Penitential Purple

When considering a color scheme for this blog I originally chose purple as it was the 1st Sunday of Advent. My original thought was that maybe I would change the color throughout the Liturgical Year. Most of the year this would leave the color green – the color of Ordinary Time or the Time after Epiphany and the Time after Pentecost. Green just happens to be my favorite color. So, I thought I had everything figured out.

But as Advent was coming to a close and and an early Lent was fast approaching (Lent begins of February 6th this year and February 4th is the earliest date possible for it) I began to think more and more about these penitential Seasons as well as the Season of Septuagesima in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (the 3 Sundays before Lent) which also shares the color purple with Advent and Lent.

I have decided to keep “penitential purple” year-round as a reminder to myself that it penance is not something to think about only during Advent and Lent. Rather, the whole of Christian life “ought to be a continual penance” (Council of Trent, Session XIV).

O Antiphons

This is just a compilation of all of my previous posts on the O Antiphons:

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

An explanation of what the O Antiphons are, the original Latin, an English translation, and the relevant verse of O Come, O Come Emmanuel derived from each of the Antiphons

O Wisdom
O Lord
O Root Of Jesse
O Key Of David
O Day-Spring
O King Of Nations
O Emmanuel

These posts on each of the individual Antiphons gives the official translation used in the Liturgy of the Hours in the United States

The O Antiphons And The Mass

How the O Antiphons are used in the Mass

The O Antiphons And The Mass

While the O Antiphons that form the basis of O Come, O Come Emmanuel are most typically heard during Vespers they are also used in the Mass. Sort of.

In the Missal of Paul VI, the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the O Antiphons are used as the Alleluia Verse before the Gospel. They have been rearranged and they are worded a little differently. But, they are there.

Rather than being prayed from December 17 to December 23 as in the Liturgy of the Hours, these Alleluia Verses are used from December 17 to the morning Mass of December 24 (not the Vigil Mass of Christmas) with the exception of Sunday Mass.

To accomplish this the Alleluia Verse of December 22 is repeated on December 23 to stretch the 7 Antiphons over 8 days. They have also been rearranged. We no longer have the “Ero Cras” or “Tomorrow I will be” that is seen when reading the first letter (in Latin) of each Antiphon backwards from the December 23rd to the 17th.

The Table below shows the differences:

Date Dec. 17 Dec. 18 Dec. 19 Dec. 20 Dec. 21 Dec. 22 Dec. 23 Dec. 24

Vespers O Wisdom O Sacred Lord* O Root of Jesse O Key of David O Radiant Dawn O King of Nations O Emmanuel

Mass O Wisdom O Leader* O Root of Jesse O Key of David O Emmanuel O King of Nations O King of Nations O Radiant Dawn

* These are effectively the same thing. They are based on the same Antiphon but translated differently.

December 17th
Sapientia Altissimi, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

Alleluia, alleluia. Come, Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: teach us to walk in the paths of knowledge. Alleluia, alleluia.

December 18th

Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in bracchio extento.

Alleluia, alleluia. O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with your mighty power! Alleluia, alleluia.

December 19

Radix Iesse, stans in signum populorum:
veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare.

Alleluia, alleluia. O root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his people: come to save us without delay!

December 20th

Clavis David, qui aperis portas aeterni Regni:
veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris sedentem in tenebris.

Alleluia, alleluia. O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners darkness! Alleluia, alleluia.

December 21st

Emmanuel, rex et legifer noster:
veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.

Alleluia, alleluia. O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God! Alleluia, alleluia.

December 22nd and 23rd

Rex gentium et lapis angularis Ecclesiae:
veni et salva hominem quem de limo formasti.

Alleluia, alleluia. O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust! Alleluia, alleluia.

December 24th

Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae et sol iustitiae:
veni et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.

Alleluia, alleluia. O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death. Alleluia, alleluia.

O Emmanuel

An explanation of what these Antiphons are, the original Latin, and a more poetic English translation can be found in a previous post – O Come, O Come Emmanuel (link below). The official translation used in the Liturgy of the Hours in United States is used here.

O Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14; 33:22 )

O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Previous Posts:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Wisdom
O Lord
O Root Of Jesse
O Key Of David
O Day-Spring
O King Of Nations

Penance Service

This afternoon I went to confession at an Advent Penance Service at Christ the King Catholic Church in east Columbus. Fr. Steve Seever, a former Baptist and former Mormon, is the pastor there.

There were 15 priests there. I estimated somewhere between 150 and 200 people. But, that was maybe 10 minutes before the Penance Service actually started. And it seemed like people were continually coming in.

There was a reading from the Gospel (Luke 18:10-15), an examination of conscience, and then individual confessions. I waited until it seemed a majority of people had already confessed before I got in line. I was the last person in line to confess to a particular priest, a Monsignor. After I was through I went to a nearby pew to pray for a few minutes.

When I got up to leave I noticed something that I think had a more profound impact on me than my own confession and absolution. The Monsignor was absolving another priest who had obviously just confessed to him. And behind the 2 of them I could see 2 more priests across the Church – one confessing to the other.

All I could do was stare. At that moment I had more of a sense of the mercy of Almighty God than I did when I was forgiven of my own sins. It was a couple of minutes before I was actually able to move again. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.

I think that with yesterday’s Benediction, Mass this morning, and the Penance Service this afternoon that I have more than “put in my hour” this weekend. I was planning on attending Vespers this evening at yet a 4th parish. But, I am feeling exhausted. I think I will call it an early night instead.

O King Of Nations

An explanation of what these Antiphons are, the original Latin, and a more poetic English translation can be found in a previous post – O Come, O Come Emmanuel (link below). The official translation used in the Liturgy of the Hours in United States is used here.

O King of Nations (Haggai 2:7; Ephesians 2:14, 20)

O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

O come, Desire of nations, bind,
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of peace.

Previous Posts:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Wisdom
O Lord
O Root Of Jesse
O Key Of David
O Day-Spring

O Day-Spring

An explanation of what these Antiphons are, the original Latin, and a more poetic English translation can be found in a previous post – O Come, O Come Emmanuel (link below). The official translation used in the Liturgy of the Hours in United States is used here.

O Radiant Dawn (O Day-Spring) (Psalm107:10)

O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer,
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Previous Posts:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Wisdom
O Lord
O Root Of Jesse
O Key Of David

O Key Of David

An explanation of what these Antiphons are, the original Latin, and a more poetic English translation can be found in a previous post – O Come, O Come Emmanuel (link below). The official translation used in the Liturgy of the Hours in United States is used here.

O Key of David (Isaiah 22:22, Revelation 3:7, Luke 1:79)

O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.

O Come, thou key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the path that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Previous Posts:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Wisdom
O Lord
O Root Of Jesse

O Root Of Jesse

An explanation of what these Antiphons are, the original Latin, and a more poetic English translation can be found in a previous post – O Come, O Come Emmanuel (link below). The official translation used in the Liturgy of the Hours in United States is used here.

O Root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:10)

O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

O Come, O Rod of Jesse free,
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.

Previous Posts:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Wisdom
O Lord

O Lord

An explanation of what these Antiphons are, the original Latin, and a more poetic English translation can be found in a previous post – O Come, O Come Emmanuel (link below). The official translation used in the Liturgy of the Hours in United States is used here.

O Lord (Exodus 3:2, Exodus 20)

O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

O Come, O Come, thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law,
In cloud and majesty, and awe.

Previous Posts:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Wisdom