Preparation for Christmas: The O Antiphons - December 18
Nicolas Froment, triptych of the burning bush
From December 17 to 23, the Catholic Church prepares for Christmas by singing the great O Antiphons at the office of Vespers. You will find them accompanied by meditations by Pope Pius XII. These texts emphasize how the Child in the manger is the peaceful King who came to save all men and reign over the nations.
| O Adonaï, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammæ rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti : veni ad redimendum nos in bracchio extento. | O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel, Who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush, and didst give unto him the law on Sinai: come and with an outstretched arm redeem us. |
“The divine Savior is also the invisible Head of the Church; this is why her mission of peace continues to subsist and to be valued in the Church. Each year the return of Christmas revives in her the intimate awareness of her title to contribute to the work of peace, a unique title, which transcends all earthly things and emanates directly from God, an essential element of her nature and her religious power. This year again the Church prostrates herself before the crib, and the divine child, Prince of Peace, transmits His mission to her. Near Him, she breathes the breath of true humanity, true in the fullest sense of the term, because it is the very humanity of God, her Creator, her Redeemer and her Restorer. With her eyes lovingly fixed on the face of the infinitely lovable Prince of Peace, she feels the beating of His heart announcing the love that embraces all men; she is inflamed with an ardent zeal for the peacemaking mission of her Lord and Head, a mission that is also her own.”
Pius XII, Radio Message to the World, December 24, 1951
