O Night Divine

Advent: First Sunday of Advent

"It is now the hour for you to awaken from sleep, for our salvation is nearer now than we first believed." Romans 13:12.

Although no one is quite sure of how the tradition of the Advent wreath began, it is thought to have started as a pagan fire wheel.

In Christian tradition the circle symbolizes eternity so it is entirely appropriate to have such a lovely symbol to remind us of the eternal salvation we await at this time. It is also a symbol which children love, it is all light and aroma (if you use real greens) and ritual and even the youngest of children love form and ritual.

Make a point of having an wreath ceremony with your children every Sunday.  Before your evening meal (or midday if that is when you are all together) have dad begin.

O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then have one of the children light the first purple candle.  Each evening during the week the floowing prayer is said by dad or mom.

O Lord, stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come that by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins and saved by Thy deliverance. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then light the purple candle for the duration of the meal. As you can see you may need more than one set of candles. 

Toward that end you might want to make a "weekday" wreath, for that please check out Dawn's lovely craft. It would be particularly good for those of you with small children gathered around the table if you are nervous about tapers.

Dawn's Advent Wreath craft

Have a blessed Sunday!

Advent Wreath Prayers

I've mentioned before that we incorporate Salvation History Figures in our Advent Wreath -- Isaiah, John the Baptist, Joseph, and Mary. We light our Advent Wreath every evening at dinner. We gather around the table, my husband reads the prayers for the wreath, we all pray the Scripture verse of the week (the Salvation History quote) and then as the wreath is being lighted we sing a verse of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

This Sunday begins the official beginning of the new English translation of the Roman Missal. To recognize this great gift, I've incorporated the Advent Sunday Collect prayers from the new translation for the Advent Wreath prayers. I've also included the themes and persons that are highlighted for each week of Advent.

Happy New Year!

Download Advent Wreath Prayers New Translation 2011

Praying the O Antiphons

Crossposted with Family Feast and Feria

Although not highlighted on most calendars, December 17 is a red letter day. This date marks the second part of Advent, the beginning of the O Antiphons. The O Antiphons are seven precious jewels of our Catholic Liturgy, counting down the last seven days before Christmas with building anticipation. The title O Antiphons is simply because each phrase begins with an “O”.

Dating back to the fourth century, these antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent Messianic titles: O Sapientia (Wisdom), O Adonai (Lord and Ruler), O Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (Key of David), O Oriens (Dawn of the East), O Rex Gentium (King of the Gentiles), and O Emmanuel (God With Us) that are based on the Old Testament prophecies and types of Christ. Put in reverse order: Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, and Sapienta, the first letters of these Messianic titles spell out the Latin words ERO CRAS, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” The antiphons sum up in excellence the longing of our Redeemer, and we echo the prayers of the Old Testament faithful by also begging Him to “Come!”

I’m very fond of this time of Advent. This is a little “pick-me-up” that helps us refocus on the two-fold coming of Christ at Christmas, as described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

524 When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming.

. The outward preparations for Christmas can be distracting, and by this time, I often have lost focus on the true meaning of Advent preparation. Our Advent endeavors and resolutions haven’t always come to fruition. The O Antiphons remind me that Christ comes in seven days, and although the outward preparations can cause a frenzy, the O Antiphons beckon me to relax and invite Christ to come into my heart. The urgent “Come!” reminds me of a child’s eager and impatient waiting for Christmas Eve.

If we try to make our own the thought of these antiphons on their proper days, letting their ardent aspirations dominate our prayer life, our minds and hearts will surely be more closely attuned to the mind and heart of the Church as she prepares for the coming of her King. (With Christ Through the Year, Rev. Bernard Strasser, O.S.B., 1947).

The repeated and urgent “Come!” reminds me of a child’s eager and impatient waiting for Christmas Eve, but the antiphons and their symbolism and meaning are not always easy to relate to children. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it is quite helpful to find various ways to present the O Antiphons that touch many of the senses. (There are many creative and crafty ideas on the Internet or books.). Our family's Jesse Tree ornaments incorporate the O Antiphons for the last seven days of Advent. But no matter how I decide to present the O Antiphons, my main intention is to unite our family’s prayers with the universal Church and her Liturgy.

The antiphons can be found in the Vespers, and also the Alleluia verse at Mass. The "O" Antiphons are the verses for the ancient hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The first letter of the Messianic titles: Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia -- all spell out Latin words ERO CRAS, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come." (The translations below are the traditional antiphons; they do not match exactly with the current Divine Office or Alleluia verse.)

