Antiphon-7 O Emmanuel

Antiphon No. 7 for December 23rd

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TEXT OF THE ANTIPHON AND THE MAGNIFICAT IN LATIN AND ENGLISH
First pray the Antiphon; then the Magnificat ; then repeat the Antiphon

LATIN VERSION

ANTIPHON: O Emmanuel, Rex et legisfer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator erum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.

THE MAGNIFICAT:
Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum.
Et exultávit spíritus meus: in Deo salutári meo.
Quia respéxit humilitátem ancíllae suae:
Ecce enim ex hoc beátam me dicent omnes generatiónes.
Quia fécit mihi mágna qui pótens est: et sánctum nómen eius.
Et misericórdia eius in progénies et progénies timéntibus eum.
Fécit poténtiam in bráchio suo: dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui.
Depósuit poténtes de sede: et exaltávit húmiles.
Esuriéntes implévit bonis: et dívites dimísit inánes.
Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum: recordátus misericórdiae suae.
Sicut locútus est ad patres nostros: Ábraham, et sémini eius in saecula.
Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto,
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.

ANTIPHON: O Emmanuel, Rex et legisfer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator erum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.

V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.

OREMUS: Aurem tuam, quaesumus, Domine, precibus nostris accommoda: et mentis nostrae tenebras gratia tuae visitationis illustra. Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre, in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum.
R. Amen.

ENGLISH VERSION

ANTIPHON: O King of the Nations, and the desire thereof, the capstone who makes of two things one: come and save man whom Thou formed out of the mire!

THE MAGNIFICAT:
My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid:
For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is His name.
And His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him.
He hath shown might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy:
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His seed for ever.
Glory be the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forever and ever, Amen.

ANTIPHON: O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of the Nations and the Savior thereof: come to save us, O Lord, Our God!

V. O Lord hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

LET US PRAY: O Lord, we beseech thee, mercifully incline Thine ears unto our prayers, and lighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy heavenly visitation. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
R. Amen

DOWNLOAD OUR 7th “O” ANTIPHON POSTER ~ O EMMANUEL

Click on the PDF file link below and download a Letter Size (8.5 x 11 inch) poster on today's O Antiphon: O Radix Jesse

Each day's Antiphon will have its own poster.
The Gregorian Chant notation is at the top of the page, followed by few brief meditative thoughts upon the relevance of the Antiphon for our days.

A wonderful keepsake that you will use year after year.

Our Christmas gift to you!

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AN EXPLANATION AND A MEDITATION

EMMANUEL means "God with us." Can there be a more consoling, encouraging, strengthening, uplifting and more joyful thought than this. It seems to be the essence of Heaven itself, for the definition of Hell is the absence of God; therefore, "God with us" should be the definition of Heaven. Well, to split hairs over the matter, the answer is "No", but it is almost right!

We could say that Heaven is "Us with God"; whereas Christmas is "God with us." At Christmas, God comes to be with us on earth; the after-life is meant to be one of us being with God in Heaven. Now, He comes to our home, on earth; when we die, we hope to go to His home in Heaven. He comes to be with us now; we will go to be with Him then.

As one of the saints says: "God became man in order to make us like unto God." God came down to earth in order to take us to Heaven. "In my Father’s house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to Myself; that where I am, you also may be” (John 14:2-3).

He came to earth to reform a disfigured image and like of God; disfigured by the effects of sin. He came to earth to rescue us from the devil, who is the prince of this world; to rescue us from the world, which is a tool or instrument of the devil; and to rescue us from the flesh, or own sinful nature that has many times succumbed to the temptations of the devil and the world.

The prophet Ezechiel foretold this, saying: "I will seek that which was lost: and that which was driven away, I will bring again: and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will strengthen that which was weak, and that which was fat and strong I will preserve: and I will feed them in judgment” (Ezechiel 34:16). And Jesus confirmed and fulfilled that prophecy when He said: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10)

The Antiphon reads: "O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of the Nations and the Savior thereof: come to save us, O Lord, Our God!"

God comes to be with us, not sentimentally, but with a purpose. He wants to regain His rightful place as King. The devil, the world and the flesh, due to our being scarred and weakened through Original Sin, have all conquered our souls to a greater or lesser degree. God no longer reigns as He should! So He comes to regain the throne of our minds and hearts.

He also comes to give us His law. Since God is charity or love; it is a law of love and He requires a love of the law. The law that He will give will be a test of our love: "If you love Me, keep My commandments" He will say. Again, sentimentality has no place here. Telling Him that we love Him, while we continue to break His laws, will not be acceptable to Him: "And why call you Me, 'Lord! Lord!' and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).

If we want God to be with us, we must do as He says and keep His commandments: “If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make our abode with him. He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words” (John 14:23-24).

He should also be the "Desire of the Nations", but alas, that is not the case today. The laws that He gives should be reflected in the laws of each nation. All must obey His law. Physical creation obeys the laws of God in all departments; but it is man who twists and breaks the laws of God. Just like it was Lucifer, the pinnacle of all the angels, who rebelled against God; so too does man, the pinnacle of earth's creation, rebel against God's laws. The subject must follow the law of the king; and all kings and nations are subject to the law of God. But when we break someone's laws, we show a contempt for them. Thus, the "Desired One of all Nations" has been uncrowned and undesired for some time now.

The Antiphon speaks of Him as Savior, Savior of the Nations! But salvation must be desired just as much as the Savior must be desired. He who desires the end, must necessarily desire the means to the end. If we desire salvation, then we must necessarily desire the means of salvation; and the means to salvation is Jesus: The“Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth... is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12).