The O Antiphons are said before the Magnificat at Vespers in the last seven days of Advent. Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture.

O Kluczu Dawida
i Berło domu Izraela,
Ty który otwierasz a nikt zamknąć nie zdoła,
zamykasz a nikt nie otworzy,
przyjdź i wyprowadź
z więzienia
człowieka pogrążonego
w cieniu śmierci.

O Key of David,
and scepter of the house of Israel,
you open, and no one shuts,
you shut, and no one opens:
come, and lead the prisoner
from jail,
seated in darkness
and in the shadow of death.

Definitely not literal! How many times do we seek the easy answer, the black and white definition; the answer to our longing, but on our terms?

The Lord asks us to come and follow Him. He opens the narrow path for us, and He can even allow the rich man to pass through the eye of the needle. But, we see no easy answer because we cannot let go of our complexity.

Come follow me is quite easy, but it means leaving ourselves behind. He opens the way — for He is the way. He will, by His grace, close the door to our self-centered desires, our prison, because as we fall into His arms, arms of love, we will never desire anything else. He is the key, the gate, and the door. Lord, help us enter into the sheepfold through You. Lord, be our shepherd.

The O Antiphons are said before the Magnificat at Vespers in the last seven days of Advent. Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture.

O Korzeniu Jessego,
który się wznosisz jako znak dla narodów,
przed Tobą zamilkną królowie,
a ludy będą się modlić do Ciebie,
przyjdź nas wyzwolić
już dłużej nie zwlekaj.

O Root of Jesse,
who stand as a sign for the people,
kings stand silent in your presence,
whom the nations will worship:
come to set us free,
put it off no longer.

A shoot shall spout from the stump of Jesse’s tree. From a nation of no account, in human terms, the Savior shall come to us. From what appears to be a dead nation, a shoot of new life, Life that will redeem all life.

God comes to us in ways and forms that are unexpected. He came to Moses in the burning bush, He wrestled with Jacob, He came in a whisper to Elijah, and as a child in a manger among the outcasts. Jesus the enigma, the God-man whose depths we barely plumb, can only be met in worship, the collective action of a community committed to Him.

Worship is our stance — arguments about kneeling, standing, prostrating notwithstanding. We, king or pauper, can do nothing more or less than worship God our Father, the Son our King, and the Spirit our life. It is the only response we can make. Our words are but senseless groaning before the throne of the King of kings. But he deigns to hear us, to love us, to incorporate us, and to free us.

Come Lord Jesus, put it off no longer. We are waiting.

The O Antiphons are said before the Magnificat at Vespers in the last seven days of Advent. Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture.

O Adonai,
Wodzu Izraela,
Tyś w krzaku gorejącym objawił się Mojżeszowi
i na Syjonie dałeś mu Prawo,
przyjdź nas wyzwolić swym potężnym ramieniem.

O Mighty Lord,
and leader of the house of Israí«l,
who appeared to Moses in the burning bush,
and on Sinai gave him the law,
come to redeem us with outstretched arm.

The Mighty Lord, the one who can save us with an outstretched arm. He comes with power and in radiant glory, on clouds, with chariot wheels of fire. Power, might, strength, authority, supremacy, control, command… synonyms we recognize when we think of that God — the one of the Parousia.

Redemption was begun with God’s outstretched arm, His reaching out to meet us in the form of a child, a child holding his arms out, seeking the comfort of his mother. Not power in any sense we understand.

Redemption was indeed accomplished with God’s outstretched arm — stretched out on the wood of the cross. What kind of power is that? It is the antithesis of the God we want. Yet that is the power of redemption accomplished through perfect love. True power is synonymous with love.

The O Antiphons are said before the Magnificat at Vespers in the last seven days of Advent. Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture.

O Mądrości,
która wyszłaś z ust Najwyższego,
Ty obejmujesz wszechświat od końca do końca
i wszystkim rządzisz z mocą i słodyczą,
przyjdź i naucz nas dróg roztropności.

O Wisdom,
who proceeds from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching out mightily from end to end,
and sweetly arranging all things:
come to teach us the way of prudence.

The perfect Wisdom of God, expected from age to age, for whom the patriarchs and prophets stood watch, was brought to us in the Word, spoken by the Father and sent to us for our salvation. The Word of Wisdom from on high, Jesus Christ, sent to teach us prudence.

Prudence, synonymous with carefulness, cautiousness, discretion, good sense, and forethought is the antithesis of the worldly. Rather than the headlong rush to tomorrow, to the next dollar, or victory over our perceived enemies, beg the Lord: Teach us prudence, let us not fall under the power and ways of wicked and foolish men.