SALT LAKE CITY — From Dec. 17, to Dec. 23, the Church observes the ancient custom of praying each day one of the seven "O" Antiphons. So called because each one addresses the God, who comes in Christ with a different biblical title, beginning with the invocation "O". The third in a series of three Advent presentations was given at Saint Ann Parish Dec. 17, by Jakob Rinderknecht, an academic coordinator at the University of Utah. Timothy Johnston, director of Liturgy of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, invited Rinkerknecht to speak. Rinderknect spent five years at Saint Johns Abbey in Collegeville, Minn. He spent two years studying and training and three years as a monk. Rinderknecht said, "In Latin, the first letters of the titles, read in reverse order, form the acrostic "Ero cras," which translates as "I will be with you tomorrow." These texts, traced back to seventh-century Europe, are drenched in biblical allusions offering a rich source for personal prayer and reflection during these final days of preparation for the celebration of Christmas. The seven antiphons to the Magnificat are prayed in the evening at vespers because you have a group of people who come together to pray. They are still prayed in monasteries and abbeys, although the practice in homes rarely, if ever exists. Rindeerknecht said the antiphon prayers are to and about Jesus and about the coming Messiah. The whole Advent season is here for a reason. Jesus is the coming light awaiting the new. We are waiting the warmth of spring and for the sun to come back. We are waiting for Jesus to come again. The great "O Antiphons" of Advent opening words are: "O Sapientia", "O Adonai", "O Radix Jesse", "O Clavis David", "O Oriens", "O Rex Gentium", and "O Emmanuel". They are addressed to Christ under one or another of His Scriptural titles, and they conclude with a distinct petition to the coming Lord. They all end with come and teach us something. The antiphons start at creation, the ordering principle. The prophets come to Israel and say, "O people this is what God intends for you to be. The second antiphon, O Adonai, is Hebrew for Lord, God in the Old Testament. Christ is the son of God, and God himself. The third antiphon speaks of the "root of Jesse: come to liberate us and do not delay." A new shoot will come from the root of Jesse. The fourth antiphon, "O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel" tells us Jesus’ authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore (Isaiah 9:7). The fifth antiphon, Dec. 21, is the shortest day of the year and it is not going to get any darker. "O Daybreak, splendor of eternal light, and sun of justice: come and illlumine those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death." It means Christ is coming to save everyone. The sixth antiphon, "O King of the nation, and their desire, and corner stone which makes both one: come and save humanity, whom you made from dust." This is proclaiming that Christ is not just king of Israel, not just king of the Church, but king all nations. It is asking him to come and save everyone. The final antiphon, "O Emmanuel, king and our lawgiver, awaited of the nations, and their savior: come and save us, O Lord our God." This one ties back into all of them. It is saying come and save us. We draw a broad picture of Jesus and what he is coming to do as we await the eventual rebirth of the entire world in Christ’s return. Rinderknecht said you can use these antiphons to meditate on yourself or with family members around the advent wreath. Or you can chant them with the Magnificat. You can merely say the "O Antiphons" and recite the Magnificat, or do art projects with them because they are so visual.
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