Keeping this in mind, we are adding to our prayers the Antiphon, Magnificat, and singing the corresponding verse of the O Come Emmanuel. Adding elements to our meals is another aspect of incorporating the O Antiphons. One way is reviving the old custom of monasteries of different monks furnishing extra treats on these days to the members of the community. As Florence Berger describes:

The gardener gave the community some of his finest dried or preserved fruits on Dec 19 when he called on Christ: 'O Root of Jesse, come to deliver us and tarry not.' The cellarer unlocked the best wine for his treat as he called: 'O Key of David, come, and come quickly.' Finally, on Dec 23, the abbot gave his extra gift to the brothers. Expense accounts which are still extant show how generous and extensive a list of foods were used on the abbot's 'O day.'" — Cooking for Christ, 1949

One of my favorite childhood Advent memories is when my family practiced this tradition, especially when each member was involved in a surprise. We adjusted according to ages and size of our family, assigning a day to a family member, usually going from the youngest (who had help) to oldest, so that they can provide a special treat for that O Antiphon day. The surprise usually revolved around dinner, but it was never too fancy or nor always a food treat. The best part was leaving it up to the family member to keep it a secret until dinner time. An alternative or additional idea I’ve incorporated over the last years is to serve foods that remind the family of the symbols of the O Antiphons.

The ideas are plentiful, but all depend on time and energy, which can be lacking especially during this busy time of year. My aim for our domestic church is keep things simple, and for the O Antiphons the basic plan is making sure we incorporate the antiphons in prayer and song. The crafts and foods are helpful, but I will not allow it to create stress upon myself if I can’t include them.

Last year I compiled an O Antiphons Prayer Companion to keep all the antiphons, symbols, and prayers together for each day. The main one includes an image of art for each day. This is a large, color file. I keep this displayed in a flip-chart easel placed near our dining room table.

Download O Antiphons Prayer Companion (updated 2012) with color pictures

Update 2012: I've added this prayer print-out now that my children are older. There are choices for your home use. I've included on one page the Magnificat and the actual O Antiphon verses, the second page is the Magnificat and verses for O come Emmanuel. The following two pages are the verses of O Come Emmanuel presented in two ways. Choose what works for your printouts, two-sided or one-sided, one page or two.

Download O antiphons prayer companion table printout 2012

Download O Come Emmanuel

Michele Quigley also made a beautiful page of the O Antiphons for prayer time.

Christmas Anticipation Prayer and Novena to the Immaculate Conception

Today marks the beginning of both the Christmas Anticipation Prayer (or Christmas Novena, also known as the St. Andrew Novena) and the Novena to the Immaculate Conception.

 

Beginning on November 30, the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, the following prayer is traditionally recited frequently daily until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for His coming.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
In which the Son of God was born
Of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight,
in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.

 In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
[here mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

My favorite prayer book, Handbook of Prayers edited by Father James Socias has a most beautiful novena to the Immaculate Conception. Each day is different, rich with meditative readings and prayers. I've included the first day on O Night Divine and the entire novena is in .pdf form on this page.

O Night Divine

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

Novena to the Immaculate Conception Update

This previous post had Day 1 of the novena. Due to some technical glitches the file can't be uploaded on this blog. The entire novena can be downloaded here.

I apologize for the inconvenience!

Christmas Anticipation Prayer and Novena to the Immaculate Conception

Today, November 30, marks the beginning of the recitation of Christmas Anticipation Prayer and Novena to the Immaculate Conception.

The Christmas Anticipation Prayer, also known as the Christmas Novena, traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for His coming.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
In which the Son of God was born
Of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight,
in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.

In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
[here mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

Novena to the Immaculate Conception

This beautiful novena is taken from the Handbook of Prayers edited by Reverend James Socias, Our Sunday Visitor Press. Since the Immaculate Conception is the Patroness of the United States of America, it seems appropriate to include this very special novena here. The first day is posted here. Due to computer glitches I couldn't post the whole novena earlier today. A file with the complete novena will be uploaded as soon as possible.

ETA: I cannot seem to upload the file on this blog, so the file can be found here on my blog.

Pope Pius XI formally instituted the celebration of the Immaculate Conception when he proclaimed this dogma on December 8, 1854. Affirming the constant faith of the Church, he expressed in that definition the exact meaning of the truth of Mary's Immaculate Conception: that she was conceived free from the stain of original sin. This feast has been celebrated in the East, and also in many places in the West, since the eighth century. This privilege of Mary is the most beautiful fruit of her Son's Redemption. Chosen as mother of the Savior, Mary received the benefits of salvation from the moment of her conception. Christ came to take away the sin of mankind; he did not allow it to contaminate Mary. The sanctity of our Blessed Mother is a model for all Christians. We seek her intercession that we may be rid of our sins and achieve sanctity.

