Wednesday, December 19, 2012

O Radix Jesse

Today is the third day of the Church's annual recitation of the O Antiphons and so we pray:

O Root of Jesse, you stand as a sign for the peoples; before you kings shall keep silence and to you all nations shall have recourse. Come, save us, and do not delay.

Jesse Tree

The passages of Scripture that make up today's antiphon are both from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah: Isaiah 52:13, 15; 53:2. These passages prophesy about David's throne being restored, of a new branch sprouting from an old root. Jesus is the fulfillment of these prophecies, plus many more.

The Archangel Gabriel, at the Annunciation, declared to the Blessed Virgin, "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:32-33).

2 comments:

  1. Perhaps this will come across as whining but...I feel so so poorly catechized. A cradle Catholic here. I NEVER have heard of these antiphons. Therefore, neither have my chidren and my hunch is my husband, another lifelong Catholic, has not either and my hunch is neither have the two lifelong Catholic grandparents nor the one convert grandparent.

    I am thankful for my cyberfriends who blog and who know the faith well. Otherwise I am not sure how I would continue to learn these ancient faith traditions. Ironic, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  2. But how lovely to discover them now!

    ReplyDelete

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