“O” Antiphons
{
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”

“O-H-H-H”
The Greatest Prayer
1.
2.
3.
We identify with those people of the Old
Testament who yearned for the Messiah
We renew our awareness of God breaking
into our lives today and being Emmanuel
“God-with-us” in so many ways
We voice our own hopes for the second
coming of Christ and God’s Kingdom of
justice and peace
The Three Comings of
Christ
Prayerful Custom
 Began in the Middle Ages
 Part of the Liturgy of the Hours

History
Sung by monks on the days before
Christmas
 December 17th to the 23rd

“O Antiphons
Antiphon before the Magnificat in
the Liturgy of the Hours
Also substituted for the Alleluia
verse at Mass on the last days of
Advent
O Antiphons

Probably the first prayer

A primitive person’s response to the
wonders of the world
Sunset
 Rainbow
 Star spangled sky
 Green shoots breaking through the
crust of the earth from seeds

“Oh”

Use it when in anguish or desire
something from the depths of our
being
Basic Prayer

All antiphons have the same
structure


Each begins with “O”
Emphasize need, desire, thirst for
Jesus and attract his attention by
crying out “O”
Structure

Each antiphon addresses the Savior
by a title gleaned from Old
Testament prophecies, followed by
a brief explanation of that title
Antiphon’s
First Part

Each antiphon begins with the
word “come” and usually is related
to the title in the first part
Antiphon’s
Second Part
First – relates to Creation
 Second – the Exodus
 Third – the time before Kings
 Fourth – the reign of David
 Fifth – the Prophets
 Sixth – the time before Christ
 Seventh – a joyous outburst in which we
address God-with-us now: Emmanuel

Spans all of Salvation History

Still imprisoned in many ways and
sitting in darkness
Shadow of death haunts us
 Nations divided
 Communities divided
 Long for unity
 Still await a Savior

Today

“O Wisdom, breath of the Most
High, ordering all creation with
strength and tenderness, come
teach us the way of truth” (based on
Wisdom 9:17-18)
Eye of God Wisdom

“O Lord of lords, Leader of the
house of Israel, You appeared to
Moses in the burning bush and
gave him the Law on Sinai: come
set us free” (based on Psalms 59:6, 103.7)
Burning Bush:
Lord of Lords

“O Root of Jesse, set up as a sign
for the nations, kings stand mute
before You and the nations give
You honor. Come, deliver us, do
not delay!” (based on Isaiah 11:10)
Jesse Tree:
Root of Jesse

“O Key of David and ruler of the
house of Israel, who can open what
You have closed, or close what You
have opened? Come, set Your
captive people free.” (based on Isaiah
22:22)
Key of David

O Rising Dawn, splendor of eternal
light and Sun of Justice, come,
shine on those who dwell in
darkness and the shadow of
death.” (based on Malachi 3:20)
Rising Dawn

“O King of nations, ruler that we
long for, cornerstone of the human
family: come, save the people You
made from dust.” (based on Isaiah 28:16)
Cornerstone
King of Nations

“O Emmanuel, God-with-us, the
expected Savior of all the people,
come and save us, O Lord our
God!” (based on Isaiah 7:14)
Christ Child
Emmanuel