First Day
November 30
Mary, the New Eve

Introductory Prayer

 

Lord God,
may our gifts be sanctified by the Holy Spirit,
who formed the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be a new creation
and sent down upon her
the dew of heavenly grace,
so that her womb might bear the fruits of our salvation, Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Reading: Genesis 3:1-6, 13-15

 

Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that The Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.

Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I ate." The Lord Go said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all cattle,
and above all wild animals;
upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her seed;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.

 

Consideration

 

"Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word, is placed at the very center of that enmity, that struggle, that accompanies the history of humanity on earth and the history of salvation itself. In this central place, she who belongs to the 'weak and poor of the Lord' bears in herself, like no other member of the human race, that 'glory of grace' which the Father 'has bestowed on us in his Beloved Son,' and this grace determines the extraordinary greatness and beauty of her whole being. Mary thus remains before God, and also before the whole of humanity, as the unchangeable and inviolable sign of God's election, spoken of in Paul's letter: 'in Christ...he chose us...before the foundation of the world,...he destined us...to be his sons' (Eph 1:4, 5). This election is more powerful than any experience of evil and sin, than all that 'enmity' that marks the history of man. In this history Mary remains a sign of sure hope" (John Paul II, Mother of the Redeemer, 11).

The Holy Rosary may be prayed.

 

Concluding Prayer

 

Lord God,
you prepared a worthy dwelling place for your Son

by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin;
grant, we pray,
that, as you preserved her from all stain of sin in your foreknowledge of his death,
so we, by her intercession,
may come to you with pure hearts.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Chains and the Pope

We started our prayer chain on the first Sunday of Advent.  We cut several strips out of construction paper and each of the children wrote the names of people they wanted to pray for.  We left a few of them blank and every now and then, when we say a special prayer for a mom in labor or someone in trouble, we write the name on the link and add it to our chain which is the gift we give the Savior on His birthday.

  We've prayed for the pope and added his name during the course of this Advent season.  I'm sure we all agree he is always in need of our prayers and support.  I especially like to ask the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary to remind him of our love for him. 

Then yesterday I saw this letter  from a Catholic Exchange reader.  It's a long letter in which the author responds to a very thoughtful article (there's a link in the letter) about the United States' mission and our patroness, the Virgin conceived without sin, titled the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception.  The writer (of the letter to the editor) is an American living in Europe.  From her vantage point she made several observations about the state of post-Christian Europe and it's effects on the papacy. In the middle of the letter she quotes from an Italian news magazine:

I would like to speak to you about a person whom I care very much about.  I am writing this in the pages of Tempi because I know you, the reader, will understand me better than most [Tempi is conservative and Catholic].  I am afraid that they will try to eliminate this person.

And I think not just morally but also physically.  No one has ever dared to say the things that he has said.  And not only are the wicked against him but now even [...] those who are considered good and decent are against him.

This man's name is Joseph Ratzinger.  [...] I invite you to consider him for a moment devoid of his white vestment, of his pontifical authority and of the solemn air of the Vatican.  Today he is defenseless and abandoned by everyone.  They are counting his bones. He is truly the 'Alter Christus', the [poor] servant about whom the Gospel speaks, the one prophesized by Isaiah.

Even if you don't have time to read her letter and the accompanying article, this excerpt is a powerful reminder of how crucial our prayers and support of the Holy Father are and how he suffers in the place of our Savior, even as we await the Holy Infant's birth.

So I'm encouraging you to start a prayer chain.  If you already keep this devotion, just add extra links.  Do you have any spare wrapping paper (yes, I'm only kidding) you can pull out today?  Or construction paper?  Gather your family and talk in terms of the ages and temperaments of your family members and then begin to pray for Pope Benedict XVI.  Add your links hour by hour, day by day and when Christmas comes keep going.  John Paul II would be an excellent intercessor for our dear pope.  By the end of the Christmas season you will have a beautiful gift for the Savior indeed and one for his Vicar as well.

O Antiphons

The Octave of Christmas begins tonight.  The Golden Nights leading up to the coming of the King.  The Atiphons are sung, or chanted, at evening prayer.

Jennifer Miller wrote a  very thorough post detailing how to pray the O Antiphons.

Other posts:

Alice's Advent Cubes (from last year)
Suzanne always has good information

                          O Anitphon Houses
                          Christine
                          Leticia
                         
And my favorite Ruth did a wonderful job of tying fun activities to do with the children into the whole O Antiphon devotion.  Great job Ruth, thanks for sharing your ingenuity!