O Antiphons starts tomorrow-are you ready?
Advent is such a tricky time. We are called to slow down, to contemplate, to listen, to wait. Yet, we feel like we must observe the million and one devotions to make it a rich experience for our children. Is it not ironic that we often find less time for God and for His Word at this time of year than at any other time?
So far, Advent is off to a slow start at our home. The Advent wreath has been lit a grand total of 3 times for fear the house will be set ablaze (next year, it’s flameless candles for us!). And as much as I love the Jesse Tree, our tree has about half the ornaments it should because of traveling.
Not to add another thing on to your Advent guilt list, but O Antiphons starts this Thursday, December 17th. This year, we will be coloring my printable ornaments. Depending on how they turn out, I may laminate them for future use. But then again, it might be fun to have the kids color them every year. Here is my super-d-duper simple plan for observing this Advent tradition:
O Antiphon Plan of Observance:
- Sing pertinent verse of “O Come Emmanuel” (we’ll practice the few we know in Latin too!)
- Talk about the meaning of each name or Antiphon
- Color and hang our printable ornaments
That is it! Some families serve special treats each day pertaining to each name of Jesus that is highlighted (like Root Beer for Root of Jesse). It sounds like a lot of fun, but I find we always have treat overload during Advent around here and I don’t really feel like adding something else to my to-do list. We’ll be skipping the treats – shoot me!
What the Hay is O Antiphons?
If you are like I was a few years ago, you may be wondering what I even mean by the O Antiphons.
O Antiphons are used at Vespers (a sunset evening prayer service in the Catholic Church) during the last 7 days of Advent (December 17th-23rd). They are called the O Antiphons because each antiphon begins with the word “O.” An Antiphon is a choral response given by a congregation.
Each antiphon highlights a name or title of Jesus that can be found in the prophecies of Isaiah.
- December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
- December 18: O Adonai (O Lord)
- December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
- December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
- December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring)
- December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the nations)
- December 23: O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)
Spelling each beginning letter backwards you get ERO CRAS, or in Latin, “Tomorrow, I will be There.” There is debate about whether this was intentional or not, but at least it makes for good discussion!
You will find these names of Jesus sung in the Advent hymn “O Come Emmanuel.”
O Antiphons appear to be a very old tradition dating back to before the sixth century.
Here are some more resources for O Antiphons:
O Antiphon Ponsettia Wreath from Under Her Starry Mantle
We made these wreaths at co-op several years ago, but they seemed to be a little much for the kids. If you’ve got an older crew (age 7 and up), they could do it without much help. There is a lot of cutting, placing, and pasting. This is why I steer clear of crafts!
O Antiphon House by Our Domestic Church
Ideas for O Antiphon Treats from Waltzing Matilda:
O Antiphon Window Ornaments from Holy Innocents
Do you do anything to observe O Antiphons?
Other posts you’ll love:
Christ-centered Advent and Christmas Read Alouds
We watch the holy heroes bit on the antiphons included in their Jesse tree dvd (aka, the money I ever spent), open your poinsettia of the day on the wreath, and call it good! We started Catholic All Years booklet with the novena that includes the antiphons. But then we missed it last night….so I’m not sure it’s a novena anymore. We will probably persist anyway. I did the treats one year and they were ok. I will try again some year when the kids are all a little older, but I definitely don’t think that HAS to happen every year.