Tag: Advent Reflections

For this week’s Advent reflection, I want to do something a little bit different. It has to do with an “O Antiphon,” and if you’ve never heard of this before, don’t worry: because I hadn’t either until my brother recently explained what it was, and shared with me the beauty of these sung prayers. Antiphons draw on religious texts, and enter into the liturgy throughout the church year. Traditionally, from December 17th to December 23rd (the final days of Advent), seven special O Antiphons are sung. The ‘O’ is an invocation, a direct address made to the one who is coming: they all look towards Christ’s Advent, using different names for Christ from the Old Testament.

Here I have included the text of the O Antiphon for December 21st, both in the original Latin and in a translation found in poet Malcolm Guite’s book of Advent reflections, entitled “Waiting on the Word.” Whether or not you know any Latin (I myself am in the process of learning), I would encourage you to read it aloud or to yourself as best as you can, at least to hear the musical and prayerful sound of this ancient language. You can listen to my audio recording of the O Antiphon here:

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In my first Advent reflection, I talked about my uncertainty over what the upcoming Advent season would bring. This uncertainty, to a certain extent, still holds true a week later, and I found myself searching yet again for an idea. However, after reflecting some more on preparations for Christmas, I was drawn back to the very beginning of the story and the person whom you might call the first to prepare for the coming king: Mary.

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Happy Christmas Carol Day!

You might be asking yourself, what is Christmas Carol Day? Well, it happens to be a holiday heralding in the Christmas season, a holiday that always falls upon December 1st. This holiday also happens to be completely made up by yours truly. But seeing as I invented the holiday several years ago, I feel as though it might be on its way to gaining some sort of traction, at least among a (very small) handful of people.

As the name suggests, Christmas Carol Day is all about listening and singing along to those familiar songs that mark this time of year. I must admit that I have broken my own rule and begun listening to such tunes before today, but I plan to spend a greater amount of time this afternoon and evening blasting my Christmassy music (apologies in advance to my neighbours). It has often been said that there is something magical about the Christmas season, and I think this is certainly true of Christmas carols as well. I think this “music magic” stems from several reasons.

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I have been sitting here for some time trying to decide what to write for my first Advent reflection. Today is the first Sunday of Advent: the first of four Sundays preceding Christmas. A purple candle was lit upon the Advent wreath and a hymn was sung entitled “Come, O Long-Expected Jesus.” Outside frost was glazed across the grass and the mud was hard and cold, preparing for the coming of snow. Over the window frame of the front room in my apartment, coloured lights are strung, and the glow reflects in the open glass and out into the darkening sky of November.

Christmas is on its way; all the signs that accompany its coming have begun to arise. December is only a few days from our midst. Despite this, I don’t know what to write. Despite this, I am not quite in the spirit; the spirit of Christmas is still distant rather than intimate. It is far away and I am watching it descend while I think of Advent-related ideas upon which to reflect.

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