From the period that stretches from December 17th through the the 23rd we use in the course of our liturgy that which is known as the "O antiphons." These short verses that are used during this seven day period prior to Christmas testify to what was heard during our alleluia verse: " Come, O Lord, and tarry not: forgive the sins of Thy people Israel." The "O antiphons" point to the reality that all of creation is now longing for the coming of the Messiah who will come to dwell with each of us in the town of Bethlehem. They are a statement that all of salvation history is pointing the way towards God who would take on human flesh in the second person of the Holy Trinity. It is only through this reality that we can be saved, so may we continue to grow in our own anticipation of the Lord's coming.
With each of the "O antiphons" that are given something more is revealed concerning the one who is to come. The seven statements that are pointed out concerning Christ are: (1) Wisdom, (2) Lord, (3) Root of Jesse, (4) Key of David, (5) Dayspring, (6) King of the Nations, and finally (7) God. Also, if you are to take the first letters of these words as they are written in Latin you will receive the Latin word: "Ero Cras" "Tomorrow, I will be there." These expressions therefore reveal the nature of the coming of the Messiah and help us to see that from the very beginning it was He who would come to deliver us from our sin as is stated in the second half of our alleluia verse: "forgive the sins of Thy people Israel."
The use of the word "wisdom" reveals that Christ was the Word who was with His Father from the very beginning. In other words we can say that there was never a time when the Word did not exist. "Lord" is a word attributed by the Jewish people to God which further reflects for us the many covenants worked out in human history, and how it is Christ who is the fulfillment of all of these covenants. In the burning bush the Lord appeared to Moses and would go onto lead the Israelites out of slavery as Christ comes to liberate us from our bondage towards sin. It is from the royal line of David that Christ comes to us, so therefore we refer to Him as the "Root of Jesse" which further points out that He will come among us to die upon the tree of the cross. "Key of David" points towards the passing of the keys of a Kingdom which ultimately are handed down to our true king, Christ, who comes into the world to reign in a manger. "Dayspring" points that we are held down in the darkness of our sin and therefore we now turn East towards Christ who brings light to penetrate into the darkness of our sin. Again much like Saint John the Baptist who entered into the barrenness of a desert to bestow the word of life on all people who would hear the Good News of the one who is to come. Next we come to profess Christ to be our King and then we finally acknowledge the one that we await is not a mere human, but instead is God who took on human flesh and came to dwell among us to offer Himself upon the cross in atonement for our sin.
In these days that lie ahead we join with all of creation that is now longing for the coming of its savior. We stand in the course of salvation history and realize that it is Christ alone who signals peace and joy to a world that has been touched by the opposite. With each day that passes we should long even more to come and encounter Christ for who He truly is; in all of His peace and joy. The world is longing to discover this peace and joy of Christ even if it is not currently aware of it. May we not rush through these last few days of Advent and may we truly allow ourself to not pass by the Season of Christmas as if it were only one day. Instead may we further prepare for the coming of the Lord by making straight our path and thus coming to discover the one for whom we now wait. Here alone will every sin, disappointment, injustice, and fear be calmed because this is the one whom all scripture points towards. May we always long for the peace and joy that is contained here alone.
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