O Emmanuel. Also, each one refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. Let’s now look at each antiphon with just a sample of Isaiah’s related prophecies :

O Sapientia: “O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.” Isaiah had prophesied, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.” (11:2-3), and “Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom.” (28:29).

O Adonai: “O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.” Isaiah had prophesied, “But He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.” (11:4-5); and “Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us.” (33:22).

O Radix Jesse: “O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.” Isaiah had prophesied, “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” (11:1), and A On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.” (11:10). Remember also that Jesse was the father of King David, and Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be of the house and lineage of David and be born in David’s city, Bethlehem (Micah 5:1).

O Clavis David: “O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.” Isaiah had prophesied, I will place the Key of the House of David on His shoulder; when he opens, no one will shut, when he shuts, no one will open.” (22:22), and “His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over His kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever.” (9:6).

O Oriens: “O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.” Isaiah had prophesied, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.” (9:1).

O Rex Gentium: “O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.” Isaiah had prophesied, “For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” (9:5), and “He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” (2:4) .

O Emmanuel: “O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.” Isaiah had prophesied, “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”

(7:14). Remember “Emmanuel” means “God is with us.”

According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 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, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

Clearly, from last week’s beginnings, Advent shows us not only that we are people of suffering (see our first reading from Isaiah), but we are also the blessed beneficiaries of God’s mercy and comfort (this week’s first reading is God’s response, “Give comfort to my people”).  But it’s easy for us to have missed such a message, tucked away in a few simple Scripture passages.  In fact, in today’s world, there are lots of distractions that can keep us from seeing, from hearing, from experiencing the blessings of our great God.

And so it is: so easy for us to let the season of Advent pass us by without truly preparing ourselves to celebrate our Lord’s birth. Yet, when we enter fully into this season, our hearts become filled with joy as we await the celebration of the birth of our Savior. The Advent season becomes, then, a time of joyful anticipation. We recognize with the eyes of faith that God, in his love for us, has sent his son into the world to bring us peace and joy. This is the true gift of this season: our heavenly Father’s gift of his Son for our salvation. In the midst of this season, we would be served well by recognizing that just as the Father has given us such a gift, so must we seek to give the gift of his love to one another.

Heaven and Hell (Anonymous)

A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. “I will show you hell,” said the Lord, and they went into a room which had a large pot of stew in the middle. The smell was delicious, but around the pot sat desperate people who were starving. All were holding spoons with very long handles which reached into the pot, but because the handle of the spoon was longer than their arm, it was impossible to get the stew into their mouths. Their suffering was terrible.

“Now I will show you heaven,” said the Lord, and they went into another room identical to the first one. There was a similar pot of delicious stew and the people had the same long-handled spoons, but they were well-nourished, talking and happy.

At first the man did not understand. “It is simple,” said the Lord. “You see, they have learned to feed each other.”

We have these Advent weeks to reflect on the love God has shared with us through the birth of his Son. We will discover through this holy season that our greatest joy will come when we seek to feed one another. Giving of ourselves for the sake of another is the example that our Lord has set for us. May we not allow this time to be only about the presents that are bought, given, received and sometimes returned, but rather, let us enter deeply into the gracious love we share in, when we receive our Lord on Christmas Day.

Happy Solemnity of Christ the King!  So many of us associate this solemnity and Christ’s Kingship with the kind of photo you see to the left: Christ victorious, in glory, accomplishing all that is supremely Good: establishing a Kingdom of Justice, Love & Peace…all the ideals our world and her various societies need.

Yet, as often as we might hope for a regal ruler of the Kingdom of God, we are quickly reminded that God stoops to accept & embrace all of our humanity, including jeering, suffering, and even death.  But as King, Christ rules even those darker aspects of our lives.  A blessed feast to you.

(The first photo is taken from a seminary in Ottawa, while the second photo is of the main crucifix of the cathedral in Lucca, Italy)